Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Hakurei Shrine~ => Patchouli's Scarlet Library => Topic started by: The Dratini Farmer on April 05, 2013, 02:02:21 AM
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Alight, so since my semester is starting to run down, I finally got time to make my own fic. I have had this idea in my head for a while, especially playing Arma 2. So I'm going to invoke Rule 50. Everything goes with everything. Construct criticism and questions are welcomed.
Prologue
It was cold today. Both the weather and the mood of the city didn't feel welcoming. There was the noise of a city, but no warmth from all the people on their daily business. Maribel Hearn and Renko Usami were surprised at how different New York City was in person than from the movies and television shows that they grew up with. They were near Times Square when they came across a newsstand. Maribel bought the day's newspaper. On this one, the front page headline was what popped out at them. Classified CIA documents leaked about Gensokyo campaign. The article went on to explain that the Central Intelligence Agency had being compromised when a secure document was sent to every major newspaper on the east coast. The document detailed the weaponry being used by Gensokyo. It was a mix of modern, outdated, and even experimental weapons. There was also a picture of what was cited as a Russian SU-47 Berkut fighter taken during a reconnaissance mission.
?Reading about the war, huh?? Maribel and Renko jumped but relaxed when the newsstand owner laughed. ?I didn't mean to scare both of you like that. You two don't look like you're from around here. Where you two from??
Renko thought fast. ?We're students from South Korea.?
?South Korea, huh? My brother's stationed over there. Anyway, what do both of you think about the war??
?We have been hearing a lot of different things. We really don't know what to believe.? Maribel said.
?I know the feeling. Nobody ever heard about this Genskoyo place before any of this. Now we're at war with them. And I don't even know what's with the place. The news said that monsters walk around, people fly like birds, and that there's magic there. Sounds like something from a kids show. Something like My pink pony or something. But let me tell you this. I have never seen friendship turn someone into a frog. So where's the magic in that??
Maribel and Renko sneak a quick glance at each other.
?Anyway, one morning I'm eating breakfast and watching the news when I see them announce that we're invading Gensokyo. It was going to be a fast run and everyone will be home by Christmas and some other stuff. And we're not the only ones there. To think such a small place can hold almost every other country off like that...?.
The rush of lunch hour cut his train of thought as he had to attend to other customers. Maribel folded up the newspaper and put it into her purse. Renko adjusted her hat, hiding the fact that she was scanning the surrounding crowds. She had her hand in her purse, absentmindedly holding a Colt .45 pistol hidden there. Satisfied that they were not being watched, Renko lead Maribel to a pizzeria near the giant televised screen. On the way, a Marine in dress uniform flashed Maribel a smile that caused her to blush. Renko just smiled and shook her head. After they arrived and were eating, they watched the 24 hour news broadcast on the small television above the counter. Renko was the first one to break the silence.
?So far, nobody seems to really know why all of this is happening. Just that a strange land appeared and almost every nation on the planet is attacking it. And they know what kind of weapons we're using. But, I still can't figure out how they can attack.?
Maribel nodded, ?That's the main problem isn't it? Why did Gensokyo just appear, the barrier should have kept it hidden. Either Lady Yukari doesn't know, or it seems like she doesn't want to tell anybody. The latter seems more likely.?
Renko was taking a sip from her soda when something attracted her attention. She saw a glint of light and when she looked closer, it came off a pistol partly hidden under a man's jacket. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and her mind went almost completely blank. Just one thought remained, to protect Maribel and get to the extraction point. From that thought, multiple scenarios were tested and rejected. Maribel noticed her best friend stiffen and knew something was up. She looks out the window and notices the man in the reflection. He reaches to touch his ear and moves his mouth. Deciding to plan for a quick escape, she sends a quick text message. The next few seconds seem to last for minutes until her phone vibrates. She sees a number and gives Renko a discreet nod. Acting as normal as possible, they leave the restaurant and head away from the square. Walking in seemingly random directions for ten minutes seems to have shaken their tail off. They make their way to a certain spot in a subway maintance hallway while looking behind. Seeing the coast is clear, Maribel dials a number. A purple gap appears and a kitsune walks out. She bows to the pair.
?So, have you completed your objective??
Renko nods. ?We managed to find out more than we expected. I have some papers that Lady Yukari would be interest in seeing.?
Before Ran Yakumo could respond, a bullet flies past her head and creates sparks as it ricochets off the wall next to her. Running towards them is the man from the restaurant, along with a group of soldiers in full battle gear.
"STOP!!! Stop or we will fire on you!"
"A little too late for that, isn't it?" Ran snarls.
Renko pulls out her Colt and fires a few shots as she guides Maribel into the gap. As she gets into the gap, she squeezes Renko's hand comfortingly. Renko returns the gesture and gives her the same promise that the always do when in danger, the promise of coming back alive. The shots purposely miss because Renko knows Maribel is still uneasy with the possibility of killing a person. Ran pulls out a Heckler and Koch G36 and drops to a knee. She sprays bullets and forces the soldiers to duck behind the pillars on the sides of the hallway. They return fire but can't aim due to the volume of bullets. Unlike the bullets coming towards them, the ones that Renko and Ran shoot are bright blue with white cores. Once she makes sure Renko and Maribel are safely in the gap, Ran jumps back in. The gap immediately closes, leaving a very angry National Security Agent and a team of soliders in a hallway.
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Here's the first real chapter. I'm planning on making this a long story. It's a bit slow to start out, but I promise to make it worth it when I finally get done setting everything up. Like I said before, questions and comments are always welcomed.
One year earlier...
It was a nice spring day at the Hakueri Shrine. The shrine maiden of paradise, Remiu Hakueri was performing her regular duties, which mainly involved sweeping and drinking tea. She would have preferred to have been alone, but as usual, her closest friend, the ordinary magician, Marisa Kirisame, had decided to come over and pester her. Lunch time finally came around, so Marisa volunteered to make some miso stew. Remiu knew that the witch usually didn't offer to make lunch, she usually shared what Remiu ate. They sat there, enjoying the spring air and idle chatter. Neither of them brought up the uneasy feeling in the pits of their stomachs.
Over at the Yakumo household, Yukari Yakumo's faithful servant, Ran Yakumo was spending a rare free afternoon solving complex math problems. Since she had to deal with her master's usually vague and confusing orders, having something as absolute as math was a great way to unwind. Her natural skill at math also helped. As part of an earlier errand, she had to visit the Kourindou item shop. While she was there, she had spotted an aged textbook that called out to her. When she inspected it, she discovered it was a textbook about projectiles from the outside world. It had calculations for bullets, artillery rounds, and various other weapons. She was intrigued and was able to barter for it. The kitsune was amazed at how much math was required just for little pieces of metal to hit a particular space. Being the math genius she was, she had memorized every formula after half a day of reading. Reading the book, she wondered if there would be any chance at all to put what she learned to a practical application.
Unbeknownst to her servant, Yukari Yakumo was concerned. She felt something off about the Hakueri Barrier. But, every time she had went to inspect it herself, there were no faults. Yukari had also been sensing a atmosphere of unrest from the outside world. She know that the outside was always on edge but, this felt different. It felt as if it were a warning. The youkai of boundaries had always known that the barrier would not last forever and had planned for it. The one thing that she had not accounted for was her attachment. She had originally planned to create another paradise. Now, she would defend this land with her last breath. This would mean that all of her plans would have to change. After a few minutes of thinking, she knew what she had to do. Her first step would to take a little field trip.
To Rinnosuke Morichika, reading a book was the best thing to do in spring. That would be exactly what he would be doing if he hadn't had found a long wooden box when he returned from the village. It had strange writing on the side and was somewhat heavy. The shopkeeper had attempted to pry it open with his hands but ended up having to use the sword that he had bartered from Marisa so long ago. What he found inside made him pause. It was a long piece of wood with metal in the middle. The wood was a dark brown. There was a sling going from the front to the back. There were ten of them, alternating facing the left and right. Rinnosuke pulls one out and inspects it. Somehow, he knew not to point the open end at anything he cared about. He brings it up to and sees that there is a knob that he can move. He messes with it and when he opens and closes it, it makes a noise that promises power. Then it hits him. He remembers reading a book about outside technology. About how they fight without magic. He lays the thing on the table and searches for the book. After a few minutes, he finds it and opens it to the page he remembers. He was right, this was a rifle. A weapon developed to fight from a distance without using magic. And this was not any ordinary rifle. It was known as a Mosin Nagant rifle. He was amazed by it's history. According to Hieda no Akyuu, Gensokyo was founded in the year 1885. The design of this rifle went back all the way to 1891. He decided to keep this under warps for now. He was afraid that if any of them got out in Gensokyo's present state, it would not be pretty. He was sure that there was no ill will, but he wasn't ready to risk it. That left one more question, why would something like this cross the barrier?
It was rare for vampires to be up at this time of the day. But Remilia Scarlet wasn't just any regular vampire. As the head of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she didn't have to follow any rules. But, ever since the Scarlet Devil Incident, she had been more willing to follow the norms of Gensokyo. Every time Remilia looks back at that incident, she smiles a little. Enjoying a cup of midday tea in her dining room, she remembers every detail of that incident. It was the first time she could use spell cards without having to quit because her opponent either ran away in terror or lost interest and began to fly around in slow circles. And while she was unable to block out the sun permanently, it still solved a very disturbing problem. One that involved her head maid, Sakuya Izayoi. While Sakuya had always been pleasant to the inhabitants of the mansion, she had been cold towards others.
Years before...
Being defeated by the shrine maiden in front of her master, she had expected a severe punishment. When Remilia pulled her to the side after being defeated herself, Sakuya had felt her heart drop. For the first time in years she felt tears in her eyes and dropped to her knees. What happened next surprised her. Remilia, instead of dealing the expected punishment, embraced her. After a few minutes, her master pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away. She then leaned in so their foreheads were resting against each other.
"Sakuya, you don't have to worry about anything. They're not going to kill us like that angry mob wanted to when we had to leave France. Not all humans are like that. I know you did your best. You always do. I saw you trying to fight Remiu off. You pushed yourself so much. But you're still human. You're the same as that shrine maiden and that magician. I want you to promise that you'll do your best to get to know both of them. It'll be good for you. Right now, all you know are youkai. Don't worry, I'm not letting you go. I can't let such a great maid get away. Are you fine with this?”
Throughout Remilia's speech, Sakuya was in a state of shock. Then she realized that her master was wanting her to be happy. To be able to stand by her side and to remember why she had wanted to stay human. She nodded. Remilia smiled and helped Sakuya stand back up. The vampire fixed the maid's hair and gave her a second embrace.
"Remember that promise you made me? The one about always being there for me?”
Sakuya nodded.
"I'm going to hold you to it. Now, come on. We're going to need my parasol. Remiu's having tea back at her shrine and we're both invited.”
With a renewed vigor, Sakuya gave a quick curtsy and went to retrieve the parasol.
The present
Remilia was pulled out of her flashback by a friend's arrival. The One-Week Wizard, Patchouli Knowledge, took the seat next to her. She had her usual book with her but had a troubled look on her face.
"What's wrong, Patchy? You're not one to be bothered by anything.”
"Something has been feeling off lately. Alice was over earlier and said the same thing. It seems most of the youkai have been feeling the same way. There's rumors saying that it's the barrier but that red-white should have already done something about it.”
"So it's even more obvious than I thought,” an unexpected voice said.
Surprised, Remilia jumps out of her chair and jumps away from the voice. Patchouli is too busy having a coughing fit to do anything else. Standing before them is Yukari Yakumo. She has her parasol off to the side with multiple knives sticking out of it and has a very surprised maid behind her. Sensing no bad intent from the gap youkai, Remilia relaxes and Sakuya recovers her knives.
"Forgive my intrusion but I'm on a tight schedule today. And we really need to talk.” Yukari creates a small gap and throws her parasol into it. “So what do you say?”
Regaining her aristocratic upbringing, Remilia offers her a seat and returns to sipping her tea. Sakuya serves them a fresh batch and leaves a plate of strawberry tea cookies.
"You usually don't visit us, Yukari. Last time you needed something, we ended up on the moon.” Remilia shrugged. “But I will admit that it was interesting.”
"This time, it's a little more serious than just a little moon trip. You and Patchouli have already noticed that something is wrong with the barrier. My inspections have not revealed any problems. So I wanted to offer you some advice and some instructions.” She leaned forward. “We all know that the outside world is not at it's best right know. There is an atmosphere of war around the entire planet. If something were to happen to the barrier, there would be nothing to stop the outside from coming into Gensokyo. If that were to ever be the case, the spell card rules would be a hindrance.”
Remilia scowled. “Are you telling us that we may have to disregard spell cards? Have you told Remiu about this?”
"She doesn't need to know about this yet. There is still a chance that the barrier will hold. But I would like to plan for every eventuality.”
"And if the spell card rules don't work, what then?”
"Humans have advanced past the stage of using bows and arrows. While we can't exactly be killed by their weapons as they are right now, they still have that knowledge somewhere. The main point is that we may have to learn how to use their weapons against them to even out the odds.” Yukari pulled out a book from a gap. “Here's a gift. I got this book the last time I went to the outside world. It details many of what we can expect if worse comes to worse.”
It was a field manual. It was over four inches thick. Patchouli began to flip through it and sometimes would frown even more.
Yukari stood up. “Thank you for your hospitality. I wish I could stay but, I have other stops to make before the end of the day. Should this get worse, I want to be able to call upon this household. Can I do that?”
Remilia nodded. “I suppose. If something were to happen, the Scarlet Devil Mansion may be in danger as well.”
"With that, I will take my leave.” Yukari did a small bow and disappeared into a gap.
Langley, Virginia, United States
Two bored looking men were sitting in front of multiple screens. They had boxes of Chinese take out in front of them and were paying more attention to a tablet instead of the satellite images behind it. They only looked up when an alarm went off.
"I hope it's not another bird going on the dish. I am not cleaning that up.”
"I'll rock, paper, scissors you for not doing it.”
"Deal...hold up. Take a look at this.”
The screen was showing a remote region in northern Japan. What had triggered the arm were small dots moving quickly above the region. One of the technicians flips the switch and converts the image to thermal. They zoom in and are astonished at what they find. They see that the dots are human shaped and are too fast to be walking. They are coming up to a ravine and just move over it. The twists and turns they make are impossible for someone walking.
"What is this, I don't even...”
Then they were even more surprised when a large heat blast came from one of those dots. Seeing this one of the men takes the top off of his drink and smells it. He then places it under his partner's nose.
"What are you doing?”
"Just smell it. Does it smell like alcohol? I swear I been clean, man.”
"Get that back on the desk. We need to send this up higher. They probably got a better idea of what this is then we do.” He checks the data readout. “That was some high energy. I don't think you can get that much energy without a jet engine or something. Let me see if I can see what this dot is.”
The screen became blurry then sharpened. The two men received their third surprise of the night.
"Is that a...a witch on a broom!?!”
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Yukari had just finished having tea at Hakugyokurou when she decided to go on a walk with her best friend, Yuyuko Saigyouji. Both of them were enjoying the cherry blossoms when they felt someone watching them. Yukari takes a discrete glance around her but doesn't spot anything. She reaches in a gap and takes out a spyglass. She looks up at the sky and sees a faint haze. Beyond that haze, she can barely make out something moving. She stares at it and recognizes it. She wore a sad smile on her face as she put away the instrument. Yuyuko sees this and sighs, ?So, it's happening faster than you thought. Have you finished your preparations??
Yukari nodded. ?I did what I could. But I still need to talk to Reimu and Marisa. The tengu and the kappa didn't see it at first but came around. The Moriya shrine figured it out before I finished explaining it to them. The Lunarians in the Bamboo Forest are ready to contribute what they can. Everyone else still needs more time, but should be ready before all of this falls. It's too bad that the barrier is failing faster than I expected. ?
?You do know that the Yama is not going to be happy about this. She's probably going to lecture both of us when she founds out.?
?Those lectures are for your own good. And I wish one of you would have told me before it was already underway.?
?Speak of the devil, and she shall appear.? Yukari bowed slightly. ?I was going to tell you but there was tea and cookies and I lost track of time.?
Eiki Shiki, the highest judge of paradise, shook her head. ?I swear, Yukari, you lie almost as much as Marisa does. But I'm not here to lecture either of you tonight. I know that the barrier will be gone soon. And I know that the outside world will probably attack Gensokyo. The other yamas have already spoken to me about this. They want us to disperse before this happens.?
?What about you, Lady Shiki?? Yuyuko had to address Eiki formally because she was technically her superior.
?I'll say this: Gensokyo has existed as a paradise for more than 150 years. Even in that short of time, both humans and youkai have learned how to coexist and love this land. While the other yamas want to avoid bloodshed, they want us to avoid it like cowards. I cannot do that. I have come to love this land as well. I know that the consequences of this are going to be tough. But as a yama, I must do what is right. So, you can count me and the rest of Higan in for the long run.?
Yukari bowed her head again. ?While I am grateful for your help, won't this put you at odds with the other yamas??
?I'm not worried about that now. If there's no Gensokyo, then who am I supposed to judge? Am I supposed to turn back into a statue? If I have to, at the end of this conflict, I'll turn in my letter of resignation from the office of the yamaxanadu. But, that will be after I can be sure that Gensokyo is safe.?
This was the one thing that Yukari least expected. It was common knowledge that her job was the only thing Eiki loved. She could do without the hat, the Rod of Remorse, but not being able to do what she loved was another matter entirely. Her job was not just about lecturing sinners, it was about helping them avoid the fires of hell and making a difference. It was what made her who she was. Even on her breaks and vacations, she still did her best to lead misguided souls to enlightenment. To be willing to put even that on the line meant that she understood how serious this incident was. Yukari couldn't help but step forward and embrace her.
?Thank you. I know this is a lot for you. But, I only want this on one condition.?
It was Eiki's turn to be surprised.
?I want your word that, after this is over, you keep your office. I may not have met any other yamas, but I think everyone would prefer to have one that they know, rather then one that might not care as much as you do. I will admit that we don't like being lectured but, deep down we know that you're right. And I will give you my word that I would do whatever it takes to help you if the other yamas take exception to this.?
Langley, Virginia, United States
Meetings weren't usually the worst part of the day. Even for the Chief of Staff of the Central Intelligence Agency, waking up and dragging himself out of bed every morning was the worst part. Even with coffee, it never got any better. But, today was different. The Director and deputy director were both late for their early morning meeting. Normally, he would have complained, but a box of powdered donuts kept him quiet. He was almost through the 12 pack when the missing links appeared. The Associate Deputy Director was playing on his cell phone and was visibly annoyed to having to stop. The Director cleared his throat, ?Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, I received a very unusual report on my desk this morning.?
The rest of the room paid polite attention but were more focused on the snacks on the table. The Director pulled a flash drive out of his pocket and inserted it into his computer. He brought up a file on the projector. ?About one week ago, two technicians on the night shift reported high amounts of energy coming from a area in the northern region of Japan. Upon further investigation, they saw what they could only describe as a witch.?
The room was silent. Everyone was expecting some sort of punchline but none came. ?All of you heard right. A witch. The ones that wear big hats and fly around on brooms and cast magic and all of that great stuff. I would have told those two to take a few days off if is wasn't for this data.?
He brought up a recording of a satellite image.
?As you can see, these dots are human sized and are not hampered at all by the thick vegetation of the area. In just a few seconds you will see a high amount of energy being released from one of the dots.? He paused so they could pay attention when it happened. ?After I reviewed this, I took the liberty of asking the Air Force to fly a drone over the area to make sure it wasn't just some college prank. It found what looked to be a haze over the area and something else.? Images from the reconnaissance appeared on the computer. One stood out the most, this one was of what appeared to be two women looking up at the camera. One had a what looked like an antique telescope and was wearing a white ruffled dress. The other had a blue dress and what appeared to be lights around her.
?To be able to spot a drone at night that high up is almost impossible. We would have been able to get more pictures but there was something interfering with the drone. The Air Force has assured me that there was nothing wrong with the drone. That leaves only one explanation: there is someone that doesn't want to be seen in that area. We have asked the Japanese government about that area but they say that it is just wilderness. They cite legends of monsters as the reason that area is deserted. Then we have this next image.?
This one showed what appeared to be two large snakes. There was something that looked like a person with a ring of rope behind them in between them. Facing then was another person with could only describe a high energy sword.
?I can't really explain this. Our detection of other high energy and radiation indicates that there is a credible threat. Our next step is to brief the president on this and see if we can get boots on the ground. He'll probably want to go the diplomatic path. I still want operatives in the middle of this. However, we're going to be on a tight schedule. If we could see this, everyone else can too. The last thing we need are the North Koreans or the Russians taking advantage of this. This amount of radiation can only come from a power source. So here's the underlying point. There could be another unchecked nuclear power on the planet. One that we may have to deal with. May God help us if it's another whack job dictator like North Korea's.?
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Back in Gensokyo, Reimu was waiting for her water to heat up. A cup of tea always made time go by faster. Since Marisa was off vising Flandre Scarlet, Reimu didn't have to worry about half of her food disappearing. Naps were always great after a cup of tea. When a gap opened in front of her, she barely stopped herself from throwing needles into it out of annoyance.
?Dammit, Yukari. Why do you always have to come by to ruin a perfectly good nap??
?You were taking a nap? Don't you usually have a bit of drool on the side of your face when you fall asleep??
Reimu couldn't stop herself from blushing in embarrassment and anger. She turned away and began to wipe at the side of her face. ?How do you know I drool? I mean, I don't drool. Not that I've ever drooled before in my life. Never. Have you been watching me when I sleep!?!?
?Aw, you're so cute when you're like that. And even more cuter when you're asleep. Anyway, we need to talk. It has something to do with the barrier.? Yukari's face darkened. ?It might not last too much longer.?
Reimu stopped her sputtering. ?The barrier feels find to me. And I'm still here.? Her eyes narrowed. ?Don't tell me you been messing around with the barrier again. Ever since that spring incident-?
?The spring incident was different. I messed with that because Yuyuko asked me to. There was no real danger. I told you all this before, remember? I've been having a strange feeling about the barrier. I've inspected it a few times and haven't found anything wrong. I thought it was nothing, and it really seemed like it. Until a few nights ago. Yuyuko and I were out for a walk when I found evidence that the outside world could see us. If they can see us, then the barrier won't be able to keep them out for much longer. I'm surprised that you haven't noticed anything yet.?
?I noticed. I had a feeling in my gut, but I thought it was that bird that Marisa cooked the other day. So what now? If there's no barrier, then won't Gensokyo cease to exist??
?The land we're on won't disappear. We'll still be here. It really won't be any different except for the fact that anybody can just walk here. But what I'm worried about are the people outside. They have advanced a lot since Gensokyo was sealed off. But they still fear anything different. Look around you, Reimu. All of your friends, the vampires, the ghosts, the Lunarians, all of them are different. You're different. Do you think we'll all be accepted with open arms? There is a lot of conflict outside, and we will be drawn into it. Especially with that crow youkai underground.?
?You talking about Utsuho, aren't you? What does she got to do with this??
?The outside world is very suspicious of nuclear power. Only a handful of people have access to it. And they really don't like sharing it. And I wouldn't put it past them to know that we have nuclear power, too. They may come to take it by force. We have to be ready.?
?We have the spell card rules. So we should be good, right??
Yukari shook her head sadly. ?They don't play by the spell card rules out there. They have weapons that will kill. And they don't hesitate to use them. Right know, we're at a disadvantage. Since you're the one that really controls the spell card rules, I wanted you to know that we can't relay on it if this happens.?
?Then what? What could we possibly have to defend against this? It's not like we can use magic to kill.?
?That's exactly what we have, Reimu. We're going to have to use our magic to kill. The youkai won't have any problems with this. But I know all the humans will. That's why I have something else. I know that Kourindou has got a shipment of just what we need.?
One gap field trip later...
Rinnosuke couldn't catch a break. But it wasn't all bad. Even though he was a little afraid that Flandre would have crushed him without a second thought, she really was a nice kid when it finally came down to it. He was sure that as long as she kept herself under control, that she would get to know more people. As soon as they left, the shopkeeper had started to lay back. He was smiling a little because of Flandre telling him to stop at the mansion anytime he wanted. So much for the fearsome image of vampires, he thought. How can she be so friendly when her sister-
?Rinnosuke, you got two customers standing in front of you and you're off daydreaming?, a familiar voice rang out.
He almost fell out of his seat but wasn't surprised to see Remiu and Yukari in front of him. He sighed and put his book down. At this rate, he would never finish. ?You just missed Marisa and Flandre. They're heading back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion if you want to catch up with them.?
?We're here for something else.? Yukari had a smile that Rinnosuke found somewhat disturbing. ?We're here to see that crate you found a few days ago.?
He could have slapped himself. How could he have forgotten who was in charge of the barrier? ?So it was you. You're the one that brought that crate over the barrier. What exactly do you plan on doing with those rifles??
Remiu was confused by all of this. ?You promised me an explanation, Yukari. Is this what's going to replace the spell cards??
?Rinnosuke, why don't you be a gentlemen and bring that crate out here for us?? Yukari added a wink for good measure.
The besieged shopkeeper could only sigh as he went to the back. When he returned, he had a large crate on his right shoulder. Yukari opened a gap and pulled out a dark green metal box. She opened it and took out small pointed metal cylinders. She then went to the crate, opened it and pulled out one of the rifles. ?I think we should do this outside.?
She leads Reimu and Rinnosuke outside and looks around. She sees a tree about 500 yards away. ?Remiu, do you see that knot on that tree down there??
It takes the shrine maiden a few seconds to make it out. At that distance, it was almost too small to see. She nods and looks at the rifle in Yukari's hands. The gap youkai smiles and puts one of the bullets in the rifle. ?What I put into this rifle is called a bullet. This is what they use in the outside world to fight at long distances. This weapon will kill most humans with one hit. Youkai can take a bit more shots to go down, but will feel terrible pain. Remember that knot over there? I going to hit it with one shot. But first...? She reaches into another gap and pulls out what looks like a long knife. ?This is what's called a bayonet. Whenever someone would get too close, this rifle can be used as a spear. It also makes it more accurate.? With some trouble, she manages to attach and twist it. She brings the rifle up to her shoulder. ?Both of you may want to cover your ears for this.?
Rinnosuke covers his ears but Remiu doesn't. She can't see how a piece of metal with a knife and cylinder would want her to cover her ears. It's not like it's going to sing or-
BOOM
Remiu could only stand in shock as the rifle basically exploded. Out at the end away from Yukari, a huge fireball appeared, it was strong enough to cause a shock wave to appear in front of her. Her ears were ringing so she couldn't really hear what Yukari was saying. After a few more seconds, it finally went away.
?I told you to cover your ears didn't I? Didn't you notice how careful I was with this thing? Now do you understand what we're dealing with? Take a look at that knot down there. Go on, you'll have to get closer to see.?
Remiu flew closer to the tree and saw that the knot had a hole dead center. It had gone straight through. Yukari landed next to her. She still had the rifle. Remiu couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
?Don't worry. You'll get used to it. Here, have a go at it.? She handed Remiu the rifle. ?Hold it like this.? She stepped behind Remiu and adjusted her stance. The shrine maiden couldn't help but blush at how close Yukari was. It helped her get over the uneasiness too. Yukari whispered, ?Keep a firm grip on the front. When you pull the trigger, do it gently. Try it now. Don't worry, it can't fire until we cycle the bolt.? She opened the bolt and Reimu jumped when the shell casing was ejected. ?Don't be so jumpy, Remiu.? Yukari placed a new round in the chamber. She closed the bolt and guided Reimu's hands. ?Now try to fire the shot.? Since Reimu knew what to expect, she was better able to handle the shock wave and fireball. The rifle did kick against her shoulder a bit, but it was a lot less then she expected. She then cycled the bolt herself.
?See? That wasn't so bad, was it? What do you think?? Yukari took the rifle from Reimu.
?It's strong. So we just aim and shoot??
?That's about it. The crate has ten, and I can get more. I'm planning on arming most of the areas around here. The kappa probably know how to modify some more weapons when I get it to them. And we do need someone to keep track of them.?
Rinnosuke knew he couldn't get away. But, he was interested in all of the technology from the outside world. He nodded and went back towards his shop.
Situation Room, White House, Washington, DC, United States
It was quiet all around the table. All eyes were on the screen at the very front. On that screen were readouts and maps. The Director of the CIA was pacing in front of the screen, armed with a laser pointer. ?That's the extent of all of our information. Since the Japanese government don't know anything about the area, I suggest that we get them to allow us to send our investigators in. We all know that Japan is a responsible nuclear power, but since they claim not to know anything, that may be a problem.?
The Secretary of State stood up. ?I hope your not suggesting that we ask all of our allies for detailed information about every little thing. Do you know what kind of international incident that could cause? Out foreign policy would take a severe hit. Most everybody is suspicious of us already.?
This time the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff hopped in. ?We all now that Japan is one of our closest allies. They are a proud and honorable people. I don't see them lying to us about something like this. They know that we can find out as soon as that thing comes online. We have to be open to the possibility that maybe another entity has created nuclear power in that area. You did say that the area was deserted.?
?Fine points all around, gentlemen.? The room's temperature fell dramatically. It was the CIA director that was speaking. And he was going to remind everyone in the room why he was the United State's spymaster. ?Recently, my agents have uncovered startling new evidence that this area may be housing a threat.?
He produced a file. It was a thick file, almost 2 inches thick. He slammed it down on the desk. ?We have intercepted communications from the area that point to a large scale military buildup, one that is equivalent to an army. Our satellites have taken pictures of what appear to be factories and training grounds that were hidden. I believe that it would be reasonable to consider that we may have a rouge nuclear power.?
?Director, I hope you have solid proof for these accusations.? Every eye turned to face the President of the United States. ?If you don't, I have the feeling that you may have overstepped your boundaries.?
?Mr. President, I have readouts that show a disturbingly high level of energy coming from the area. This image, which was what first alerted us, shows an energy and heat signal that was equivalent to
several atomic bombs. And it was being used multiple times against a moving target. A moving target that happened to be human.?
The room was even more silent then before. ?Are you telling me that this could be a civil war? One with both human rights violations and nuclear weapons?? The President asked.
?It looks that way, Mr. President. We are morally obligated to take action. I suggest that it be soon. Since we can see it, everyone else can as well. It won't be long before the media runs away with this.?
?We've to tread lightly. I'll have to talk to the United Nations about this. We may have to send troops in if that doesn't work. We gone so long without another war, and now with this happening.?
Since everyone was looking at the president, no one noticed that the CIA director had a small smirk on his face.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
The master of the Scarlet Devil Mansion always enjoyed having gatherings. But this one was different. It wasn't a party, it was a meeting to determine what would happen to Gensokyo's future. Even with such a somber atmosphere, the service was impeccable. Head Maid Sakuya had managed to train the fairy maids well enough so that they were able to cook and serve without constant supervision. Every part of Gensokyo was well represented in the crowd. The court of Hakugyokurou, the Lunarians of Eientei, the bureaucrats of Higan, both the Hakueri and Moriya Shrines, the tengus from the mountain, the administrators of Old Hell, the Buddhist monks, the Taoist magicians, even the Celestials and some from the human village were in attendance. Such a gathering had not occurred ever since the last moon expedition, or invasion, depending on who was asked.
An unexpected trio of guests were in the house. Ones that would have taken exception to that question. The heads of the Lunar Defense Corps were visiting their former teacher, Eirin Yagokoro, when they tagged along. Yorihime and Toyohime no Watatsuki were feeling somewhat out of place but were surprised when Yukari Yakumo and Yuyuko Saigyouji had both engaged them in friendly conversation. The events of the Second Lunar War were still in their minds, but neither side bore any ill will to the other. Their pet/bodyguard, Reisen, was beginning to interact with the inhabitants of Gensokyo and was feeling more comfortable.
About after half an hour after the last guests had arrived, who happened to be the Three Mischievous Fairies, Yukari moved to the stage in front of the room.
“I want to thank all of you for coming today. I know that some of you have traveled far so, I'll try to make this worth your time. First, I want to thank Remilia Scarlet for letting us hold this gathering at the mansion.” A round of applause rang through the room, with Remilia giving a small nod of acknowledgment. “And I would like to thank Sakuya Izayoi for providing such a great selection of food for us.” Another round had Sakuya giving a small curtsy. “Now to our main topic. Some of you may have noticed that the Great Hakueri Barrier has been experiencing some problems. After several inspections, I have concluded that the barrier will soon fall.”
The room went quiet. Everyone knew that the barrier was what protected their way of life. And some remembered what occurred when youkai and humans had encountered each other.
“The outside world has advanced greatly since the creation of the barrier. They no longer rely on weak magic. They have a higher degree and skill with technology. They are also going through a period of conflict. One that has drawn in every nation on the planet, except for us. But with the fall of the barrier, that may soon change. The spell card rules that we all live on and know as part of our lives are soon to be liabilities. The outer world has weapons that can kill the humans living here in one hit, and that can bring youkai to their knees and possibly kill them.”
She motioned for Rinnosuke and Nitori Kawashiro to join her. The shopkeeper carried the same crate he had the other day.
“The outsider world will be coming to Gensokyo soon. In the outside, they have an energy source that causes more problems then it solves. This energy source has the potential to start wars and has been proven to end them as well. The nuclear power that Utsuho Reiuji has harnessed and uses has not gone unobserved. To the outside, nuclear power is a rare resource, one that some guard jealously. They may come to Gensokyo to take that away from us. We have to be ready for that. This is what we can start to counter the outsiders.”
She had Rinnosuke open the crate and hand her a rifle. Yukari lifts the rifle for all to see. “This is a rifle. It fires a bullet at a high rate of speed. This rifle is called a Mosin Nagant and is almost as old as Gensokyo. If all of us move outside, I can demonstrate how it works or...how about one of our visitors?” She looks at Resien, who was standing next to Yorihime. “Come on up here. You're part of the Lunar Defense Corps aren't you? Don't worry, I'm not going to embarrass you or anything like that.”
Reisen is nervous when she meets up to Yukari. The youkai gives her a reassuring smile and leads her outside. When everyone is outside, Yukari aims at a target about 300 yards away. “See that target over there? Try to hit it. Here's a round and a bayonet. Use the bayonet if you want to make it accurate. Everyone else, move back a little and cover your ears.”
Reisen brings it up and fires in one fluid motion. Almost everyone in the area jumps when the round goes off. She then cycles the bolt and activates the safety.
Yukari was surprised at how much skill the moon rabbit had with this rifle. “This rifle is an earth made rifle. How did you know how to do all of this?”
“This rifle feels so familiar. It reminds me of the ones back home. The feel, the weight, the recoil...Could it be that this rifle was inspired by our designs?”
“My, that was quite a summary. It would make sense that such a long lived and well made weapon wouldn't be just human in origin. Anyway, do all of you see what power they have? But this is not the only type of weapon that we will come up against.” She turned to see that Rinnosuke had brought out even more crates.
“But first-”, she pulls out a spyglass. “A perfect shot. Well done, Reisen.” The moon rabbit bows her head slightly. Yukari takes the rifle and puts it back in the crate. She opens another and pulls out a shorter weapon. One that was a combination of wood and metal.
“This is the standard rifle for most of the world. This is called the AK-47.” She hands it to Reisen and points to the target again. Reisen aims and pulls the trigger. The first shot was off slightly but every other shot was going everywhere else. “The main problem with the AK-47 is it's lack of accuracy. This is more of a distraction maker then an attack weapon. It also has the quality of being common, cheap, and reliable.”
She pulls out another weapon. “This one is more accurate, and is used by one of the stronger factions. It is known as the M4.” The moon rabbit fires a few shots and nods. “The design allows it to be customized to suit the user's tastes and needs. ”
She then pulls out one that is even shorter than the others. “This one is the Heckler and Koch G36. The faction that makes it is well known as craftsmen and for their quality work.” Resien shoots a few rounds and falls in love with it. Yukari feels a pang of guilt as she takes the G36 back.
“Maybe later, little rabbit. Now for another class of weapons.” Rinnosuke handed her what appeared to be a tube. “This is called an AT4. It is basically a bigger rifle.” She hands it to the moon rabbit and motions others to get out from behind her. When the coast was clear, she pats her twice on the head. Reisen fires the round, which flies downrange and explodes. No one had made a noise since the first round was fired. “I think that explains itself.” Yukari could almost sense Marisa about to grab the tube when no one was looking. “And it's only one time use. The tube's useless after the rocket's fired.” The youkai took the tube back and broke the iron sights. “Anytime you see the iron sights broken, the tube's already been fired and is useless.” She then threw it to the side.
“These are just some of the weapons that we will have to fight with. Rinnosuke Morichika, Kourindou's shopkeeper, has agreed to house and supply the weapons while Nitori Kawashiro and the rest of the kappa have offered their services to maintain and modify them. We can have an even bigger assortment of weapons, but I sense that all of you will need some time to get used to them. We're going to need everyone we can get to help defend Gensokyo. I have already talked to almost all of you individually. Now I need to know if we can count on you. Anyone that doesn't want to is free to leave. I give my word that I won't bear any ill will. I know that some of you would prefer to stay out of this. That's fine.”
No one moved. Everyone knew that they had a duty to the land that they loved. And they were going to fulfill that duty.
“Then that's settled. I want all of you to get some time with the weapons here. But always remember two rules. First, be aware of what you're pointing at. This weapons are deadly and we do not need anyone getting hurt or killed. Second, treat these weapons with respect. Some of them may not appeal to you. That's natural. I can always find something that you like. Just give the ones here a try first.”
Everyone steps forward to test them out for themselves. Yukari is about to reach insider her gap for a cup of tea when Reisen walks up to her. “Lady Yukari, can I ask you a question?”
“Now, now, you don't need to address me so formally. You did such a good job demonstrating all of our toys. So, what is it?”
“You seem to know a lot about these weapons. I had been told that the spell card rules had been in place for a long time. Was there an incident that required them?”
“No incident has ever required outside technology. Well, maybe the Second Lunar War. But I spend a good amount of time in the outside world. I picked up some things there. Would you like to take a short walk? I'm sure Yorihime and Toyohime won't mind.”
Reisen looks over to her masters. Yorihime is busy talking to Eirin. Toyohime makes eye contact with the moon rabbit and gives her a quick smile and a shooing motion.
“I would be happy to.”
Northern Japan
A CH-47 Chinook was flying all alone in the middle of the night. The aviator was humming a tuneless song, much to the annoyance of his copilot. In the back, a team of CIA and Special Forces Operators were sitting quietly. The operators were still in the dark about their mission, and the agents weren't being helpful. There was almost a tense atmosphere between the two. Seeing as how they had basically snuck into Japanese airspace in a lone helicopter, some of the operators weren't exactly excited for their mission.
“JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST!!!”
Everyone in the back jumped. None of them had ever heard their warrant officer sound like that. One of the operators rushes to the cockpit and can only gape at the sight in front of him. On the other side of the glass, there was what looked like a little blonde girl with a red ribbon in her hair. She reminded everyone of a bug that was splattered on the windshield. The copilot, out of instinct, activated the windshield wipers. The thing little rod of plastic slide across the glass and stopped when it reached the side of the girl's head. It then backed up and tried to move forward again.
“Where the hell did she come from!?!”
“Does it look like I got a damn idea!?!”
“Chief, I hope you got insurance.”
“Dammit, we ain't in no school zone.”
“Is that so?”
Everyone slowly turned back to the glass. The little girl had a blank smile on her face. The copilot reached forward and tapped the glass. The little girl blinked and began to slide to the left. Both the aviator and the operator ran back to open the left door and brought her inside the helicopter. The copilot had known to keep the aircraft stopped. When she was brought inside, she still had the blank smile and surprised everyone else in the room by floating above the floor.
“I'm hungry.”
She went around sniffing everyone. One of the operators pulls out a candy bar and gives it to her. She sits down and eats it. Another operator drops to a knee in front of her and questions her in a soothing voice. “Hey, what's your name?”
“I'm Rumia. I'm the youkai of darkness.”
“Youkai? So you're not human?”
“That's right. I eat humans. Well, if I could catch them...”
“How do you catch humans?”
“I do this.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she disappeared into what could only be described as concentrated darkness. She moved forward and stopped when she crashed into the wall. The darkness then dissipated.
“I'm still hungry. Can I have another one?”
The CIA agents were on edge and were nervously holding their weapons. The operators weren't really seeing a threat, they felt kind of sorry for Rumia. To them, she didn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer. Since some of them had children that were around the age that Rumia was, they were hoping that she wouldn't be a threat. Another operator gave her his candy bar.
“This is good. Is it made out of humans?”
“No, it's made out of chocolate and peanut butter.”
“I never seen anything like this in Gensokyo before.”
“Gensokyo? Is this what this place is called?”
“Yep. Did all of you come across the barrier?”
“The barrier? Yeah, we came across it. Could you tell us more about Gensokyo?”
“Gensokyo is where the youkai go to have fun. There's this barrier that keeps the outside world out. There's this shrine maiden that keeps everything the same. And now Yukari told us some mean people are coming to take it all away.”
“Who's Yukari?”
“Yukari's the boss around here. She's the one that fixes problems. But she sleeps a lot. She has a fox and a cat for pets. I know the cat. She's one of my friends.”
“That's interesting. Here, have another one.” He hands her another candy bar. “How long until we land, Chief?”
“About 3-4 minutes. You might need to rappel out if we can't find a spacing wide enough. The map they gave us is way off and our radar is messing up. Almost like we're being jammed. We might need to call up to higher about this.”
“There's no need to call up your chain of command.” One of the agents stood up. He gave both the operator and the warrant officer chills. “This is a CIA operation. We're the ones that decide what happens. Remember that your team is only here for security. And that you and your copilot are our drivers.”
Every operator wanted to invite the agent to the nearest body of water with a new pair of concrete shoes. But they had another, much more pressing problem: what was their mission. In the back of all their heads was the feeling that there was something wrong.
-
Youkai Mountain
A good way up the mountain, the kappas had set up workshops for their modifications. Right now, the kappas were unloading dozens of crates that Yukari had brought. Rinnosuke was finishing up a manifest of every new weapon that they received. Nitori had her hands full with designing modifications for Marisa and Youmu. While the half ghost was fine with waiting her turn, Marisa was hyped up at getting the chance to increase her already high firepower. In all of this commotion, Yukari almost didn't notice that Yuyuko and Eiki had shown up.
?Yukari, looks like your having a lot of fun here,? Yuyuko smiled. ?I don't think I seen you this busy for a long time. Where's Ran and Chen??
?I got them doing some other things for me. What brings you and the Yama here??
?We got an idea that might help. The weather's nice today. Why don't you take a walk with us, Yukari?? The yama beckoned her and walked into the forest.
Yukari and Yuyuko traded a glance and followed her. The trio was quiet until they had put a far amount of distance between them and the crowd.
?From what I can see, we have the tools and the motivation to make this succeed,? Eiki said. ?But right now, we would see be beaten back without the skills the outside has.?
Yukari knew that she couldn't counter that. ?I know that the first few weeks are going to be the toughest. But our motivation should get us through. Every nation on the planet is going to be coming for us, so we can't really ask any of them for training.?
?What about asking history for training?? Eiki asked.
Yukari's mind went blank. Even though she was accounting for every variable, she hadn't thought about doing what the yama had just suggested. Seeing as she had no authority in the afterlife, Yukari hadn't even considered it.
?While the other yamas are still badgering me about Gensokyo getting ready for war, some of them still owe me favors. If you can take advantage of it, I can get some of the best warriors in history to teach us some tricks. I have quite a few in mind.?
The gap youkai couldn't stop a smile from crossing her face. ?Then by all means. We're going to need every advantage we can get. Some of my shikigami have reported that we already have company.?
She turns around and points her parasol at a bush. A few seconds later, an operator stands up. All around the trio, more operators and agents stand up. They all have their weapons aimed at the youkai. Next to one operator, Rumia is busy eating a candy bar.
?How did you even know we were here?? one of them asked.
?Now, now. A proper lady does not talk to strangers. I believe that introductions are in order.?
?We are soldiers from-?, but the operator was interrupted by one of the agents.
?We are under no obligation to identify ourselves. You are under our custody, so we're the ones that make the rules here.? The agent snapped. ?I would put that parasol down, lady. Along with that fan and that funny looking stick.?
?Funny looking stick?? Eiki's voice was barely audible. Both Yukari and Yuyuko's hair began to stand on end. They could tell that the Yama was angry. So could the operators. ?You must be a glutton for punishment, to insult my office like this.?
?What office? All I see is a skinny little girl with a skinny little stick. You have no chance against my organization. I wish you would do some-? The agent stopped mid sentence when the sky began to suddenly get cloudy and thunder began to fall.
?You may not originally be from my jurisdiction. But you have insulted me in my house, and now you will face judgment.? Eiki pointed her Rod of Remorse at the agent. The writing on it began to change. Once it stopped, it began to glow. The agent tried to pull the trigger but the weapon was knocked out of his hand by the judge. The yama began to read off every sin he had committed in his life. At the end, she moved forward and slammed the rod down on his head hard.
?You are sentenced to send three lifetimes in the pits of Hell for your crimes. You are one of the worst souls I have ever judged. I fear that there may be no hope for you to ever reach enlightenment.?
Seeing one of their own being attacked the rest of the agents rushed forward to strike, but were cut down by kunais that Yukari had summoned from her gaps. None of the operators had moved and Rumia had stopped eating her candy bar.
?Anyone else feel like disrespecting my office?? The yama pointed her rod at each operator in turn. They all lowered their weapons and put their hands up. Yukari pointed at one of them.
?Tie all their hands together. Don't try anything funny.?
The operator complied. After they were all tied, Yukari herded them back to the kappa's workshops. The looks of surprise on everyone's faces when they emerged from the forest were priceless. The kappas took a second to recover before they reached for their weapons and took custody of the prisoners.
?Did we miss a party, Yukari?? Nitori asked. ?We saw the thunder and the clouds but we didn't know what to do.?
?It's fine. We got surrounded by some outsiders. There were more, but they made the mistake of insulting the yama.? She turns to the captured operatives. ?Now, how about you tell some things about yourselves.?
None of them moved. They were still shocked at what just happened. The yama nodded her head. ?It seems that the effect of fear is still high in the outside. That's a fine trait to have. Makes you sharper. Let me ask you this: why do you think you're here??
They still gave silence as their answer. Rumia was at a loss at what was happening. Yukari knew that the darkness youkai didn't mean any ill will when she had lead the outsiders in. She had really considered the operatives friends. The agents, on the other hand, were cold towards her. She didn't think twice about those dead agents now.
?Have you ever heard of Gensokyo before?? Yukari asked.
Some of the operatives looked away, while others were still looking for an escape route. Yukari suddenly thought of a great idea.
?Nitori, check them for weapons.? The kappa motioned for some of her fellows to follow her and began to search their prisoners. After the kappas gave the all clear, Yukari had their restraints released. ?Since all of you are going to be our guests for a while, why not get comfortable??
She summoned a gap that lifted her up a little and sat.
?Go on. We won't hurt you. Here, have some tea.? Gaps appeared next to each of the operators, each had a cup of fresh tea. Yukari also gave some to everyone else. She sipped hers first to show them it wasn't poison. After a bit, they began to sip. Some of them even took their helmets and vests off. None of them expected to be treated so humanely when they were captured. Rumia had sat down next to them as well.
?From what your reactions where, I can say for sure that none of you had ever heard of Gensokyo when you woke up this morning. You can also see that we're not what you would call normal. Most of here are not humans. The only human here would be Marisa over there.? The magician waved. ?And then we have the half human, half ghost over here,? Youmu did a short bow. ?I know, that in the outside world, nobody believes in magic and monsters. But let me assure you, we are real. I can control any boundary you can think of. The yama is the one that judges your soul when you die. Nitori is one of the kappa.?
Yukari paused. She could tell that they were still in shock. The best thing to do would be to give it a few days to sink in. Countless possibilities swirled around her head until she found the best one.
?Since we really can't send you back after all of this, why don't all of you stay with Yuyuko? I'm sure that she won't mind.?
The ghost princess shrugged. ?It's not like I got anything else to do. I'm sure Youmu won't mind, now won't you??
The half ghost shook her head in resignation. ?No, Lady Yuyuko. Shall I prepare the rooms??
?Please do. And make sure we have plenty of food ready.?
Youmu bowed and took flight back to Hakugyokurou. Yukari finished her tea and stood back up. She nodded to the Yama and they both took flight. After flying for a few minutes, Yukari breaks the silence.
?Who do have in mind for teaching us??
?I got a few in mind. But first, we have to gather everybody we know can use this training to the fullest. I know that you have some books that teach us somethings, but books are no substitute for experience.?
?You're right. So who should we get first??
?I'm thinking that we should get someone from each group to be taught. That way we won't have to worry about a point being undefended. I think we can count on Remiu, Marisa, either Meiling or Sakuya, Youmu, Reisen or Eirin, probably Komachi, Sanae, Utsuho, Shou, Futo, Momiji, and even Tenshi. Once we can get them trained, they can train everyone else. I'm surprised that I haven't seen Ran or Chen lately.?
?I got them running some errands for me. They should be back soon.?
Ussuriysk, Primorsky Krai, Russia
It was nighttime in the city. Even in the middle of the night, the city was alive with sound and light. A fox was running from shadow to shadow, with a cat following close behind. Every time a car passed by, they stopped. They came up to a chain link fence that had barbed wire on top. After making sure the coast was clear, both of them flew over the fence. They landed lightly and went on their way. They headed straight for the air field. Taking extra caution to avoid being spotted, they snuck behind a Russian officer. The man was at the end of supervising a guard shift and too sleepy to notice the fox changing shape. He only noticed too late when Ran grabbed him in a sleeper hold and dragged him into the shadows. A few minutes later, she reappears wearing his uniform and hides her tails in a backpack. She adjusts the uniform and clips the lower belt on the backpack for a better fit. Grateful for the fact that she doesn't have visible ears like Chen, she heads towards a Mi-24 parked on the runway. Chen reaches the helicopter first and clears it. Just as Ran is about to enter the heli, a guard out of the hanger near her. Ran pulls out a Colt 1911 and shoots him. Alerted by the gunshots, spotlights come on. Ran jumps into the helicopter and finds Chen already turning on all the controls.
?We got about 3 minutes before we can lift up, Lady Ran.?
Since the body of the guard was still in side the hanger, the searchlights couldn't find it. That would buy some time before more guards arrived. Ran looked out of the window. The guards were busy running around on the other side of the runway and hadn't noticed them yet. As more and more lights came on, Ran was counting down the time. At 1 minute left to takeoff, the radio came to life demanding to know why the helicopter was on.
?Chen, get on the side cannon and aim for the spotlights.?
The two tailed cat jumped out of the cockpit and ran to the machine gun on the side window. She aimed at the tower and, with one well aimed burst, took out the spotlight. The guards heard the shots and began to rush at the helicopter. Chen jumped to the other window and laid down suppressing fire. Ran began to lift the helicopter up slowly. Once she felt that the engine had finally woken up, she dipped and sped out of the base. The entire time, the radio was still going on and on.
?Lady Yukari's going to be pleased. Chen, go ahead and tell her we're ready.?
?Yes, Lady Ran.?
?Hopefully she should be able to tell us more about that bombing they're blaming us for too.?
-
Kyoto, Japan
The afternoon before Ran and Chen's little adventure, a pair of close friends were having tea at an outdoor cafe. Renko Usami was reading a book while Maribel Hearn was studying a picture. A waitress snapped them out of their activities when she brought them more tea and crumpets. She also had a newspaper with it. She sat it all down and walked off. Renko reached for the newspaper but stopped when she read the front page.
?Mary...take a look at this.? She handed the paper to her.
As the blonde read more and more, her eyes began to widen.. Luckily, she had placed her teacup on the table before she read. Her hands where shaking so hard that she couldn't hold anything. Maribel stood up and walked away from the table. Renko quickly pulled out money and placed it under her teacup. She grabbed two crumpets and ran after her best friend. The wind began to blow and caught the newspaper. As it flapped through the wind, the front page head line was visible. In bold letters, it said ?Multiple Embassies bombed, rouge nuclear state of Gensokyo is blamed?.
Renko finally caught up to Maribel a few minutes later. She was tired from all of that running and had tears streaming down her face. She kept whispering one thing over and over again.
?It's not true...?
Hearing her with that tone broke Renko's heart. Renko rushed forward, spun Maribel around and held her tight. At first, Maribel was surprised at what had happened but seeing who it was, she began to cry into Renko's shoulder.
?They couldn't have done anything like. All of the people from my dreams, there's no way that it could have been them. It has to be a mistake.?
?There, there Mary. There's no way that they should even know about Gensokyo. But every other nation on the planet is screaming for revenge. There's even talk about war.?
?But that's too much. How could every embassy be attacked at the same time? There's too many of them.?
?I don't know. Even though that article was almost half the entire front page, there wasn't that much information. Are you feeling a little better??
?A little. I still need to find out what happened. I'm sorry. I know we were going to see that movie tonight but-?
Forget about that. You're right. Figuring out all this is more important. We should go ahead and get some supplies ready. If we have to go all the way to that old shrine up north, we need to catch the last train up there. We may even have to skip lunch, so here. This isn't much, but it's better than nothing.? She hands Maribel the crumpet. ?We should start by stopping by my place to get our bags.?
Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
For the first time, the kappa engineers were in awe. Yukari had managed to steal an aircraft from the outside. Ran and Chen had landed the helicopter in an open space near the kappa workshops. The gap youkai had left to deal with other pressing issues. Every kappa in the area was swarming the prize, taking panels apart, taking pictures, and staring at the controls. As the news spread, everyone from all over Gensokyo had to come see the machine for themselves. The fox youkai still wore the Russian Army uniform, but had replaced the service cap with her regular twin pointed hat. Chen had the service cap and was enjoying some miso stew.
Nitori was taking a panel off the side wall when she was hit with inspration. An idea popped into her head the same moment another kappa lost hold of a modular and let it fall on Nitori's head. She looked down and saw that Nitori had a certain look.
?Ran! Hey, Ran!?
The kitsune looked up from her handgun. ?What is it, Nitori? Is something wrong with the helicopter??
?This outfit you're wearing, it's the one you took off that guard right??
?Yes. From what Lady Yukari told me, it's a dress uniform. They use it whenever they have to promote an image.?
?Maybe we should have our own.?
?What??
?It's a great idea! We can have our own uniforms! That way, the outside world can know we're serious about defending Gensokyo. And we can look great while we're doing it, too!? The kappa was boucing up and down on the balls of her feet. ?We should ask Yukari what she thinks. I'm sure she'll love it.?
Ran knew that once the kappa was hooked on an idea, there was no letting go.
?Fine. Let me call Lady Yukari and see what she says.?
The kappa bowed and ran back to the helicopter. Ran pulls out her cell phone and dials Yukari's number. After a few rings, the gap youkai picks up.
?What is it, Ran? I hope there aren't any problems.?
?No, Lady Yukari. Nitori got an idea and wanted me to pass it by you.?
?Go ahead. This might be fun.?
?Nitori saw the uniforms that the outside world has for their military. She got the idea that we should have something like that as well. She seem really motivated by the idea.?
?...?
?...Lady Yukari??
?Do it.?
?Come again, Lady Yukari??
?Do it. That sounds like a wonderful idea. Does she have any styles in mind yet??
?She really seemed to like the Russian Army one I stole off that officer the other day.?
?Hmm, Russian Army might be a good start. But, I want to show her a few before we settle. Tell her to come up with more ideas and that I'm going to bring some of my own as well.?
?Yes, Lady Yukari.?
?Tell me, are you and Chen well rested??
?We are, Lady Yukari.?
?Good. Go ahead and head out to that next point I told you about. Remember to give me a call when everything's ready.?
?As you wish, Lady Yukari.?
The line went dead. Ran put away the cell phone and found Nitori.
?Lady Yukari seems happy with the idea. She says she wants you to come up with a few designs and that she's going to bring some of her own.?
?That's great! We can do so much with this! We add a...?
Ran just stood there, listening to the kappa shoot off ideas. Nitori's energy was enough to bring a smile to Ran's face.
-
Higan Riverside
The group that was waiting next to the river was one of the most random. Each person was a representative of their faction, tasked with learning as much as possible from their teacher. The group was made up of Remiu Hakueri, Marisa Kirisame, Sakuya Izayoi, Youmu Konpaku, Reisen Udongein Inaba, Komachi Onozuka, Sanae Kochiya, Utsuho Reiuji, Shou Toramaru, Mononobe no Futo, Momiji Inubashiri, and Tenshi Hinanawi. In front of the group, Yukari and Eiki were a little off to the side, talking amongst themselves.
?Are you sure they're ready for this, Yukari??
?We got the best people for the job here. Just look at them if you don't believe me.?
?All right. Is everything ready??
?I brought plenty of crates and ammo cans. We're fine.?
?Well, time's up. Let's go ahead and do this.?
Yukari turned to the group.
?Listen up, everybody. You're here to learn from the some of the best warriors in history. The Yama has been generous enough to pull some strings at her office to make this possible. So, without further ado, here's your first teacher.?
A ghost that was floating above the river began to float towards them. Once it was over the ground, it began to shift shape. It shifted into the form of a man that was no taller than five feet three inches. He seemed to be the farthest thing from a rampaging soldier. There was no malice from him at all, just the feeling of a friendly neighbor.
?This is Simo Hayha. He fought during the Winter War. This war took place during the larger Second World War almost 70 years ago. He is known as one of the most accomplished snipers in history with more than 500 confirmed kills with a rifle just like this.? Yukari holds up a Mosin Nagant. ?Lt. Hayha also knows how to defend his home from invaders. He has agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to come down here and teach all of us about the art of sniping. I hope we can all make sure to make the most of his time.?
For the next few hours, everyone was taught how to snipe and use their soundings. Unsurprisingly, the moon rabbit caught on quick. She followed close by Sakuya, much to everyone's surprise. It almost seemed like she had prior training.
When the training was done, and Lt. Hayha had returned to his daily routine, everyone was sitting in a circle. They were just relaxing after a tiring day. Reisen was stripping down a Mosin Nagant while Marisa was studying a chart of gunpowder ratios she had picked up from the kappas. It was obvious that she looking to add more firepower to her custom rifle when it was finished being made. Yukari had walked off to make a few calls while Eiki had to return to her duties. Momiji was sharping a bayonet and Sakuya was polishing her knives. None of them noticed that Youmu and Komachi had fallen asleep leaning on each other.
Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia
The headquarters of the Sukhoi Aviation Corporation were in an uproar. The day before, an entire file cabinet had disappeared into what could only have been described as a purple gap. It wasn't just any file cabinet, this one held blueprints for almost every major military aircraft they produced and even some experimental ones. The Federal Security Service was all over the building, checking every nook and cranny. Members of the military intelligence agency were also snooping around.
The Kremlin was also on high alert. This incident, combined with the recent theft of a Mi-24 from one of their bases near the Pacific Ocean, had them baffled and angry. The security footage from the base didn't help any either. One camera showed a fox and cat flying over the security fence, another showed a blonde woman with a funny looking twin peaked hat and white and blue dress dragging a guard behind a corner. But it was what the women had behind her that got their attention. It was at least nine fluffy, cream colored tails. The Director of the GRU had just briefed the president of Russia on what was now known as the Gensokyo Incident. GRU agents had intercepted transmissions from various CIA and NSA locations discussing the matter. Along with the bombing of almost every embassy worldwide that was being blamed on Gensokyo, the threat of war was marching forward every second.
Once all of this news got to the higher levels of the Russian government, the Ministry of Defence had all troops go into standby. All across the Federation, leaves were canceled, reserves were call up, and factories were given a warning to start making preparations to go into war production. But this did not go unnoticed. Across the ocean, the United States also went on standby. Then the rest of NATO followed. Like a set of dominos, every nation on the planet went on standby. Deadlocked legislative bodies began to make progress in bills and laws. Economies began to switch to war footing. Even Switzerland was readying for war.
United Nations General Assembly Chamber, International Territory, New York City, New York, United States
The General Assembly Chamber had the same atmosphere as a high school after a lost championship. Every delegate in the chamber was on their feet, yelling at the top of their voice, pointing fingers at those they believe responsible for the current state of affairs. The Secretary-General had failed to calm down the raging diplomats. What everyone in the room noticed was that the breakdown of the two main groups fell along Cold War era allies. Then the room went silent.
In front of the room, a purple gap had appeared. Out of it walked Yukari, Eiki, and Eirin. They each had their assistants with them. Ran, Komachi, and Reisen walked behind their superiors and began to scan the room. The Secretary-General stood up, spilling his coffee.
?What do you think you're doing? This is a meeting for official representatives of the United Nations only!?
?We're the official delegation from Gensokyo. There's some words we have to have all of you.? Yukari replied coolly, her gaze promising a verbal beat down. ?It seems that some nations...have decided to invade Gensokyo's sovereign land without any provocation or just cause.?
The room exploded into an uproar. Fingers were pointed in every direction. One of the Russian representatives took his shoe off and began to bang it on the table. The American representatives were pointing at the Iranian delegation. Eiki and Eirin stood behind Yukari, both were amazed by the behavior of the delegates. Yukari's voice cut through the roar.
?A few days ago, a team of soldiers and spies were captured on Gensokyo's sovereign territory. The spies were killed when they tried to capture me and the Yamaxanadu.? She motioned at Eiki. ?The soldiers were captured and are now staying occupied in the Netherworld.?
?The United States of America has no part of any of these. Gensokyo is a rouge state that has attacked every embassy on the planet. That attack was an act of war!? The American representative was on his feet. ?Gensokyo should stand down and pay restitution for their crimes. What right did you have to attack our bases??
?The bombing of every embassy on the planet is an unfortunate event. But, no one in Gensokyo was responsible for any of that. I give all of you my word that this is true.? Yukari paused. ?The Great Hakueri Barrier may be weakening. Our presence here is evidence of that. The Barrier has kept our world separated for a time. Gensokyo was meant to be a haven for youkai. Humans have always feared the unknown. Even with the time that has passed and the advances they have made, they still have that one fear. Perhaps it was foolish for me to have thought humans had advanced.?
This uproar was even louder than the other ones. Yukari was a realist, but had held out hope for a peaceful resolution. But this killed those hopes. Now all she could do was buy enough time to be able to mount a defense against the coming war.
?I have studied the history of the outside world. I have seen for myself how history has been influence by rash decisions and human nature. There are rumors of war in the air. An unprovoked war is the worst war of all. I had thought that this organization was meant to be used to prevent wars.? Yukari knew that she was baiting the lion but kept on. ?It doesn't seem that anything has changed since the last world war.?
?See here, I cannot allow you to keep insulting us in this way.? The Secretary-General had gotten on his feet. ?The United Nations was founded to promote diplomacy. You have no right to judge us based on your false accusations.?
The American ambassador stood up as well. ?Gensokyo must learn their proper place. It may not be long before armed conflict arises.?
The room went quiet.
?I would suggest that you study the duties of your government, ambassador. The Constitution of the United States of America outlines that only Congress can declare war and that only the President can order troop movements.? Yukari's voice was icy. ?We youkai do not appreciate threats, especially empty ones.?
The Russian representative laughed. ?Gensokyo is smaller than any nation represented in this room. In an all-out war, how do you plan on not being overrun in the first hour??
?Lunar technology can help prevent that.?
Every head turned to the rear of the room. Walking down the aisle was Yorihime and Toyohime Watatsuki and their bodyguard Reisen. They had the foresight to leave their weapons but still had that dangerous aura.
?Lunar technology has been proven to counter anything the Earth can muster? Toyohime wore a proud look. ?It was also responsible for the malfunctions of that foolish Apollo 13. It was by our master's mercy and grace that the spacecraft returned.?
Eirin nodded. ?While it is common knowledge that an explosion in the oxygen tanks was one of the major problems, think about the cause. Do you really think oxygen tanks explode on their own? The mission was doomed to fail from the start. Look at the name.?
?As representatives from the Lunarian people, we are here to pledge our help to Gensokyo. This declaration is in effect immediately.? Toyohime had a peach in her hand. ?This includes military and material support.?
The American delegate's face was becoming more and redder as time went on. Now with the Lunarians taking part, Yukari had to begin to account for them as well. But she already had a general idea of what to do.
?Your technology cannot stand against the Lunarians. Not even NATO has a chance,? Yukari glared at the American. ?Sending spies into the land that I maintain wasn't one of your best ideas. In some places, that's a declaration of war.?
?The United States has never had any involvement with the detachment that you claim invaded your sovereign land.? The delegate had to pause to keep himself from blowing up. ?But to attack American soil with cowardly bombs is an act of war. We would be well within our rights and obligations to declare war on Gensokyo. Not to mention that irresponsible use of nuclear power that we detected.?
?As I said before, those bombs are not the work of anyone in Gensokyo. What information can you provide that proves that we had anything to do with it? And what gives you the right to question our use of nuclear power??
?Our investigators have found evidence that points to your people. We are not required to share any information with you. The United States is the leading nuclear power on the planet, we are the only ones that can be trusted to use it responsibly.?
?Even if I had this?? Yukari reached into a gap and pulled out a folder. She walks up to the Secretary General and drops it on the desk. The man opens the folder and begins to read the papers. As he reads, his face gets darker and darker.
?What is the meaning of this, ambassador?? He finally asks. ?These documents are reports from your Central Intelligence Agency.?
?I demand that those papers be handed over. No one in this room has the clearance to-? As the diplomat moved forward, he was stopped by Yukari?s umbrella being pointed an inch from his face.
?Do you really believe that just because Gensokyo is separated from the outside world, that we?re weak and stupid? That we proud youkai have dulled in our peace? We can and we will fight off any threat. Especially if we have to do it in self-defense. Come and try to take our way of life.?
With that Yukari turned and summoned one of her gaps. Wordlessly she walked in, followed by everyone else. The Lunarians walked back to the rear of the room and opened their own gap. Seeing that he was the target of everyone?s attention, the American representative left the room.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion
In a rare moment of calm, Sakuya was in her room. Remilia had decided to turn in early since she had stayed up all night researching weapons with Patchouli. The librarian was busy having her assistant help with building defenses. Flandre was off at the shooting range with Marisa. It felt weird to have nothing to do. Since the fairy maids now knew how to clean and cook, she decided to clear out her wardrobe. As she pulled out clothes that she had forgotten she even had, the memories began to flood in. Her past was something that she could never forget, much to her frustration. Then it all hit when she came across one certain outfit.
It was an old one indeed. A peaked cap, a long coat, and matching pants were on the hanger she pulled out, all in a dark blue. On the other one, a white shirt with a black tie and a belt. Under the empty spot, there was a box, one coated with dust. She opens it and finds a pair of spotless white gloves and another belt. Attached to this belt was a sheathed knife. A false bottom revealed ankle high polished black boots. When it was all put together, there was no doubt that it would make a fashionable and practical uniform.
Sakuya knew better than to expect that her past would stay hidden. She looked through another box, this one had a shadow box. In the shadow box, a large assortment of ribbons and medals stared back at her. A picture fell off the box, it was an old black and white one. Seeing it sent a jolt through Sakuya?s heart.
Metzingen, Weinberg, Germany, 1936
For a summer day, it was cool in the area near Metzingen, Weinberg. A small mansion was set on a small hill. Around the mansion, soldiers wearing the uniform of the German Army stood guard. Inside the mansion, high ranking officers from the German military were looking at designs given to them by the man sitting in the armchair in front of the window. Near the door, two soldiers stood guard. One of them had clear blue eyes and silver hair. She stood at perfect parade rest but held a pocket watch in her left hand.
?I hope you can appreciate the amount of work I have put into these designs,? the man in the armchair said. ?These are the masterpieces of Hugo Boss, fashion designer extraordinaire! A uniform that has style to last one thousand years! A uniform that will represent our great nation for the rest of time! A uniform that will strike jealousy into the hearts of all our enemies! ?
The officers nod their heads and seem satisfied with the designs. One of them adjusts his glasses, ?The designs seem to look good. But I would like to see them in action before I can give my approval.?
Boss stands up and walks to a closest. He pulls out one of his designs. A long overcoat and matching pants in a dark blue color. With a pair of ankle high polished boots and a peaked cap, he lays it on the table in front of the officers. After he gets a white shirt and tie, he places them along with a knife and belt. He looks at each of the officers but shakes his head. He goes to the two guarding the door and eyes them. The one with silver hair catches his eye. The designer accounts for her shape and calls an assistant. He hands her the clothes and points to a room down the hall.
A few minutes later, the silver haired soldier walks back in wearing the uniform. Seeing the fit and the way it looks, the officers immediately agree to the designs. After the required actions, Boss has a photograph taken of himself with the silver haired woman that was the first wearer of his most famous line.
A few months later, she still wore that same uniform on the field of battle. She had used strange abilities to keep herself alive in some of the harshest battles of the Second World War. These abilities had not gone unnoticed by those higher ranking officers with connections. Being transferred from an ordinary infantry battalion to a division that focused on dealing with paranormal matters. Little did she know that the transfer that took her from the front lines would also bring her onto an intercept course with the person that would change her life forever.
After she had fought in North Africa during the desert campaign, the mission that she would never forget was handed down to her. It all started as a regular day in the desert: heat, sand, wind, more sand. She was cleaning and inspecting her weapon when she was approached by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. He handed her an envelope bearing the seal of the Ahnenerbe, the paranormal organization founded by Heinrich Himmler. In it, a map of a region of France was included. A letter detailing the mission held a picture of a red mansion.
One week later, she found herself at the gate of the mansion. She had her usual uniform, along with her Karabiner 98k rifle, and the numerous silver knives and bullets that she hid in every pocket. The gates swung open without any resistance. As she walked by, she ignored the plaque that hung on the post next to the gatekeeper?s hut. The plaque was inscribed with ?Ecarlate Diable Manoir?.
Youkai Mountain
In one of the clearings near the kappa workshops, a small group of kappas were working on a plane. Nitori had broken into the computers that Yukari had brought her and was almost finished having her fellows build it. One particular design had caught her eye, so that was their first order of business. Known as the SU-47, it was famous for its forward swept wings. This one was painted a mixture of red, white, and black.
Seeing a certain magician heading towards them, Nitori reaches for the box she kept next to her workbench. Placing it on the table, she waves to Marisa. The human had an eager look on her face as she eyed the box. Inside it, a scoped Mosin Nagant and two revolvers sat. But the rifle had a larger barrel than any of the other ones Marisa had seen. The revolvers were the same way as well.
?I took the ideas that you gave me and mixed in some things I noticed about your magic,? Nitori said. Pulling out a small carton of ammo, she shows Marisa a giant round. ?This is a .50 caliber round. I modified the rifle that you seem to like the most and added a few new features. But the real art is in the bullet.?
Nitori walks to an empty clearing and loads the rifle. She aims at the tree and pulls the trigger. From the barrel of the rifle, a rainbow colored tracer bullet flew forward and exploded when it hit the tree. The explosion was large enough to tear apart the closest 10 trees. She lays the rifle down and picks up the revolvers.
?This is a Ruger Blackhawk. This weapon is known as a revolver. As you can see, the number of shots are limited. The reload speed is also slower than other weapons. But the power it has makes up for all of that."
Raising the revolvers, the kappa fire two shots. Both bullets flew forward and exploded in more rainbow displays. "What do you think?"
Marisa was speechless. Truth be told, she was a little let down when she first saw the weapons, but now she was in love. All of that firepower in her hands. Nitori handed her a pistol belt with a shoulder strap.
"Take this Sam Browne belt and a couple of boxes of my custom made ammo. But keep this in mind: do not use anything other than the ammo I made with these guns. And make sure to always have at least two boxes on you at all times. Yukari`s orders and all that."
"Thanks, Nitori. Anyway, where's that annoying youkai?"
"No idea. Knowing her, she could be anywhere."
-
Just a little announcement. My story's having to be put on hiatus since I have been changed to active duty status today. But I promise that I'll be writing more in the meantime, it will be much slower update wise.
EDIT: I'm back, just with a little less weight and a little deaf (due to a mortar simulator going off by my hasty fight position and my ear in the middle of the night.) So let the story continue.
-
Courtroom, Ministry of Right and Wrong, Higan
For the first time in living memory, Shiki's courtroom wasn't hearing judgment. Instead, the Yama was talking with Yukari and Eirin. Reisen, Ran, and Komachi were standing off at the door with nothing to do.
"The way I see it, we might not be ready before the invasion starts," the Yama was saying. "We have had some of the best warriors in history teaching us how to fight like the outside world, but now that it's clear that we're vastly outnumbered..."
"We still have the support of the moon forces once this starts. I know for sure that the Lunar Defense Corps have better weaponry than the earth. I designed most of myself," Eirin paused. "But the problem would be the casualties from the fighting. With the time that Yukari has calculated, we would be short on the proper medicine for at least a month after the first attack. The youkai can heal fast, but I'm worried about the Hakueri miko and the magician."
Yukari nodded and sighed. "That's one of our priorities after all. Even with the barrier gone, we still can't let Remiu get hurt. The same goes for Marisa. Those two are close, if either of them get hurt, it all goes downhill."
"I can't bend the rules of life and death for either of them," Shiki said. "The best I can do is to tell them to stay sharp. Even your power of manipulating boundaries can't bring back the dead. Lord Yama has made sure of that."
"There may be a way, but I doubt that either of them would approve," Eirin started.
"The Hourai elixir cannot be an option," Yukari stomped the idea. "Its common knowledge that the one thing Marisa values above everything is her humanity. And for Remiu to give her's up would make her give up what she is. The Hakueri family has always been human, and mikos are supposed to be human. Remiu won't ever want to give that up."
?So that brings us back to our original question: how are we going to keep Remiu from getting killed during all this. And why should be bother with the barrier gone?? Shiki asked.
?Remiu is the only one that can keep everyone from cutting each other?s throats. The Onis respect her, the vampires listen to her, the humans have started to trust her more, and even the underground will pay attention to her.? Yukari looked away. ?And it?s my responsibility to make sure that no harm comes to the Hakueri line. That?s a promise I have kept for so long and I?m not about to change that.?
The Yama knew that this was as close as the gap youkai would get to confessing more of her past, so she let it go.
Eirin had picked up a large book that was stilling nearby. Absentmindedly, she flipped through it. Then something caught her attention. ?Who all have you brought back from the Netherworld to teach us, Eiki??
?So far, we had Simo Hayha, Pancho Villa, Francis Marion, George S. Patton, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, Robert E. Lee, the Red Baron, and a few others.?
?This book, have any of you read it?? The Lunarian holds it up. ?It?s a very through book. We can learn a lot more from the author.? The book was titled Infantry Attacks. The author was Erwin Rommel.
?Erwin Rommel? I haven?t heard that name in a long time,? Yukari pulled a textbook from a gap. ?Earned the title of ?The Desert Fox? during the last World War. Was able to turn a hopeless campaign around with limited support and supplies. Lived by a high moral code. Considered one of the best generals of all time.?
"He's teachings would be extremely useful. Why haven't we got him yet?" Eirin asked.
"One of us appears to have an issue with their past. Until she comes to terms with it, Field Marshal Rommel's time won't really make that much of a difference." Shiki shook her head. "It's somewhat sad. She has nothing to be ashamed of."
"It took me a while but I finally see that."
Walking into the courtroom, Sakuya held her head high in her dark blue uniform. But it wasn't her regular maid uniform. This time she wore her German Army uniform, complete with her short saber and white gloves. Even with her bias against the earth's military history, Reisen couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Sakuya.
"None of you seemed surprised. Was I really that obvious?" Sakuya held her service cap under her left arm. It bore the silver German eagle with lightning held in its talons.
"The way you were always obedient to your master was a strong hint. That level of obedience can only come from either military training or being a sh. Add to this the fact that you were more mission type than directive type. That was a stronger hint, since that was how the Germans did so well in the Second World War." No one except Shiki and Eirin had never heard Yukari analyze someone so thoroughly. The gap youkai shrugged. "And I'm sure the others had their ways as well."
The yama held up her mirror. Eirin shrugged. "For a human to be able to last as long as you, it really was obvious. And Reisen's report on how quick you picked up the marksmanship courses were extra."
Yukari had taken to inspect Sakuya's uniform. The way the dark blue complemented the black trimming. The way that it was shaped to her. It was one of the best uniforms that she had seen.
"This uniform, is it one of the first production runs?" Yukari eyed the Sam Browne belt holding her saber.
"It was the one that Hugo Boss had as the sample to present to our High Command. He was so impressed with the way it looked on me that he had them issue it to only me. From what I heard, I was the only one with a uniform like this. It survived Europe, Russia and North Africa."
"This would be a great base for our own uniforms." Yukari pulled out her cell phone, snapped a quick picture, and sent it to Ran with instructions. "Don't worry. I told Ran to make sure that the kappas make some changes to everyone else's."
"I can't really argue with that."
"Now, I think it would be extremely useful if you could tell us what exactly you did during the war."
Lunar Palace, Lunar Capital
Behind the Lunar Palace stood a large field. Usually it was used by the Lunar Defense Corp as a lounging area. Now, it was filled with line infantry. The regiment closest to the palace had stopped and were rearranging into an infantry square. Seeing the more than 200 moon rabbits go from marching in a line to a perfect square in less than ten seconds satisfied Yorihime. Another regiment had gone from line to light infantry and back again and again.
"It's a little sad, isn't it sister?"
Toyohime had just returned from meeting with the scientific department of the Defense Corp. "We haven't had a real war in so long. And now there's a real chance that we could be sending them to their deaths. And what makes it worse is that they won't ever question us."
"Which is why we have to be absolutely sure about this. Master Eirin had asked for our help. I'll be at the front to make sure we can end this fast. Has the science department made any progress?"
"They already tested the prototype. And it worked flawlessly. The signal expanded copper casings to twice their original size. Our weapons were able to fire once every three seconds, a vast improvement over the estimates."
?And the body armor??
?So far, all the tests are cleared. The next step is to speed up the conversion of our current uniforms to those with the threads sown in. Keeping the uniforms the same makes the change smoother.?
?With all of our technological advances, isn?t it ironic we have to resort to such an ancient style of fighting?? Toyohime waved toward the regiments that were drilling. ?Even the Earth doesn?t fight like this anymore.
?But some of them still train their armies this way. They may fight differently, but it comes from the discipline that the Line of Battle doctrine instills. Don?t forget that we have trained them to be able to switch from Line of Battle to light infantry whenever the need arises. That?s where our advantage comes from.?
-
Hakueri Shrine
As usual, Reimu had finished sweeping the shrine and was drinking her tea. The events of the past couple of days had begun to take a toll on her. Since she was the Hakueri Shrine Maiden, she was expected to make sure that Gensokyo was well. Now with the land being dragged into what would be an extremely bloody conflict, she felt at odds with herself. She felt like this because of what she wanted. If she were able to achieve just one thing in her life, it would be a lasting peace, with no violence. Remiu had always hated the fact that she sometimes had to hurt someone to solve incidents. It just wasn?t in her to do that and not worry about it. She had thought that by treating everyone the same, that she would stay detached. But that didn?t happen.
A little over Reimu?s head, a familiar gap opened. Yukari could tell from above that Reimu was starting to feel depressed. The youkai climbed out of her gap and sat down next to the miko. She was surprised to see bags under the younger woman?s eyes. It was obvious that she had spent a few nights staying up to see if she could figure out a way to protect the land that she loved without having to resort to violence. But deep in her heart, she knew that that was impossible. And Remiu was at her breaking point.
It was just a little hiccup at first. Then she began to shake. Tears began to flow down her face. Yukari had only seen Remiu cry once. And the youkai had been involved. Guilt began to grip Yukari?s heart. She pulled Remiu in close and held her. She was almost in tears herself. But what hurt Yukari the most was the one thing that Reimu kept asking.
?Why?Why?Why??
Scarlet Devil Mansion Library
The sight of a large number of books in a pile on Patchouli?s desk wasn?t anything new. The same went for the librarian and her assistant floating here and there with research notes. In any other circumstances, Sakuya would have been hard press not to clean up after them. But today, she knew what they were doing and decided to let them be. She also had to escort Patchouli?s visitor.
?Lady Patchouli, you have a visitor,? Sakuya curtsied. She was acknowledged with a nod and dismissed. Reisen Udongein Inaba held a small paper bag. She had only been in the legendary Volie library once before, so she was still trying to let it sink in.
Patchouli finally managed to disengage herself from the notes and floated over to the rabbit, ?So, your master?s done with my request??
?Yes, Master Eirin guarantees that this should calm down your asthma quite a bit. But she says that she needs you to come in for a full checkup before she can make it go away entirely.?
?I can?t really leave what I?m doing right now. I barely have enough time to eat and sleep. And it?s probably going to get worse with that they told us happened during the negotiations.?
?Master has been saying the same thing. But we have the Lunarians helping us now.?
?Even so, I rather not leave anything to chance. But, there is another favor I would like to ask her.?
Reisen could tell that Patchouli was reluctant to keep going and stayed silent.
?I want-no, I would like for Eirin to see about making a potion that would help someone that I can?t.? Patchouli walks over to a cabinet and pulls out a small bag. ?This is Flandre?s hair. I?ve researched every book I have here. But I can?t find a cure for her insanity. I know that most people in Gensokyo are afraid of her, but it?s not her fault. If they got to know here when she isn?t in one of her episodes, she would have a lot more friends. Take these notes I made as well. And tell your master that I?m willing to pay anything to get her that cure.?
-
Morioka, Iwate, Japan
It had taken longer than they expected to get to their destination. But Maribel and Renko were closing in on the old shrine that they had read about. For now, they were taking a small break in the capital city of the Iwate prefecture. Renko had picked up a copy of the day?s paper, this one with the headline of ?Battle at the UN: Gensokyo stands fast against international community?. What really surprised the pair was the picture under the headline. It was of a woman that looked like an older version of Maribel with a parasol. Behind her a woman with fox tails stood stoically.
The news article described how the newcomers had somehow made their way into the main meeting room and confronted the UN General Assembly. But the newspaper had somehow managed to get a transcript of the entire incident, in which the woman had delivered an embarrassing rebuke to the American ambassador over an alleged invasion and assassination attempt. With that, the United States had demanded an apology but had not received a response. Political experts had predicted that the US was going to pursue embargos but had no idea what they how would. None of the pundits had any idea about what Gensokyo exported or imported. But the rumors were running wild.
Renko was trying to figure out the big picture based on the newspapers while Maribel was trying to figure out the meaning behind all of the recent dreams that she had been having. They were of various environments, but she knew that they were somewhere in Gensokyo. There were some of mountains, of plains, of a village, and of what looked like the moon?s surface. The unsettling thing was that she could hear the sounds of machines in the background, something that she had never heard before. She had also seen dozens of what looked like bullet casings everywhere. The only explanation that Maribel could think of was that Gensokyo was preparing for a war. And the atmosphere of the outside world would not let them back down.
They both jumped when they heard the loud sound of a group of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over them. They bore the markings of the US Army and were flying low over the forest near the city. The residents of the city were busy staring at them, giving Maribel and Renko the impression that this did not happen every day. Behind them a fair distance away were a flight of AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. All of the helicopters were flying deeper into the mountain, towards the shrine. The pair began to hurry and finish their lunch, a pair of sandwiches from a local shop. Once they were done, Renko pulled out a map of the surrounding area. The shrine was northwest of them, deep in the mountains and at the top of a long set of stairs.
?This is starting to get serious, Mary. If the entire international community goes against Gensokyo, it?s not going to be pretty. And we still don?t know much about it either. Are you still sure about going there??
Maribel nodded. ?There?s a reason why I keep having those dreams. And I?m starting to warm up to them. I want to be visit and get to know Gensokyo, so that means that I have to protect it until I get the chance.?
?We won?t be able to do much if a war breaks out. Remember that we have no military experience.?
?I still want to go. My family has had the ability to see Gensokyo for generations and I want to know why it?s been pulling me lately. I know that I?m going but it would mean a lot to me if you would come too.?
?Why do you still think I?m here? You know as well as I do that I?m always going to be right next to you. Don?t ever doubt that.?
Kirisame Magic Shop, Forest of Magic, Gensokyo
For once, Marisa was cleaning up the massive mess that she called home. On the nightstand, her dual revolvers had a bright sheen, a result of the witch?s through cleaning. For most of the morning, she had been moving the books that she ?borrowed? from Patchouli and Alice into separate piles. Then she noticed a very old one. The fact that it was old didn?t catch her attention. It was that it looked familiar. She opens it and freezes.
Inside the book wasn?t the list of spells or potion ingredients that she expected. It had pictures of a family. The family was made up of a mother, a father, and a little girl. The little girl had blonde hair and bright golden eyes. Marisa was so shaken that she didn?t notice Alice had walked in. The puppeteer could tell that Marisa had stumbled across something that affected her.
Marisa had a storm of emotions that raged inside her as she stared at the pictures. Then something fell out of the book. The magician picked it up and saw that it was a medallion. It had the mini-hakkero etched on it, along with a book and a rose. She could feel a strong amount of power coming from it. There was a little hole on the top of it, perfect for a necklace. Alice sees it but still stays silent.
?Alice, why are you here?? Marisa speaks first to get her mind off the pictures. ?You?re never around these parts.?
?Nitori had wanted me to stop by and give you this,? She hands her a cell phone. ?This is one of the things that Yukari wants everyone to have on them. All of our numbers are already in it. Marisa, do you want to talk about it??
The witch shook her head and put the coin away in her pocket. She resolved to take it to Rinnosuke whenever she had a chance and to write a letter. Seeing how it had the mini-hakkero on it, Marisa knew that it had something to do with her. And who better to ask then the person that knew her the longest?
?Alice, why don?t you go get yourself something from the kitchen? I?m sure that you haven?t eaten yet.? Marisa flinched inside at how out of character she sounded. Alice hesitated but went into the kitchen anyway. The witch took the chance to quickly scan the photo album and take out a picture. She looks at it for a moment, then folds it and puts it under her hat. Wiping a tear from her eye, she joins Alice in making lunch.
-
Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
Reisen couldn?t believe that Yorihime and Toyohime had given her command of a regiment. And much less one of the royal regiments from the capital. But the entire 4th Regiment of Royal Foot stood in front of her, all 5,000 of them. And they would be the ones that would be the first on the ground when war reached Gensokyo. For now, they practiced the Line of Battle doctrine. As she rode her horse to inspect the battalions, she felt uneasy in how many lives she was responsible for. The moon rabbit finished her inspection and received a set of training orders. After dispersing them to her staff, she joined up with the headquarters battalion. An hour later, the entire regiment was marching out of the capital towards the mountains. On the way, the battalion commanders began to split up, presenting a smaller target to the training staff.
Half an hour of marching had Reisen in deep thought. It almost cost her when a swarm of cavalry ambushed them. The battalion commander was immediately taken down by the first wave, sending the battalion staff into confusion. Reisen was forced to take command as the various company commanders were dispatched. ?All companies, square formation! Make two rows and stagger them out!?
As expected of elite troops, every company immediately formed infantry squares and stalled the cavalry charges. Reisen was forced to take direct command of the headquarter company when the commander was knocked down by a runaway horse. But her side wasn?t the only one with riders being launched. When the enemy cavalry hit the square, over half the riders were flying in the air. A single unit broke through the line and charged at Reisen. She drew her saber and rushed forward, narrowly missing her target. Her opponent moved in, unleashing a storm of slashes. Reisen blocked every one of them but almost lost her balance. One of her troops was knocked back into her horse, causing him to rear up and knock her off. Hitting the ground, she lost her grip on her saber. Her opponent moved in for the final strike when Reisen drew her sidearm and fired. Without a rider, the horse turned and ran off. Looking around, the regiment is winning decisively. She spots the commanding rider and aims her sidearm. She tries to fire and hears a click. Her target sees her and tries to cut her. Reisen blocks the attack with her sidearm but staggers back. The next strike forces her to a knee. Now with the advantage, the commander has the horse rear up and try to trample her. The moon rabbit rolls to her left and picks up a rifle from a fallen subordinate. Now with a weapon that she was comfortable with, she reverted back to her infantry training.
Reisen launches a strike with the bayonet but is knocked down. She spins back up and presses the attack. This time, the stab connects. Without a master, the horse turns and flees from the battle. The commander falls on the ground just as several loud explosions erupt. On the higher ground that the cavalry had come from, six cannons were formed up. Each was being reloaded quickly, forcing Reisen to issue new orders while she ran to retrieve her saber. ?All companies, line formation now! Skirmishers, screen those cannons, time now!?
With the rest of the companies covering them, a little less than a company?s worth of skirmishers rushed towards the cannons. They were aiming to buy time for the rest to form up and get into firing range. Spreading out, they lessened the effect that the artillery would have on their ranks. Once they were close enough, they dropped to a knee and opened fire. Immediately reloading, they crouched even lower to present a smaller profile. Back with the main group, Reisen had rushed to the front of the lead company. Positioning herself next to the standard bearer, she began to rally her troops. The cannons were still being fired upon, but their crews were using every bit of cover they could. Because of that, the reloading process was slowed down a bit. The head company was about 350 meters from the line of cannons, causing Reisen to perform a set of calculations that she didn?t like.
Waiting until they were 250 meters off, she raised her rifle and gave the command that she hated the most. ?All companies, charge the cannons. Not one step back!? As one, what was left of her regiment began to sprint. The adrenaline began to pump even more as the cannons fired into the approaching mass. At 100 meters, the cannons began to fire grapeshot. The first volley was the worst. Reisen almost broke off when she saw the spread hit multiple companies and dozens of her troops went down.
The standard bearer next to her was hit and began to topple down. Releasing her hold on her own weapon, Reisen grabs the flag before it hits the ground. Seeing their commander continuing the charge inspired the rest to finish the last 50 meters to the cannons. The first elements reached them just as the crews were halfway done with reloading. Striking forward with the standard, the moon rabbit knocked down the commander of the largest cannon. A round bounced off the rifle of one her troops next to her and destroyed it. Reisen tosses the standard to her and pulls out her sidearm again. Seeing this, her opponent pulls out her own. Both of them pull the trigger but hear clicks.
The skirmishers had been forced to shift fire when the rest of the regiment had gotten too close to the cannons. For now, they were reloading and pulling security. The rest of the regimental and battalion staff that had made it were going around the brawl, looking for space to charge in. Inside the brawl, Reisen was busy trading pistol whips with her opponent. She was hoping for a block to unjam the round in the chamber. Around her, the sounds of rifles going off masked some of the yells and screams of the battle. Her opponent was backing away, trying to make space to draw her saber. Reisen pressed forward and slammed her sidearm into her helmet. The weapon made a loud click, signaling that the jammed round was cleared. She raises it and fires. One loud boom and her opponent falls to the ground.
Reisen checks the pistol to make sure that another jam hadn?t occurred and took a deep breath. Seeing their commander fall, the rest of the crews broke away from the brawl. As the companies began to form themselves up, the regimental and company staff began to run down the enemy.
?All company commanders, get me accountability!? Reisen had to pretend to be inspecting a fallen rifle to hide the shaking from the adrenaline letdown. All the movement around her kept her from seeing the movement to the side. One of the crew that went down earlier wasn?t completely down and was reaching for a fallen pistol. The moon rabbit hears the movement and spins around. She brings up her weapon and hears a loud boom.
-
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra
Tenshi Hinanawi had never liked the meetings that her father had made her attend. Ever since the earthquake incident that she had caused, her father had been doing his best to turn her into a proper Celestial. First, it had been studying all of the Buddhist teachings, then it was studying the arts and humanities. The one thing that Tenshi took pride in as a Celestial, her fighting ability, would had been neglected if she hadn?t sneaked a few fights here and there. And finally, she had to participate in the administration of heaven. That meant a lot of paperwork and boring meetings.
But what worried her about the meeting today was seeing Yukari Yakumo speaking with her father. Tenshi didn?t know if Yukari was still mad about the shrine incident so that made it worse. The Celestial knew that Yukari had bigger things to worry about than her, or at least she hoped.
For now she was sitting down with the Hisou no Tsurugi planted in front of her. Her hat was hung on the handle, letting the wind flow through her hair. The 10 minute break that came every hour was the only thing that save her from falling asleep during the meetings. To her, it was the same old stuff: paperwork, regulations, more paperwork.
The bell in the meeting hall rang, signaling the end of the break. Tenshi sighed as she got her sword and hat and started to walk back in. Inside the hall, representatives from all the major families were socializing before the meeting got underway. Tenshi sat at her family?s area, hoping that she wouldn?t be drawn into another boring conversation. Then Yukari walked in.
Tenshi tensed, a million possibilities swirling around in her head. Her stomach dropped when the gap youkai sat down next to her father. In front of him, there was a usually large amount of paperwork. The Eldest Daughter was hoping that the worse that was going to happen was that Yukari would trick her into doing excessive paperwork. It was something that the youkai would do after all. But there was a strange look on her father?s face, almost as if he was tired.
The bell rang once more, announcing the start of business. Tenshi leaned back in her chair, hoping that this meeting would be boring as the rest. She began to munch on a peach, one of the pack that she always carried in her apron. She almost chokes when Yukari takes the floor.
?I want to thank all of the heads of the families for allowing me the opportunity to speak here today. As all of you are aware, the outside world is starting to take up arms against Gensokyo. I wish I could tell you the reason, but even I don?t know it. What I can tell you is that we must be ready to defend ourselves in the coming war. For that reason, we have been training some of our best to take up that task. From your group, we have trained Tenshi Hinanawi.?
Tenshi knew that she was going to be dragged into something big. She thought about looking around for escape routes but decided against it when she remembered the past few weeks of training. So she stayed and braced for the worst.
?The entire planet will be fighting against us in the war. To counter that, everybody in Gensokyo must come together and fight as one. We all have different abilities that make us powerful by ourselves. But that way, we would fall one by one. United, we can hold off and defeat this invasion. And with that, I?ll ask this: will the Celestials join us in the defense of Gensokyo??
The room was silent for a few moments and then Tenshi?s father stood up. ?Lady Yakumo, you do bring up several good points. A Celestial will never back away from a fight, be it physical or philosophical. But, none of us have any actual experience in the modern techniques of war.?
?Your daughter does.?
Every pair of eyes turned to focus on Tenshi. She knew that this was going to happen. Her father began to understand where this was heading. ?What does my daughter have to do with this, Lady Yakumo??
?Your daughter has had training from some of the best warriors in history. We?re going to need everyone that we can get but, you?re daughter has a special talent that could save countless lives.?
?Lady Yakumo, I don?t mean to argue, but she isn?t exactly the best choice for this and-?
Hearing her own father doubt her hit Tenshi worse than anything else. She thought of standing up and doing something, anything to express her anger but stayed seated. Yukari looked him straight in the eye and asked something that no one else had.
?You really love your daughter, don?t you? That?s why you?re protecting her.?
The room went silent. Every Celestial present knew that he was strict and demanding of her, but had never considered that he was protective. From how he?s been treating her, it seem like he wanted to break her down.
?Lady Yakumo, I do not see what that has to do with anything.?
?You know as well as I do that there will be death and suffering in this war. You were telling me earlier that you had been studying the history of the outside world for a while as a hobby. Then it should be obvious that war is a horrible thing. But it is also one of the most important events to happen in history. In war, one?s true character is shown to the world. Cowardice isn?t kept secret for long while heroism is content with being quiet in the background. No one knows for sure when our time is up, but I?m sure that most of us want to know that we died with honor. I?m sure that your daughter would want to do her part to help protect Gensokyo from this dire threat. She does have a little regret over the incident that she caused some time back.?
Tenshi?s thoughts were spinning. First, her father had doubted her and now wanted to protect her. Then Yukari was putting faith in her unknown talent and was trying to get her to agree to this. If she learned one thing from everything that her father had made her study, it was that she would have to be the one to make the choice. And that it was time to stop acting like a child.
?I?ll do it.? As soon as Tenshi spoke, the entire room went quiet. ?If it means that I can make up for the incident, then I?m in. All I ask is that you tell me why you need me so bad.?
?You?re one of the sharpest Celestials here.? The room became full of glares. ?Even though you?re fonder of fighting, you still have a natural skill with many intellectual aspects. Given the right training, you could have been the head of the Celestials. From what I seen, you?re on the way to that training. This conflict is a great opportunity for you to finish this. But it won?t be easy. The only thing that I can guarantee you is that it will be a long and hard time. But it won?t be as bad as it was for Reimu after you destroyed her shrine.?
Tensing up, Tenshi knew that that had to come up again. ?I did my best to make it up by helping to rebuild it. Shouldn?t that be in the past now??
?You tried to put a keystone in it. But, I?ll make you a deal. Perform your duties to the best of your abilities and all will be forgiven. Do we have an agreement??
Tenshi nodded. ?All right. But I still have one question. Why are we using outside weapons? Shouldn?t we be fine with using just spell cards or magic??
?We have always followed the spell card rules ever since the Vampire incident. But their only purpose was to establish a set of procedure for settling conflicts between youkai and humans. The outside world does not respect that. They solve their conflicts permanently. If we were to use the spell card rules when we be wiped out. We could remove the no death clause, but that would only delay the inevitable. What I have developing with the kappas is a method to imbed magic and spell cards into bullets. With that method, we could match the outside world in terms of technology and still retain what made us different: magic. So far, we had have a successful test with two revolvers that were developed for Marisa Kirisame. Given enough time, we could have custom weapons for everyone.? Yukari began to open a gap. ?That?s all the time I have for today. Tenshi, you should talk to you father to get everything still up. Your duty will be to coordinate between the main force and the Celestial one. Even though you might not be on the front line, you still need to be prepared for combat.?
With that, the gap youkai turned around and left the meeting, leaving a very confused daughter and father.
Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo
Eirin was watching Reisen maintain her original Lunarian service rifle. The moon rabbit was wiping down the barrel with a rag and putting it back together. She rotates the bolt and inspects the chamber. Once clear, she rotates it back and begins to put her tools up. Eirin waited until she was done and motion her to follow. The doctor led her to a room that was always locked. Once she went inside, Reisen understood why.
The room was a good size, but almost none of the wall could be seen. On the left wall, an old Lunarian family crest was hung in front of two Lunarian Defense Corps Artillery sabers. On both sides, dozens of pictures of various units were hung. Each one had Eirin in them. Opposite that, a shadow box protected a ribbon rack that held an insane amount of ribbons. There were so many that it would had been impossible for Eirin to wear them all. The medals next to them were so numerous they looked like they were bending the wall. Every single medal awarded for valor and service was represented on that wall, some were phased out before Reisen was even born. At the front of the room, a mannequin was wearing a Lunar Defense Corps uniform. It was in the same style as Reisen?s, except it had trousers instead of a skirt. The service cap on the mannequin?s head bore the crest of the Lunarian Defense Corps Medical Service, and surrounded by a ring of stars that never repeated in color.
On the desk in the center, a small wooden box sat. Eirin had sat down at the desk and was opening it. Inside, a well maintained Mauser C96 like pistol bore the same crest on the wall. Seeing Reisen standing in the room, Eirin beckons to the chair in front of her.
?Are you surprised, Reisen? I did serve in the Corps for a bit during my younger days and did get a few awards. I wanted you to see that I do have a reason for my antics.?
All Reisen could do was nod and to try to pick her jaw up off the floor.
?Even though I helped with founding the Lunarian civilization, I still wanted to do some community service. So I decided to join the Lunarian Defense Corps and serve on the frontlines instead of some office. I learned a lot from my time in and it still influences me to this day.? She turns and points at the service cap. ?I started out with the Medical Service and did some of my best work there. See those stars around the crest? They each represent the different branches of the Corps that I was assigned to at one time or another. I was the only one to serve in more than one branch. My primary job was to heal and make medicine on the battlefield but, I was also trained in every branch to be able to take over in an instant. And I mean every branch: Infantry, Calvary, Engineer, Intelligence, Artillery, Capital Guard, and Royal. And it was in one battle a long time ago where I had to take advantage of that training.?
1500 years prior, Dark Side of the Moon
The rocky side of the mountain would had made a good trail for hiking. But only if there weren?t bullets and screams everywhere. Eirin dashed from rock to rock, a prime target due to the snake and needle on her shoulder that marked her as a member of the Medical Service. Tracer rounds tear at the rocks inches from her, sending annoying pellets everywhere. Pulling out a small mirror, she angles it to spot the machine gun nest higher up on the opposing ridge. Doing a few quick calculations, she decides to take the risk. Sprinting out, she raises her sidearm and fires three shots. The machine gunner clutches at her neck and falls out of the nest. The assistant gunner takes over and keeps firing.
Eirin?s about ten feet from cover when she feels something hit her chest with the force of a sledgehammer. She lets out a grunt and dives behind the rock. Turning over quickly, she quickly applies pressure but stops when she doesn?t feel any wetness. She sighs in relief when she remembers her body armor. Taking out the plate to inspect it, her heart drops when she sees how deep and where the impact crater is: right above the heart. A bullet ricochets near her, bringing her attention back to the battle. Shoving the damaged plate back into the carrier, she checks her sidearm. The shell from the last round had been jammed between the bolt and the chamber, making the weapon useless until a strong enough impact knocked it out. She puts it away and pulls out her bow. Quickly assembling some arrows, she looks around for her next cover.
Seeing her chance, she stands up and fires an arrow. As soon as she releases the string, she drops down. A second later, the machine gun falls silent and Eirin rushes to her next spot. Expecting gunfire during her run, she?s surprised when it?s silent. Looking back, she sees that the last assistant is fleeing in the opposite direction. Deciding not to pursue, the doctor rushes to go over a nearby ridge. But before she can go over it, she?s forced to drop to the prone as bullets fly towards her. On the way down, her hip falls on a rock, hitting the holstered weapon. She hears a loud ding and checks her weapon. The impact had unjammed the round and had reloaded the weapon. Smiling at her luck, she brings it up and acquires her sight picture, ignoring the zips of the bullets that narrowly miss her.
Holding steady for a few seconds, she catches her breath. Before she can squeeze the trigger, she hears a familiar whistling sound. Her heart drops again and she drops her face into the ground while covering her hears. Seconds later, a loud explosion is heard as mortar rounds hit the ground near her. She remembers spotting a cave near and takes the risk of raising her head. She spots it but is forced to drop her head as a nearby hit sends dirt and rocks flying at her. Getting up and sprinting, she sees that the mortar team adjusts their aim hoping to cut her off.
Eirin is forced to change direction as the incoming rounds block her path to the cave. Deciding to take out the mortar team, she starts to calculate the distance to them. They were 700 meters away, a distance that she was sure that she could hit with her arrows. She jumps and tackles a boulder to change her direction again and gets under a tree. Wanting to use only one arrow to take out the entire team, she pulls out a grenade and ties it to the shaft. She flips the clip away and pulls the pin. With one fluid motion she draws and fires the arrow into the air. The trajectory is a little lower than she expected but was still enough. Just as the arrow was a meter or two above the ground, the grenade went off, hitting the entire team. Not waiting to see how effective it was, Eirin turned and dashed to the cave.
Halfway there, the infantry that had stopped her at the ridge caught up and began to fire at her. As the gunfire rained down all around her, a round bounced off her helmet, causing her to stumble. More mortars began to rain down again, this time from another mortar team that had just arrived. With all the noise around her, Eirin began to hear a ringing in her ears. With each step she took, the ringing got worse and worse. Just as it seems that she?s not going to make it, she dives into the safety of the cave. Quickly pulling herself together, she pokes her head up a little.
Over a ridge, a platoon of infantry are taking up defensive positions around the cave as the mortar team moves closer. One of the infantry spots her and starts to shoot. Eirin is forced to duck down again as bullets hit around her. Starting to get tired of being shot at, she begins to assess her situation. Her side arm had 4 magazines left, her bow had 13 arrows, she still had two grenades, and she had her saber. Taking another peek outside, she counts three heavy weapons, one mortar and numerous light arms. The odds weren?t in her favor.
Not wanting to make it easy for her opponents, she flips the clip and pulls the pin slightly out of her last grenade. Tying it to her wrist, she plans on fighting to the last. Using her mirror, she prioritizes her targets. If she can get the right angle, she can hit an officer and her aide. Calculating that she could stand out from behind cover for about 2 and a half seconds, she readies her bow and arrow. Jumping sideways, she brings it up and releases. Landing on her side, she can see the hail of bullets that occupied the space she was in just now. Frowning at how off her calculations were, she checks her handiwork with her mirror. The officer and the aide were both down, causing the remaining troops to become a little uneasy.
Dusting herself off, she starts to assess her next course of action when she hears yelling. Poking her head out, she sees all of them charging at the cave, including the mortar team. Scrambling up, she readies all of her ammo and weapons. Taking a deep breath, she draws her saber and sidearm and waits.
-
Yakumo Residence, Gensokyo
For the first time in living memory, Yukari hadn?t had made a beeline for her bed or couch. Instead, she?s locked away in her massive library. For the last few hours, there had been strange lights and noises coming from inside the room. Ran was cooking her and Chen?s dinner when there was a knock on the door. Yuyuko?s gardener, Youmu, had been sent to deliver a package to the gap youkai. It was in a long and narrow box with a bit of weight to it. The half ghost, half human declines their invitation to dinner and quickly returns home to her duties.
Inside the library, Yukari stands in front of board plastered with papers. They all contain complex equations, diagrams of spell circles, and multiple charts. On the desk next to her, a Mosin Nagant laid with the chamber unloaded and a bayonet. Beside it, copies of Nitori?s notes were scattered about. Those contained drawings of a Ruger Blackhawk and Marisa?s spell cards. They were the designs of Marisa?s custom weapons. Due to the Ordinary Magician?s magic of choice being concentrated on light and heat, the spell cards had taken well to bullets. For everyone else, the magic was taking some time to iron out.
As she stared at her notes, she was steadily isolating the proper method. Absentminded, she reaches into one of her gaps and pulls out the package. Exercising extreme care, she unwraps it to reveal a katana. Even to the untrained eye, it was obvious that it was a masterpiece. Just above the handle guard, on opposite sides, a cherry blossom and a ying-yang orb were engraved. The balance was beautiful and the blade was perfect. It was the same weapon that Yukari had used during the first Genso-Lunar war. She had given it to Yuyuko to hold ever since the Spring Snow incident. She smiles a bit before she returns to work.
While she double checks her calculations, the gap youkai starts to wonder about another problem. Patchouli had recently asked her to ask Flandre to take some medicine that Eirin had made. It was supposed to cure her bouts of insanity but Flandre didn?t like taking any type of medicine. So Yukari had to convince her to. Remilia and Sakuya didn?t know about this yet since Patchouli didn?t want them to worry anymore about her. So, Yukari had arranged a day out of mansion to see if she could convince Flandre then. It was a little something to get both of their minds off the current situation. But it was more for Flandre. The gap youkai could tell that a sharp mind was being suppressed by that insanity. And she would be called up to use that mind in the upcoming conflict.
Yukari shook her head. She was already planning a General Staff and they haven?t even come up with a name for their defense. Then it came to her: the Gensokyo Defense Force. It was short and to the point. Next up was the organization. She had read a history on the American Civil War and was intrigued on how they organized their army by region. That would work for Gensokyo since it was so small. How to set the regions up came easier. The Scarlet Devil Mansion would be under Remilia, the Human Village under Keine, Eientei would be under Kaguya and Eirin, the Moriya Shrine under Kanako, Higan under Eiki, Hakugyokurou under Yuyuko, the Myouren temple under Byakuren, the Taoist temple under Miko, and the Forest of Magic under Alice. Remiu had made it clear that she would hold the shrine, so she was attached there for the foreseeable future.
Her cell phone began to vibrate, letting her now that she had a text message. It was from Nitori. The kappas had finally managed to reproduce a working SU-47 fighter. Yukari was pleased with the progress that the engineers were making in arming them. She texts back an acknowledgement. On the wall next to the door, a chart with readiness data was showing a 15% completion. Then the perfect method to contain the magic in the bullet hits her and she smiles again.
Hakugyokurou, Gensokyo
The group of operatives that Yukari had sent were sitting on the ground in the garden in a circle. For the past few days that they were here, they were treated as guests. The only restriction was that they were required to give their word that they would not try to escape. All of them agreed and were wondering what they would do after they wore out their welcome. The first thing they noticed was that the gardener was keeping a close, untrusting eye on them. And that she was skilled with both of the blades that she carried.
Right now, Youmu was practicing some of her high speed techniques. Yuyuko was walking towards the group, eating a Smores Pop Tart. They all tense up, expecting the worse.
?Now, now, don?t get all jumpy. I?m just here to enjoy the cherry blossoms.? Yuyuko was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Checking, she reads for a second and puts the phone up. ?That was Yukari just now. She says that there?s no reason for us to keep all of you here anymore.?
The operatives tense up again and it?s even worse when Youmu starts to walk towards them.
?So, all of you have a choice. You can either stay here and fight alongside us or you can go home to your families and try to stay out of this mess. If you stay here, we can arrange to move your families here and give you a new home in the village. It?s not much compared to the outside world but it?s peaceful, most of the time. If not, Yukari can send you straight home and you can figure out what to do after that.? Yuyuko pauses. ?She wants an answer by tonight. I want all of you to know that I enjoyed having all of you here. Even Youmu liked having guests that helped with chores.?
As Yuyuko was speaking, Rumia had arrived. Ever since they were captured, the youkai had been visiting the operatives. Sometimes the conversations would turn into a confusing mass, but the operatives still enjoyed her company. They had even given Yuyuko a recipe for chocolate so that they would make some for her.
Hearing what Yuyuko had said, Rumia looked at them, wondering if they were going to leave. Every single operative, despite being a trained and seasoned solider, couldn?t help but have tears that matched the little youkai?s. They all began to think of ways that they would make her sad but weren?t having any luck. Yuyuko felt bad for delivering the message and left to call Yukari, hoping that there was a way to prevent this.
Washington, DC, United States
It had been a while since a thunderstorm this bad had hit the area. The Director of the CIA was standing under the Jefferson Memorial watching the river. His bodyguard was waiting at the car, keeping an eye out. After a few minutes of waiting, a man wearing an overcoat and fedora joins the director. He hands him an envelope and walks off. As soon as he?s around the corner, he disappears.
The director opens the letter and reads it. Then he pulls out a Zippo and burns it and the envelope. Kicking the ashes to be sure, he closes his eyes for a bit. Then with a sneer, he pulls out a prepaid cell phone and dials a number. Once he hears it connect, he hangs up and stomps on it. Picking up the remains, he throws it into the river.
On his way back to his car, he pulls out a lapel pin. Ignoring the tempest, he pins it on. Once inside the car, he orders his driver to stop at the closest coffee shop. He knows that the next few nights are going to be long and without sleep. He sits back in his sit and enjoys the wine that he keeps in the kick panel. He mindlessly rubs the lapel pin as he sips.
The pin is the same as the seal on the envelope that he had received earlier. He would never wear a pin like that on his own, but his plan required every bit of luck that he could get. And his benefactor did have a dash of narcissism. It still eluded his mind how someone that he never heard of could guarantee him the presidency of the United States. And why he trusted someone that used a seal with a fat catfish on it.
Then the phone rings, bringing him out of his musings. It?s from his assistant back at the office. A bomb had gone off at a dinner that was attended by many of the highest officials. Both the President and the Vice President were severely injured, enough that they would not be able to perform their duties. The Cabinet was unharmed but the Director had amassed a large group of files that would ruin their careers. Immediately ordering his driver back to the CIA headquarters, he hides a sinister smile at how the catfish?s words had come true.
Morioka, Iwate, Japan
After scouting the ancient shrine and being turned away by NATO military police, Maribel and Renko had returned to the city. It was a long walk and they were both tired, so they stopped at the first restaurant they saw. Enjoying the pizza that they ordered, they were watching the news when it was interrupted. Reports of an attack on the President of the United States and his staff were flooding in from all the major networks. At that very moment, the most senior member of the administration, the Speaker of the House, was giving a press conference when he was interrupted. He was taken away by members of the Secret Service and the Director of the CIA took his spot at the podium.
For some strange reason, Maribel felt a sense of danger from him, even though he was thousands of miles away. And the pin that he wore on his lapel didn?t sit right with her. The man carried a large stack of files and was waving them around. Everyone in the room had gone quiet and was tense.
?I have documents here that show that the highest levels of government have been infiltrated by agents from Gensokyo. They are the ones responsible for the bombing tonight! We have given them ample opportunities to come into the international community to open arms! And this is how they repay us? Our national security is being attacked at this very moment! So, in order to make sure that no one else must be attacked, we are giving Gensokyo one last chance to turn over those responsible. Hear this Gensokyo: you have 1 week, I say again, 1 week to stand down for occupation. If you do not stand down, we will use all necessary military force against you. Do not be fools and fight, we have you out numbered.?
Maribel didn?t hear anymore, her head was spinning. Why was this man so set on destroying the land that she had come to love? Didn?t they understand that Gensokyo was hiding for a reason? And why were military forces already around the gateway?
Renko pulled out the map that they were using and was studying it. She had taken a course in military history and was trying to figure out the most probable avenue of approach. Then she remembered that they had given Gensokyo a week. It was going to turn into a siege.
?Mary, it?s a siege! They?re trying to stall for time, it?s just the United States for now.?
?But what about Russia? They?re still mobilized after that helicopter was stolen.?
?They still need time to gather all their forces and move into position. Remember those MPs back there? They were American and British. So NATO?s going to be doing the main push. At least that?s how I see it.?
?We have to go back.? Maribel was steeling herself. ?We can?t just stand here doing nothing.?
?It?ll take time to get supplies and get past that perimeter. We?re going to have to plan all of this out too. We could make in about 3 or 4 days if we go through the deepest part of the forest. And if we do make it there? What are going to do? We can?t really fight all of those armies toe to toe.?
?I don?t know.? Maribel sounded like she was getting more and more depressed. ?I don?t know but I still have to be there.?
Renko stepped forward and hugged her best friend. ?Don?t worry about that now. I told you that I would go with you to the shrine. I don?t care how long it takes but I?m going to get you there.?
They both look up when they see 6 CH-47 Chinook helicopters loaded with artillery and bearing the markings of the United States Army fly towards the shrine. On the ground, NATO Humvees were heading there was well. It was clear: the countdown had begun.
-
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Week Remaining
Yukari had instantly arrived while the press conference was still going on. She sent out a mass text message to all of the faction heads to meet her there. One of one, they had arrived and were silently waiting. Yukari had also sent a text to Patchouli and Flandre, asking them to attend. Then she had opened a gap for Rinnosuke to attend.
Now with everyone present, Yukari began to speak. ?All of you heard the press conference just now. We have one week to get everything ready. As of right now, we have only the Americans to worry about but, we have concrete evidence that the Russians and the British will be joining too. And it wouldn?t be too much of a stretch for the rest of NATO to move against us.?
The gap youkai brought out a G36 rifle. ?Three days ago, I finally perfected the method of infusing spell cards and magic into bullets. This is one of the production models and many more different weapons will be available. The kappas have already started production and are about 60 percent done with the modifications. And we are starting to build an air force. All of the fuselages are done and only wiring and armaments are left to finish. Due to an incredible stroke of luck, we have also managed to secure a training manual for every aircraft we stole the designs to. The kappas, along with major help from Kosuzu Motoori, have condensed the manuals to only the most necessary of information. With the pilots I have in mind, they should be ready with two days of training. And all of you already know the chain of command and the organization of the Gensokyo Defense Force.?
She wave Patchouli and Flandre forward. ?I have asked Patchouli to create a spell that would create a large map of the surrounding area that would provide us with real time positions and descriptions of every single unit within a 35 mile range. She has succeeded and agreed to install it in every command post. Flandre has been taking medicine lately that cuts down on her bouts of insanity a great deal. Because of that, she?s also discovered an incredible skill with strategy and tactics of modern combat. She?s the one that will be running numbers and scenarios for the upcoming battle. Why don?t I let her explain what we?re expecting??
?From what Lady Yukari has been telling me, we?re going to be in for a siege until they get at least a 250 to 1 advantage.? Flandre sounded much more mature than usual. ?The tengus have taken pictures that show artillery being brought in, but the barrier should be good to stop it, as long as they don?t get in. The main point of attack?s going to be the Hakueri Shrine. We should be able to hold them off there and then counter with the Celestial artillery.?
While Flandre was giving the briefing, Patchouli was casting the map spell. Once it was set, she gave the vampire a thumbs up and stepped back.
?I can plan for attacks that come from ground forces and artillery. The tengus will have to keep the sky clear to prevent airborne and air assault units from getting in deeper. And we have to be on the lookout for special operation units that will try to bypass the main attack. The ones that are the most likely to succeed are the American Army Rangers and American Marine Recon. Until we can be sure that other factions are on the field, I?m not worrying about them for now.?
Flandre?s presentation left the room amazed and Yukari proud. The vampire was a really sharp kid that only needed a little help to reach her potential.
?But we also have to plan for a worst case scenario. If we cannot hold the Shrine, then we have to make them pay for every inch of land that they take. And we have to have a national redoubt, somewhere where we can make a last stand and hold out until we can figure out something. For that, I recommend Hakugyokurou, if Lady Yuyuko agrees. It has the ability to be easily defended and it would mess with the enemy mentally to fight in the Netherworld.?
Yuyuko nodded. ?If everyone else agrees, then I?m good with it too. But won?t that mean my forces won?t be on the front??
?That?s right, Lady Yuyuko,? Flandre nodded. ?For the redoubt to be truly effective, there have to be fresh troops ready for a defense. However, I do have an idea for your gardener. She does have a skill set that most of the outside world would find hard to counter: close quarters combat at high speeds. Patchy can explain more.?
The librarian stepped forward and opened her book. ?Humans have always been weaker physically than most of us youkai and have to rely on weapons to close the gap. With Youmu?s skill set focusing on close combat and speed, she would be a perfect counter if we took firearms out of the equation. So I?ve been developing a spell to achieve that. I have not come up with the right incantation. What I have come up with is a spell that disables long range air to air missiles and an automation spell for field and anti-air artillery. Due to the materials I used, we can call it the Copper spell for now. But I will need some time to get it ready.?
Yukari began to speak again. ?All of you can see that we have made great progress towards making ourselves a modern fighting force that can utilize magic. What we need now is for all of you to organize rehearses for your troops and weapons. The more we practice, the less damage and losses we?ll take. And one last thing, most opening attacks in war involve taking out the chain of command before the main engagement begins. Therefore, all battle butlers must stay close to their masters unless there are extraordinary circumstances.?
Beckoning Rinnosuke forward, she continues her train of thought. ?Rinnosuke has assured me that we have enough weapons to arm everyone in Gensokyo and plenty of ammunition. But due to an unforeseen mishap, we had to delay the movement of the big rounds, mostly the air to surface missiles for the Apaches. So the aircraft will be delayed for a bit. The Scarlet Devil Mansion has already been prepared to defend our airspace until the aircraft can contribute. But the most important thing is for all of us to be armed.?
There was no arguing with the gap youkai?s logic. And they had expected something like that, so they had arranged for the kappas to finish their personal sidearms first. It was painfully obvious that the paradise of Gensokyo was quickly being shattered.
Kourindou, near the Forest of Magic, Gensokyo-6 Days Remaining
Rinnosuke had always wondered when this day would arrive. But he had never expected it to happen when Gensokyo would be on the brink of an all-out war for survival. He sighed as he put his book down and wiped his glasses.
?I was hoping that you would have asked at a better time. I mean, who waits until the eve of a war to start cleaning their house??
?I cleaned my house plenty of times. It?s just that I have a lot of stuff that I keep just in case it?s important.?
?Like spare candy wrappers??
?You?re avoiding my question, Kourin.?
The shopkeeper kept drinking his tea to stall for more time. Once he was out, he had to give in. ?That medallion that you found was yours to start with. It was made for you shortly after your birth and has your family crest on it. It was obvious as soon as you were born that you had the ability to use magic. So your family began to look for a teacher to make you powerful enough to defend the village against youkai whenever the Hakueri shrine maiden wasn?t available. The medallion was made to increase your magical power and boost your other abilities. As long as you have it, you might as well use it for the war. Mima?s amplification spell can last for decades, so you don?t have to worry about it sputtering out at the worst possible time.? But something else was bothering him. He chose his next words carefully, ?Marisa, have you given any thought to talking with your father again??
Wordlessly, she pulls out an envelope and puts it on the desk. ?I want you to give him this letter if I don?t make it back.?
?No.?
Marisa just stared at him. She had never know him to be so forceful in all the time she knew him. But he had an angry look in his eyes and he had to steady his hand on the table.
?Don?t ever do anything like that again. You go into this thinking like that, it?s not going to end well. If you want that letter delivered to your father, you?re going to have to deliver it yourself. I am not going to give you any reason not to come back. Your father would be furious and I would too. And don?t forget that you still owe some on your tab.?
The magician was still speechless. But the one thing that she realized was that she was sounding like she had given up. She takes the letter back and puts it in her apron pocket. Grabbing her broom, she makes her way to the door. Pausing, she tips her hat. ?Thanks, Kourin.? Then she takes to the sky, not caring about the tears that flowed from her eyes,
Rinnosuke watched her go, remembering how she grew up. From the first day that he met her when he was working at her father?s shop, to her visiting him when he had opened his own, helping her get the supplies to fix up the old house that she had moved into in the middle of the forest, to getting somewhat annoyed at her and Remiu for their antics every time they came to window shop and upgrading the Mini-Hakkero. He wasn?t a religious man, but he prayed that both Marisa and Remiu would be safe during the upcoming struggle. And to add an extra bit of insurance, he walks to the back room and returns with a long and narrow box. Opening it, he pulls out a NTW 20 anti-materiel rifle. He admires the 20 x 80 mm round that he keeps in the box with it, a round big enough to be considered a cannon round.
That rifle had cost him a special favor from Yukari but had been worth it. She had told him that it would be enough to take down anything that came at him but had doubted his ability to lift it. He had ignored her last remark and carried off the almost 65 pound weapon one handed.
Outside the Hakueri Barrier, Northern Japan-6 Days Remaining
Ever since they got the warning order, the American 2nd infantry division had been on edge. They had heard about some of the things that had happened during the so called Gensokyo incident and now they were here, in their backyard. And not of all them were ready for this. For now, a vanguard had arrived and was setting up a line around what military intelligence said was the only way in and out of the area.
Several Forward Operating Bases were set up, with Signal Corps soldiers running around establishing communication lines and keeping an eye on every shadow. Infantry were going on patrol and bringing back reports of people flying in the sky. Artillery batteries were finishing last minute setups and were jumpy. Helicopters were flying overhead, careful not to pass the limit of advance and provoke the beginning of the war.
Momiji was taking care to stay hidden in the tree line, H&K MSG90 rifle at the ready. She can see that most of the officers and staff were staying within the deepest part of the bases, and that they were uneasy at being in this environment. She focuses on the radio operator next to them and memorizes the frequency of the radio. But what she can?t really understand was the satellite dish that one of them was carrying on his back. So she marks it as a priority target and moves on.
Paying special attention to the patches on the soldiers? soldiers, she finds that most of them are 2nd Infantry and that there are various other small groups. Some that she spotted are 101st Airborne, 82nd Airborne, 3rd Infantry, and some from the 1st Infantry. After an hour of scouting, she spots British Army elements arriving.
So far, the predictions that Yukari had told here were coming true. And that meant that the plans that Flandre had made were still good. Momiji was a little skeptical about the vampire?s strategy but followed anyway because of Lord Tenma?s asking.
Hearing a familiar sound, she looks up and spots Aya a far distance above, taking pictures of everything she could. The White Wolf couldn?t help but feel a sense of distaste at the Black Crow tengu. She really hoped that they wouldn?t be pair up together for the conflict, she was liable to knock her out if they were. Shaking her head, she returns her attention to the FOB in front of her.
She looks for a bit longer and then starts her trip back. Taking extra care to avoid the patrols, she finally makes it back into Gensokyo. Once she was past the Hakueri Shrine, she began to relax. The realization that she would be in actual combat was starting to dawn on her. But she was looking forward to it. As long as she had her sword and rifle, she was fine.
Spotting Youmu going the opposite direction, Momiji gives her a small nod of acknowledgement. She had always been on good terms with the gardener and was interested in training with her in the close quarters combat style that Flandre and Patchouli were advocating. It did sound just like the style that she had always used but would be boosted by one of the librarian?s spells. All Momiji hoped was that she would make everyone she cared about proud and that they would be safe.
Courtroom, Ministry of Right and Wrong-Gensokyo Division, Gensokyo-5 Days Remaining
?You?ve changed a lot since the last time I sent Komachi after you.?
Being nervous was becoming an almost daily occurrence for Tenshi. And she had plenty of good reason to be nervous, as she was standing in front of the two people that she had ran away from for so long.
The Yamaxanadu had taken her seat on the bench, looking down at Tenshi on the floor. Her blue eyes stared right into the Celestial?s soul, almost as if she were putting together a legal brief. Her shinigami, Komachi, stood off to the side, stoically watching the scene before her.
Eiki reaches for a folder and waves it. ?All of your history is right here. What would I find if I looked inside it? Would you be the sort of Celestial that would inspire their followers or would you be the sort that would care only for the rush of front line battle??
Tenshi stayed silent, but did not break eye contact. Her grip tighten on her sword and served to steady her trembling.
?But if Yukari saw fit to give the chance to redeem yourself and you are actually trying to get your life together, then I will help you the best I can.? Eiki stands up and steps off her bench. On level footing, she?s even more intimidating. ?What you have to concentrate first is developing the application of your leadership abilities. Yukari has told me what you have studied and that?s a good start. So what I?ve come up with is the chance to speak with some of the best leaders of history so you can see and develop your own style.?
Komachi opens the door as Eiki and Tenshi exit the courtroom. She follows the pair as they make their way to the amphitheater. But something had triggered the shinigami?s danger sense. A pair of middle level clerical workers were passing them in the hallway when the hair on Komachi?s neck stood on end. She was still trying to figure out where it was coming from when the workers spun around and drew firearms.
The shinigami rushes forward and sweeps her scythe over the pair, cutting both of them. They pair falls, revealing body armor and radios. Seeing what had happened, Eiki draws her Colt Peacemaker while Tenshi has her Walter P38 at the ready. Down the hallway, more gunmen appeared and aimed at the trio. The Yama ran into an open conference room to the left and began to return fire. The Celestial ran in behind her and flipped a table. She then pushed the table out so that a little bit pokes out and gives Eiki better cover. Komachi had moved into the room on the opposite side of the hallway and was reloading her Tokarev pistol.
Eiki hears a noise to her left and sees a gunman charge at her. Too close to bring her Peacemaker up, she unleashes a devastating uppercut that has her hearing a cracking noise in her attacker?s jaw. She sees a tooth or two fly out before Tenshi riddles him full of bullet holes. Before the body can hit the floor, Eiki kicks it into the hallway, where it attracts a hail of gunfire. The Celestial hears something small and metal hit the way and sees a grenade land in front of her. Reacting instantly, she dashes forward and kicks it back. Her timing was good enough so that when it explodes, most of the shrapnel hits the gunmen, dropping four of them. But the blast wave also knocks the trio down. On her way to meeting the floor, Eiki loses her grip on her weapon and sees it fly towards Komachi. It lands in the middle of the hallway, too far for the shinigami to reach.
Seeing the Glock that was dropped by the closest gunman, she picks it up and sees that it had jammed. She pulls the slide to the rear and inspects the chamber quickly. The action clears the jam from the action just in time for another charging attacker. She puts two shots in him and slams the Rod of Remorse into the side of his head.
?Shit, I?m jammed!? Tenshi yells out as she backs up into the room and takes a knee. ?It?s a double load and it?s in there tight!?
Almost on cue, the remaining gunmen charge forward. The three are pulling out SR-2s when Komachi yells out, ?Lady Eiki, heads up!?
The Yama looks at her assistant and jumps forward when she sees her toss her Peacemaker at her. As soon as the revolver touches her hand, she spins the cylinder and puts two shots into each attacker. The gunmen had started to fire when they saw what she was doing but had ended up spraying bullets everywhere, forcing Tenshi and Komachi to dive to the floor. Reloading their weapons, and in Tenshi?s case, fixing their jam, they slowly make their way towards the downed gunmen. Kicking the bodies to make sure they are dead, they search them for any intelligence but fail to find anything.
Komachi takes custody of the souls and takes them to a secured area of the building. Eiki then orders the entire building to be placed under lockdown while every room is cleared and until they figure out how the gunmen made it in. Tenshi is given the chance to go to the meeting and uses it to her full advantage. Yukari is informed and passes on the information to the rest of the faction heads. The assassination attempt proved without the shadow of a doubt that the outside world would be the first to strike.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo-5 Days Left
Patchouli and Koakuma were performing system checks on the missile defense grid while Flandre and Remilia were having a cup of tea and studying the magical map in front of them. Out in the garden, Meiling was practicing her daily Tai Chi routine but instead of using a straight traditional sword, she was using a Type 56 rifle. She had the bayonet extended and was becoming more and more comfortable with combining the firearm with her martial arts experience.
Remilia was still amazed by the change in her younger sister. The proud vampire would never tell anyone else but she was extremely grateful to Yukari and Eirin for helping Flandre out. Sakuya was sitting at a table off to the side, polishing her knives after cleaning her G36 and her service Karabiner 98K from the war. The fairy maids were performing their regular duties, such as bringing out tea and snacks.
A familiar gap opened up and Yukari walked out. Sakuya instantly had a tray of tea and snacks instantly ready for their guest. The gap youkai was a little jealous of how quick and efficient the maid was and wished her own servants were even half as good. Flandre had ran forward and caught Yukari in a quick embrace, which she returned with a pat on the head. Remilia gave her a nod of acknowledgement and took a sip of her tea.
?I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by,? Yukari paused. ?How are those scenarios that I told you about coming along??
Flandre nodded, ?I accounted for everything that I could think of. For the most part, if we can keep them at the boundary, then we have a good chance of stopping the entire invasion in its tracks. The boundary can reflect their artillery but not their infantry, cavalry or air units. We still have the Lunarians to count on but with the barrier up, they won?t be able to send many troops. The most that they can send would have to be maybe a battalion or a brigade. I know that they?re much more prepared for battle than we are but I doubt that even they can hold off entire armies.?
?That?s exactly what I expected from you, Flandre. It?s a very thorough analysis, but I have to throw in another variable.?
The entire room went quiet when they saw that Yukari had grown silent.
?The Great Barrier won?t survive the first battle.?
Everyone in the room was shocked at the announcement. Flandre began to go through the notes that she had taken when she had analyzed everything while Remilia kept staring at the map.
?Ran had told me that there have been fluctuations finally appearing in the barrier. When I took a look and ran some tests, it?s obvious that it won?t last for much longer. The time it would be most likely to break would be after the first wave of infantry and armor attacks. Without the barrier to reflect artillery, we?re in for a bad time if we don?t do something. That?s where you?ll have to come in.?
?That changes everything,? Flandre had to sit down. ?We?re going to have more casualties, more land lost, and more damage taken. Why is it doing this so fast??
?I don?t know but it?s even more serious since I can?t figure it out. And we?ll have to go on the offense after the battle. This won?t end until we?ve taken enough land for them to realize that we can?t be pushed around.?
?How much would we have to take for that to happen?? Remilia had finally looked up from the map. ?Don?t you remember the first Genso-Lunar war??
?I knew from the start that it wasn?t time for us to expand back then. But we don?t have a choice in the matter now. Should we stand by, the outside will just continue to attack us again and again. We have to take the fight to them.? Yukari sighed. ?But I have another matter to discuss. I wanted to ask if I could have two guests of mine stay here for a little bit.?
?Are you getting rid of your shikigami?? Remilia sat up.
?No, I?m going to keep them for a while longer. But I have the feeling that we?ll be receiving two guests that share our feelings about this and will be willing to lend us some help. We do need all the hands that we can get.?
Lunar Defense Crops Urban Training Base, Dark Side of the Moon-4 Days Left
Since she had passed the Line of Battle training, Reisen was ordered to practice mobile warfare. At the moment, she was in a platoon that was composed of her staff. They had been tasked with attacking a town that had been designated as a bomb making facility. To make the mission tougher, it was taking place in the middle of the night with only very limited starlight to see.
Reisen had arranged her platoon into two groups, one was going to go in and clear the buildings while the other would support by fire. As they walked toward the town, they were arranged in the modified wedge, two columns on either side of the road. Reisen was in the middle of the columns, with her squad leaders behind her. She carried her regular rifle, feeling a lot better with the longer weapon than an officer?s pistol.
At the designated point, the two squads broke apart and began to head to their respective areas. Reisen was going with the support by fire team since it would give her the chance to keep her eye on the bigger picture and to adjust her forces accordingly. She had the signal operator stay close to her, keeping her in constant contact with the other squad. She checked the ammo in her rifle one last time and then waved her troops forward.
As she moved forward, it was quiet. The wind was blowing a little, making the leaves rustle in the night sky. Reisen?s breathing was starting to speed up, partly because she didn?t know what was going to happen when the shooting started. She kept looking around, aiming her weapon at every shadow that moved. What made it worse is that she had ordered the assaulting squad to maintain communication discipline until the attack actually started.
The sounds of gunfire suddenly rang out in the night. On the far left, between two buildings, the flashes of gunfire were moving in every direction. Since Reisen?s squad was still on the road, they immediately ran to the left side of the berm and dropped to the prone. The moon rabbit crawled beside her machine gunner and began to direct fire. She could make out her troops running towards a building and stacking up against the wall.
Reisen?s nervousness had left, replaced by the boost of adrenaline. She could see enemy troops begin to rush out of a building to the right, and directed fire in that direction. The gunfire forced them to fall back into the building and kept them from returning fire effectively. From inside the target building, there were flashes of light and the sounds of explosions.
?First team, stand by for mission update,? The signal operator had received a message from the higher ups. Reisen began to look around, a mission update usually meant that something didn?t go according to plan. She started to expect the worse and was looking for possible avenues of attack or escape. She heard her other team yell out clear and held fire when they rushed out.
?First team, a building to your east has been found to house opposing staff. Find and clear that building out.?
She finally began to relax again. A search and clear mission wasn?t as bad as having an entire company attack from behind. Getting her squad together, the moon rabbit moved toward the building. Once they were there, they stacked on the wall with her second in line. She motions the last one up and has her check the door. The door is cleared and kicked down.
They immediately rush into the first room, sweeping their weapons into every corner. Reisen kept her weapon on safe but had her finger ready to switch to burst in an instant. Once the first room was clear, the squad split up and Reisen led her team up the stairs. So far they had found nothing but were still staying sharp. Outside, the sounds of gunfire had gone silent, which meant that the action outside had ended.
Reisen takes a corner at high ready and comes face to face with an enemy staff member. She immediately switches from safe to burst and fires a three round burst directly into their chest. She kicks the body out of the way and rushes into the room. She instantly jumps back as a hail of gunfire was aimed at her. The rest of her team catches up and one of them preps a grenade. Reisen catches it and throws it into the room.
The grenade makes a loud ping as it bounces off the wall and she hears someone yelling. It goes off and the entire squad rushes into the room. They find that the explosion had taken out all of the staff in the room and had knocked a briefcase off a shelf. Reisen picks it up and looks at her pocket watch. From the door being breached to now, one minute and thirty seconds had passed.
Reisen has her team run down to the first floor, regroup and stack up inside. She yells out to make sure their own troops don?t shoot them and rush out. Seeing the other squad some distance away pulling security, she has hers reach the road and then gives the signal to run back to their rally point.
Once they had dashed to the rally point and got accountability, they formed up into the modified wedge and walked back to their patrol base. Reisen had tied the briefcase to her pack after she had done a preliminary search. The stars had finally come back out and were providing more light. It seemed to be a dream after all the fighting earlier. Then something fell in front of her and started to spark and smoke.
?Aw, shit.? That was all Reisen could do, tired as she was from all the running and shooting and she was suffering from an adrenaline crash. The grenade kept smoking and sparking then it just sat there, it turned out to be defective. Then gunfire came from their right side.
The moon rabbit dropped to a knee and began to return fire when a senior sergeant yelled, ?WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?! GET OUT OF HERE!!! RUN!!!?
Not having to be told twice, she got up and ran for all she was worth. The rest of her squad followed suit and struggled to keep up with her. She could hear the zips as bullets missed her by inches. Looking back, she counted her entire squad still following her. Then she ran into a tree.
Her helmet took most of the blow but couldn?t do anything for the embarrassment. Reisen shook it off and kept running. The run felt like it would never end but they finally reached their base. She gets accountability again and hands over the briefcase to the training officer. She decides to leave the paperwork until after she gets some food in her stomach.
She?s already dropped into a seat and was eating some bland rations when a messenger brought a communicator to her. She gives a nod of acknowledgement and answers the call. It was Toyohime and she sounded worried.
?Reisen, I?m sorry to have to interrupt you during your training, but we need the 4th to go into stand by status. Master Eirin has just called us and said that the outside world has given them a deadline to stand down. Right now, there?s only four days left. Your regiment will be the first on the ground to support the Gensokyo Defense Force until we can get the others ready. Be realistic, how ready can you be in three days??
Numbers began to spin around in Reisen?s head. Food, sleep, water, and ammo had to be considered. The regiment was 5,000 strong, and it would take a bit of time to get everything on the move. But they were Royal Foot after all.
?We can be at 100% readiness in three days, Princess.?
?Good. You should be prepared for a high number of enemy troops, armor, and aircraft. The GDF says that they should be able to keep the air clear but will have some trouble handling armor and infantry due to their low numbers. I?ll send you a full briefing later but you?ll basically going in to provide infantry support. Humans have evolved some since we left but it?s the numbers, not their ability or lack of, that we should be worried about.?
?Yes, Princess.?
?Reisen, make sure you do your best and come back. Yorihime and I miss having you around.?
With that, the royal cut the call off, leaving Reisen with her plate. Not feeling hungry anymore, she calls for her staff to join her in the HQ. She can tell that the next three days will be long.
-
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo 4 Days Left
The entire mountainside was full of artillery. Celestials were walking around, comparing calculations for their weapons. Just the amount of artillery that Yukari had given them was staggering, but the amount of ammunition that came with them was even more amazing. Tenshi sat on a rock higher up on the mountain, watching everything and eating a peach. She had been unusually quiet ever since she had come back from the Ministry of Right and Wrong.
She pulled out the Walter P38 that Yukari had given her. It had actually killed a living person. This was different that the earthquake incident. Or at least that?s what she was telling herself. Was the killing of spirits that were already dead the same as killing the living? She shook her head at the thought. That was a morality question, something that she had little time for nowadays.
But it still wouldn?t leave her alone. Intellectually, she knew that many were going to die in a few days, and that she may be one of them. That was the nature of war and there was no way around it. She had known that when she accepted Yukari?s offer. And it was still hitting her in the quiet moments, but had gotten worse since that attack.
?It?s bothering you, isn?t it, Eldest Daughter??
Tenshi turns around to see Iku behind her. The messenger had a scroll that was probably from the Dragon Palace.
?The fact that you feel guilt over killing another living being is a sign that you?re the right Celestial for the position. But you can?t let that affect you during combat. Especially when you?re responsible for others as well as yourself.? Iku handed her the scroll. ?The Dragon Palace has heard about your acceptance of leadership and sent you this. From what I heard in the dining rooms, there is some doubt about your abilities, even when Yukari Yakumo vouched for you.?
Tenshi waved that off. ?I don?t care about the gossip in the Dragon Palace. I won?t see them in the fight, seeing as how they?re too busy sitting around in those comfortable offices.?
?They do have a bit of influence with the Celestial family heads. Try not to anger them too much. This is a great chance that Yukari gave you but you can still throw it away if you?re careless. Remember that court politics play an important role in this, even though you are technically military and noble blood.?
?I thought that enlightened beings were above things like that? Is what I heard and studied about for so long a lie??
?I won?t go as far as to call it a lie. What I will say is that you haven?t exactly come in as the best in the class. There are some that are still angry about the earthquake incident and your attitude. Most of us have seen the improvement that you have made since then, but others still want to get you back. Most of them hold some very high ears.?
?If they?re so angry, they should come and fight me face to face then. I?ll show then who?s right.?
?There you go again, Eldest Daughter. That?s the exact thing that you want to avoid. Disagreements can?t always be solved with physical force. You?re on your way to learning that lesson, but at this time, it won?t be easy. Maybe that?s why Yukari chose you for this. Learning diplomacy may help you more than any beating or loss could.?
Tenshi had no response to that. Iku was always good at making her stop and look at herself. She still had no idea why Yukari had even wanted her to do this. And now Eiki was supporting here, even after Tenshi had beaten her shikigami so many times out of greed. The Yama hadn?t even reprimanded her after the attack for killing and using profanity.
It was starting to come together slowly, but Tenshi could tell that they wanted her to do something. But the question was what. And until she knew, there were only a few people that she can trust. And it began to dawn on her that all of this may be for the greater good. If it is, then is that what being a Celestial is really about? Was all the singing and dancing that everyone else had come to accept as their way of life just a distraction?
The Celestial was no stranger to philosophical arguments. That was what she had to study for the past few months in order to understand the Buddhist and Shinto religious texts that her father had given her. In her old mindset, she never would had worried about the balance between right and wrong, since she was a Celestial, she knew what was best from the start.
Then she went too far during the earthquake incident and finally got burned. But Iku snapped her out of her thoughts again.
?Don?t let anything I said make you doubt yourself. I know your abilities are right for this, you just have to have the determination and knowledge to apply them. The Dragon Palace doesn?t expect an answer from you about this, but be prepared for more messages. I?ll do my best to keep you posted about the atmosphere in the Palace, but do remember to try not making them any more agitated at you.? With a small nod, Iku turned and took to the sky again.
Watching her fly away, Tenshi still nibbled at the peach that she had forgotten during the conversation. One of the lower ranking members of her distant family came up to her and handed her a map. On it, it had the sectors of fire for every artillery piece on the mountain. They had a 360 degree sector of fire and had a range of all of Gensokyo plus 45 kilometers past the barrier, if the shells could pass it instead of being deflected.
She nods her appreciation and rolls it up to put in her apron. Then she hops off her rock and walks home, knowing that she still had more work left.
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-3 Days Left
Every tengu present was amazed by what the kappas had made. The entire workshop had been expanded to make room for the air fleet that would serve to keep Gensokyo?s sky clear during the upcoming battle. Three types of aircraft were sitting in the hanger: the Russian SU-47 Golden Eagle, the American FA-18 Hornet, and the American AH-64 Apache. The only human in the bunch, Marisa, had her eye on the Apache due to the missiles and moveable heavy machine gun mounted under the cockpit.
Nitori was walking around one of the SU-47s. ?This is one of the most advanced planes on the planet. There are only about three of these outside the barrier while we have at least 5 full squadrons. It?s a work of art and my favorite to work on. Just look at the wings, aren?t they cool??
Nitori was about to continue when one of the other kappas shouted out from the back. Pulling herself out of her admiration, she walked over to one of the FA-18s. ?This one is not as advanced but is still a solid choice for our air forces. Right now, it?s one of the most common aircraft flying around outside. Its main advantage is that it?s just as good at ground attacks as it is at air superiority.?
Then she walked over to an AH-64. ?This is the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. This one is one of the most heavily armored yet most maneuverable helicopters ever used. It also has the ability to fire in almost any direction without having to move the entire helicopter. Perfect for someone that wants to have a massive amount of firepower right on the frontlines.?
Marisa started to jump up and down. ?Pick me! Pick me! All of you know how good I?m at blowing stuff up!?
No one in the room could disagree with that statement. The last time that Marisa had gotten in a spellcard duel, she had blown up half the Bamboo Forest. Some of the kappa had been in attendance and still had burn marks on their hats from the Master Spark explosion.
Nitori rummaged in her backpack of a few seconds and pulled out a set of keys. She tossed them at Marisa, ?We knew that you would want it. So it?s yours. Make sure you read the condensed manual and get some practice flying around before the bullets start to fly. And you?ll have to come up with a name for your helicopter and a call sign for the radio. Make sure you have them as soon as you can.?
Leaving Marisa to play with the controls under the watchful eyes of her new crew chief, Nitori led the tengus back over to the Su-47s. ?I?ve spoken with Lord Tenma and he has given me a list of tengus that he would want as squadron leaders. First up, Aya Shameimaru will head the first SU-47 squadron and Hatate Himekaidou will head the second.?
Both tengu step forward and begin to look around in their aircraft. Nitori kept reading off names that would make up their respective squadrons and moved on to the FA-18s. Yukari had stopped by and was watching the proceedings from inside the chief mechanic?s office. When the kappa was done and had returned to the office, she wasn?t surprised.
?I know that we?re getting closer to the deadline but we have made a lot of progress.?
Yukari nodded, ?We?re ahead of the schedule that Flandre worked out for us. How has that map that Patchouli installed been??
?It?s been a big help with organizing a lot of the squadrons. And it?s an added bonus that we can keep in touch with everyone else too.?
?I?ve received confirmation that both the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the Celestials have their artillery ready. The Lunarians have already started to mobilize but have to wait until the barrier falls for them to actually arrive.?
?Have there been any developments in the outside world lately??
?NATO has still been reinforcing the line more and more. From what some of the tengus found, they have already set up forward operating bases and artillery positions. But, a majority of the troops have heard about the legends and have seen some of us flying around. So naturally, they are sacred to a point. Most of their officers have dismissed it as just rumors but the ones that have seen us are trying to research the old texts to find our weaknesses.?
?I hope they don?t try to make me bow. I really don?t want to have to go through another incident like the one at the village again.?
?You mean the one where your hat fell off and fly away??
?This is my favorite hat! I can?t let anything happen to it, even if it?s just sitting on my head.?
?I?ll have to make sure to keep Chen away from water and for Ran to have a full meal before she goes out. I don?t want her to become distracted by one of those soldiers offering her some tofu.?
?So have you chosen what weapon you want us to modify for you??
?I decided to do it myself and keep it a surprise. It?s going to be a masterpiece, I can assure you that.?
?Fine. I think you made a good call with giving Marisa one of the Apaches. It?ll take some time and effort but her spellcards are a perfect match. She?s going to do a lot of damage when we get her out on the frontlines.?
?She needs something to keep her mind off the stress that this is causing. Rinnosuke texted me earlier to tell me that she was having doubts about surviving this.?
?That doesn?t sound like her. The Marisa I know wouldn?t be thinking about anything like that. She would be treating this like a game or another spellcard duel.?
?It means that she?s matured way too fast since all of this happened. I noticed it in others as well. The last thing we want is for her to be burned out so early. That?ll affect Reimu too.?
?Are you really only concerned with Reimu??
?Of course not! I care about everyone in Gensokyo. Why else would I do so much without asking for anything??
?I?ll probably never know the real answer to that question. What I do know is that you always have a reason for everything you do and we never figure it out until everything?s done.?
?You make me sound like a chess master, Nitori.?
?If the shoe fits, Yukari. Isn?t that exactly what we need the most now??
-
Outside the Great Hakueri Barrier, Japan-3 Days Left
The perimeter around the Hakueri Barrier was tight enough to keep anyone from entering or leaving the area. Or at least it was before Russian forces had arrived. Almost at every control point, arguments in Russian and English could be heard. But only from the officers and senior NCOs. The rest of the enlisted from either side were content with sitting together, sharing cigarettes and trading candy from their MREs.
Maribel and Renko were hiding in a bush a few dozen feet away from two captains that were locked in a heated argument. Something about jurisdiction had brushed the Russian one the wrong way and led to him yelling.
?Listen, American, I don?t care what your orders are! This is our command post and WE will man it without YOUR interference!?
?I will not have you come here and yell orders at my men like that! They are my responsibility, so take it up with ME! COME AT ME, BRO!!!?
Both the Captains lunge at each other but are restrained by their NCOs. Renko can?t help but stifle a laugh as both officers start to kick at each other, still yelling at each other.
?I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS, DAMNED RUSKIE!!!?
?COME OVER HERE AND I?LL SHOVE YOUR CAPTIALISM DOWN YOUR DAMNED THROAT, AMERICAN!!!?
The rest of the soldiers just kept going around with their usual business, not really paying attention to their commanding officers about to kill each other. It really did seem that they were not surprised to see it going down like this.
Renko was wanting to stay and finish watching the rest of the spectacle but knew that she and Maribel were on a timeline. For the past day and a half, the pair had been scouting around for a weak point in the perimeter. So far, they had had little luck. But with the arrival of the Russians, some checkpoints were being distracted by all the hostility.
Deciding that they had done enough for the day, Maribel and Renko head back to the old inn that they had stumbled across. After they had walked for about two hours, they arrived. The inn didn?t get that many visitors since the legends of youkai and paranormal activities usually kept people away. The innkeeper was happy to have company and had asked no questions when they requested a room.
Once they had made a quick meal and were sitting in their room, they began to sort through the headlines of the day. Every newspaper that they had gotten their hands on was reporting on the massive troop movements from all over the world. And even though they had were both moving against Gensokyo, the United States and Russia were having another of their usual arguments.
The United Nations was trying to prevent the hostilities but with the entire Security Council still riled up about Yukari?s visit, it was meeting stiff resistance. NATO had already announced that they were already prepared for the outbreak of hostilities and would put boots on the ground with ease. In the United States, every division was placed on standby status, National Guard units were being ordered to federal active duty, and operations all over the world were put on hold. The entire manufacturing sector began to switch to wartime production.
After they had finished eating and reading, Renko brought out the map that they always carried. She had circled the Hakueri shrine and marked the FOBs that they had found. But the map wasn?t what had her attention right now. Ever since yesterday, Renko had noticed that Maribel had been becoming paler. She was also starting to feel a slight pain in the head. Even though the psychologist hadn?t said anything, it was obvious to her best friend.
?Something big is about to happen to the barrier, isn?t it? I can see it in your face, Mary.? Renko studied her closely. ?You?ve been getting pale and it looks like your head?s been hurting.?
?I keep on seeing cracks in the sky towards the shrine. They look like they?re starting to spread every time I look at them. It?s been making my head hurt a little but I?m alright.? Mary reached into her bag and took two aspirins. ?We?re starting to run out of time.?
?There?s only so much we can do until we can pass that perimeter. But I have found a spot where we should be able to sneak in. Check this out.? Renko points at a heavily wooded area a bit from the path. ?The forest here is extremely thick for about half a mile. As long as we stay together, we should be able to sneak past their patrols and bases. After that, it turns back into normal woods. Our best bet would be to try to figure out their patrol patterns and then we can go from there.?
?How long will it take? The deadline for Gensokyo?s surrender is in less than three days.?
?At least two days. I would feel better if we had more but you?re right. We also have to make sure that we don?t get caught. I doubt we can do anything useful if we stuck in a holding cell somewhere. The perimeter is about 4 miles from the shrine, so we?ll want to aim for the early morning to avoid the hottest part of the day.?
?I?m so happy to have you with me.?
Renko couldn?t help but blush. ?It?s nothing. I?m just using what I learned in those military history and tactics classes.?
?Still, I wouldn?t had made all the way out here without you.?
?You?re starting to talk crazy again. Next thing you?ll say is that you?ll want to go to the moon and talk to the Lunarians next.?
?I?m sure that the Lunarians can take care of themselves. But I?m surprised that everybody didn?t start freaking out when they showed up at the UN.?
?People probably thought that they were from some country that nobody ever heard of. They do tend not to pay attention if it doesn?t affect them.?
?I know, but it?s still sad. Too bad they won?t care until people start to get killed in this war.?
Renko stretched her back out and pulled out the camera that she took with them. ?It?s a good thing I remembered to bring this. But I have no idea why I did in the first place.?
Maribel couldn?t help but laugh. ?You?re always forgetting things. But I?m sure having it won?t hurt. It?s not heavy after all.?
The inn began to shake a little as a company of tanks passed on the road nearby. It didn?t really bother them since it happened all the time now. Renko brought up the map again and Maribel moved to seat next to her. They studied the map, looking for more weak points until they both fell asleep leaning on each other.
Human Village, Gensokyo-2 Days Left
The entire village was deserted. On a day like this, the market would be full of shoppers and vendors. But almost everyone in the village had evacuated to the Moryia Shrine. Only a few of the men had remained and formed a militia that fell under Keine and Mokou. They were armed with M-1 Garands and M9 pistols. Keine had allowed her schoolhouse to be used as armory and readiness center.
Outside the village, Mokou was practicing some of her spellcards and close range attacks. She had recently been thinking about a new spellcard that she could activate with just a finger snap. With Yukari?s gift of a H&K 416, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Mokou stands in the middle of a clearing and holds her hand out. She snaps her fingers and sends a long spark flying from them. It heads directly for a tree and explodes on impact. The explosion rips the trunk apart and catches every tree in a 40 meter radius.
She?s satisfied with her work and decides to watch the kappas as they arrive to build defenses for the village. Mokou is amazed by how fast they work. In less than 2 hours, they had dug tunnels, trenches, and placed traps all over the place. In the town plaza, Keine was overseeing her militia?s training.
The schoolteacher stood in the watch tower and was counting how long it took a squad to clear a building. On the other side of the plaza, the other squads were getting their ammo and water sources ready. Coming in at just under a company in terms of strength, they would be boosted by the fact that they would be fighting for their homes. But even then, they wouldn?t be able to hold off entire divisions by themselves.
Keine was well aware of that fact. And it was made even worse when she remembered that she had taught every single one of them when they were children. She also remembered how Flandre was forced to revise her predictions when Yukari had revealed that the barrier would fall during the battle. The icy feeling in her gut told her that her company would be the one to take most of the casualties.
Looking out at the horizon towards the shrine, she can see most of the easy avenues of attack. From what she knows about history, she can make a good guess of which ones they would charge them from. Infantry wouldn?t pose a horrible problem, but still needed a good amount of attention. If armor and artillery were able to target the village, it was all over.
At least Akyuu and Kosuzu had been able to move all the books to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to be watched over by Patchouli. Volie was one of the biggest libraries in all of Gensokyo and would be defended by heavy field and air defense artillery. As long as the history and knowledge of Gensokyo were safe, then they could survive even a devastating defeat.
Mokou had finally returned from watching the kappas and had climbed into the tower with Keine. They stood silently together for a few minutes, then Keine had to ask her the one question that was bothering her.
?What are you going to do if you get captured??
?I?m not worried about that,? Mokou put her hands in her pocket. ?I?m going to be watching your back during the battle, so I won?t let anything like that even have a chance of happening. After all, I can take a few bullets with no problem.?
?You know that I can?t stand for you getting hurt. Even if you can?t die, I don?t want to see you in pain.?
?Every time I fight with Kaguya, I kill and get killed. This type of fighting shouldn?t be worse than that. That moon princess sure can come up with some creative ways to kill someone.?
?But doesn?t it hurt every time it happens??
Mokou had to pause. She couldn?t dodge the schoolteacher?s question forever. ?It hurts a lot. Every time I die, not all of me comes back. I try so hard to bring it all with me, but it never happens. I always feel empty for some reason. But one thought always goes through my head: I don?t want to go.?
?I didn?t know.? Keine turns and hugs her. ?Just promise me one thing: that you?ll never forget about me.?
?I promise.?
Down on the ground, the squad that was clearing out buildings were done and sitting in the shade. Rinnosuke had come out and was issuing extra equipment to the militia members. After that, their training was done for the day and they went to eat.
Rinnosuke had become interested in one of the towers that the kappas had installed in the village and was asking them about having one installed near his shop. The kappas were eager to build another one and promised that they would have one up by the end of tomorrow. He did request that it be camouflaged and be ready to use as a sniper?s nest.
His thoughts eventually returned to Marisa?s predicament. He did do his best to motivate her to have something to fight for but was still worried about her. He decides to pay a visit to her father since he was in the village anyway. It takes him a moment to remember where his shop was at but eventually found it. Taking a deep breath, he walks in.
The shop is deserted, just like the rest of the village. Rinnosuke still remembers when he used to work here. Walking to the back, he finds it just like outside. He walks upstairs and still finds nothing. He sees a door that had a star on it and realizes that it was Marisa?s room. Poking his head in, he?s surprised by what he finds.
The entire room is full with books. But they?re arranged in neat piles and have no dust on them at all. The bed is still neatly made. But a box with a crest was sitting open on the desk. On closer inspect, it was big enough to hold a spell book. It didn?t take Yukari level intelligence to see that.
Seeing nothing else, he decides to leave. He won?t be able to talk to him since going to the Moriya Shrine will take more time than he can spare. It takes a while to get back, but when he does, he pulls out his rifle. He cleans it again and enjoys a cup of tea. Looking at the clock, he starts to feel an icy feeling in his stomach.
-
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-2 Days Left
Remiu had been sitting in front of the small pond behind her shrine all day. She hadn?t even checked her donation box at all today. Her M4 carbine was lying next to her, along with a M9 pistol. The miko had been carrying both weapons ever since Yukari had warned her about the attack at the Ministry of Right and Wrong. She hadn?t been able to get a good night?s sleep since she was worried about being attacked.
Yukari had been keeping an eye on her for a while and was becoming more and more worried about the miko. She had noticed that Reimu was becoming more and more short tempered. The gap youkai knew that having her in this state would lead to her being more careless when it mattered most. She had an idea but, for one of the few times in her life, she felt nervous.
Stepping out of her gap, she takes a few steps towards Reimu. The miko turns and spots Yukari. But instead of throwing needles at her like she usually, the dark haired woman turned back to stare at the pond. That hit Yukari harder than any attack. She takes something out of a gap and sits next to Reimu. They sit in silence for a while, Yukari wasn?t even bothered by the fact that her dress was getting dirty. Wordlessly, she hands the miko what she brought.
Remiu looks at it and doesn?t move for minutes. Then she starts to tear up. Yukari warps an arm around her shoulder and brings her in close.
?You don?t have to worry about having to protect everything by yourself. You see everybody around you getting ready to fight. I know that you want to do it all to make sure that they don?t get hurt. But they want to protect you too. Remember how much effort they gave to make this happen?? Yukari pointed at the picture she had given her.
It was from the Summer Festival that had just ended a few weeks ago. Everyone in Gensokyo had made the trip to attend and made it the biggest in recent history. Even the new arrivals, the Taoists, had taken part in the fun. The kappas had brought plenty of outside technology, so music was played out of speakers, drinks were kept cool in refrigerators, and video cameras were broadcasting footage to screens set up everywhere.
One more piece of technology that the kappas had brought was a digital camera. So some of the more eccentric guests had gone around and taken random pictures. Then the idea for a group photo began to take shape. As more and more youkai and humans were forming up on the stairs to the shrine, Marisa noticed that Remiu had disappeared.
She was found sitting alone in her shrine. For some reason, she had become depressed and had withdrawn herself. Thinking about her best friend?s behavior for the past couple of days, Marisa began to figure out that this wasn?t the first time this had happened.
That was when Yukari had gapped in. She sees Reimu?s condition and drags Marisa out of the room. Closing the door to prevent Reimu from hearing her, Yukari looks Marisa in the eye.
?You knew that this was going to happen eventually.?
The magician doesn?t have an answer. She just stares at the floor.
?The way that Reimu distances herself from everyone isn?t healthy for her. She might be the one that solves all the incidents, but she?s still human. Look at Flandre, she?s still trying to get better after being locked in that basement for so long.?
Still no response from Marisa.
?You been through the same thing, don?t you remember? Reimu reached out to you then, didn?t she. And look at what that lead to. Both of you are close to each other. You have the best chance of helping her get through this.?
?I have to get her to the stairs.?
Yukari was confused for a moment before she remembered the group picture. Having so many people remind her that she was not alone would work wonders. So she created a gap under Reimu that lead outside.
The miko was too surprised to do anything when she felt herself falling. The only thing she thought about when she saw the gap was that Yukari had something to do with it. Then her mind went blank when she landed in front of the stairs in front of a large group of people. Everyone froze when they saw that her eyes were red and puffy. Then as one, they moved forward and drew her into a group embrace.
It didn?t matter if they were human or youkai. The playful Yuyuko was patting her head, while even the haughty Remilia was embracing her. Reimu was still completely mind blown by the turn of events and hadn?t moved. Yukari and Marisa appeared next to the crowd and watched.
Once Remiu had begun to understand, she began to cry again. But they weren?t tears of sadness. Instead, they were full of joy as she returned the giant embrace. This continued for a while until the sun began to set. The kappas finally managed to get everyone formed up and ready for the picture. In the front, both Yukari and Marisa had their arms around a smiling Reimu.
Reimu starts to smile at remembering that, but its cut short when she sees the M4 and M9 sitting next to her, reminding her of the current situation. Yukari squeezes her gently, ?It?s still fresh in your mind. You replay that every day, don?t you? What?s coming isn?t something that you can take on all by yourself. It?s not like when you fought that shrimp Mima, or when the moon was stolen. You?re too proud to ask for help. I can tell that easily. That?s the same reason that you survive on barely any donations. But you have to know that we?ll all here for you.?
Yukari reaches into her pocket and pulls out a spell card. She hands it to the miko. ?Keep this with you at all times. It?s my strongest spellcard, ?Boundary of Life and Death?. You?re going to be on the frontlines, so it?ll have a better chance of being put to good use.?
?But what about the advanced teams that are going to hit before the main attack??
?I got a surprise for them. Don?t worry about me, I?m not going to stop stealing your food anytime soon. But you have to promise me that you?re not going anywhere soon.?
?I promise, Yukari.? They both share an embrace under the moonlight that?s reflected from the pond. Neither of them notice the shrimp looking shadow watching them from the tree line.
Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Day Left
For the kappas, setting up a system that creates a path for communication wasn?t a big deal. With Patchouli?s map spell and their own magic, it was up and running within two hours. Now, they had a stable network that worked with both GDF and outside world communication systems. And they had mail.
A message had come in from the NATO forces that were stationed outside the barrier. The United Nations had given Gensokyo one last chance to avoid invasion by turning over the heads of the GDF. Specially, they were demanding that Yukari, Eiki, and Eirin be captured and sent to the World Court.
The three were listening to the message being replayed. Yukari was going over the status of every faction in the GDF. Most of them were ready, but the Tengu air units were still being worked on. That meant that the Scarlet Devil Mansion would have to handle the entire NATO air force by themselves. The most important parts: the redoubt, the shrine, and the Celestial artillery were prepared.
Another message began to beep for attention. Nitori looked at the monitor and tilted her head. ?We got an incoming request for a conference call. Looks like it?s from one of the higher ups of the outside.?
Yukari nods her head and turns to the screen. Seconds later, the image of a lieutenant general appeared on screen. Eiki and Eirin return his stare silently while the gap youkai pulls her fan out. ?Good morning, General. Lovely weather we?re having today, isn?t it??
He shrugs. ?Seems nice enough. Do I have the pleasure of speaking to Lady Yukari Yakumo??
She hides her face behind her fan. ?Why yes you do. May I ask who wants to know??
?Just someone that wants for all this to be over without bloodshed. I know that you have received our latest message. What is your response??
?In just one word: no.?
The general sighed. ?I knew that this was going to happen. Damned politicians never want to listen to us anyway. We know all about your preparations. Let me just remind you that this little backwards summer camp is going up against the combined might of the modern world. I?ll give you a few seconds to let that sink in.?
Yukari still held the fan in front of her face. But her eyes were revealing a sense of amusement. Eiki and Eirin stayed quiet, knowing that she was about to ruin this arrogant man?s day.
?Well, what?s you answer? It?s alright to be scared.? He started to laugh. ?We?ll be done with you by the end of the day.?
From behind the general, a gap opened. Then a kangaroo hopped out. The officer closest to the gap, a major, could only stare as the mammal reared back and punched him in the face. He was out instantly, letting his attacker hop around and knock out the guards with vicious kicks to the stomach. A captain had snuck up behind the kangaroo with a chair but got slapped with his tail. Another captain had begun to crawl to the door and made it halfway out when the mammal spotted him and dragged him back by the leg.
The noise had attracted a squad of MPs who froze when they saw that a kangaroo was beating up their entire command staff. A seasoned looking NCO rushes forward and delivers a quick hook to the animal?s face. Surprised, the kangaroo begins to hop back and gets his bearings. It almost seemed like he was smiling, happy to have a worthy opponent.
They rush at each other, turning the fight into an all-out brawl. Even more chairs and tables are destroyed as both opponents fling each other around the room. The general manages to get up, a black eye already apparent.
?What kind of game are you playing at, Yakumo?? he can barely speak due to his anger. ?I was willing to accept terms of surrender, but no more!?
?Didn?t you just say that you knew we weren?t going to surrender? Did that punch give you memory loss, general??
Before he can say anything, another gap opens above his head, and a skunk falls on him. The little mammal is surprised and instantly releases his foul spray. And it happened when the general?s mouth was open.
Yukari nods her head and Nitori cuts the transmission. As soon as it?s off, the entire room burst into laughter. The gap youkai cracked a smile then remembered her two accomplices. She opens another gap and disappears for a few seconds. When she returns, she?s laughing.
?I always did like some animals more than humans. Those two did a good job, didn?t they??
?So, we?re locked in now.? Eirin looked at her cell phone. ?The Lunarians have a regiment of Royal Foot ready to touch down. They?re one of the best in the Defense Crops, so we?re set there.?
Nodding, Yukari turns to Eiki. ?Have you found anything that says we?ve strayed from the path of self-defense??
The yama shakes her head. ?In the eyes of the international laws of diplomacy and combat, we?re well within our rights. But that doesn?t seem to matter to anyone but us. We have to be prepared for the opinion of the rest of the planet to be poisoned against us.?
?That won?t have much effect on us. We just wanted to be left alone.? Yukari sighs. ?I wonder, how does Makai feel about this??
?I?m sure that we can get Alice to ask Shinki.? Nitori began to dial on the phone next to her.
?Hello, this is Alice.?
?Alice, its Nitori. Yukari has a question that she wants to ask you.?
The gap youkai leans forward. ?Alice, can you get in touch with Shinki? Makai might be in danger if we can?t hold the line out here.?
?I?ve already talked to her about this. She doesn?t want to commit forces to the fight yet. They haven?t had the chance to arm themselves like we have. And they?re still recovering from the last major fight that happen when Reimu visited. But, she?s promised to leave a portal open in case of us having nowhere else where to go.?
?That?s still a good sign. It means that we still have a chance of getting more help later on. Thank you, Alice.?
With a quick acknowledgment, the puppeteer hangs up.
?It?s starting to be close to show time. Nitori, is everyone ready??
?Apart from the two, we?re good.?
?Great. Will you give the call to arms??
?Of course.?
Nitori turned on the microphone that was connected to every map across Gensokyo.
?Now hear this: all units are to go on standby status. Invasion is to commence in 18 hours from the Hakueri Shrine. The spellcard rules are now void. Lethal force is now authorized on orders of the Hakueri Shrine Maiden. I say again: all units are to go on standby status and lethal force is authorized.?
-
Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo-10 Hours Left
For the first time in hundreds of years, Eirin was giving instruction in battlefield medicine fully aware that it was going to be put to use. Gathered before her was the group that maintained the Buddhist temple. They would be the ones providing medical care since Byakuren was still against causing bloodshed. And the magician was giving her all to studying to make up for that fact.
?This small kit,? Eirin held up a bag that looked more like a purse than a first aid kit, ?has everything you?ll need to treat any kind of wound that the humans can inflict. The usual types of injuries can be taken care with this.?
She puts the bottle of pills away. Then she pulls out a roll of bandages.
?If you happen to run out of pills, this bandage has the ability to stop any kind of bleeding. Even if it?s caused by magic or normal means. Then we have this.?
The next item she pulls out is a syringe. ?Even though the outside world has mostly banned the use of chemical weapons, there is still the possibility of them being used against us. This injection is something I made when I was still a young medical officer in the Lunar Defense Corps. Reisen, Kaguya and I are immune to every chemical, biological, and nuclear effect the outside world can throw at us due to the vaccines and medicines that we had on the moon. My goal is to do the same with everyone but I still need more time.?
She put everything back into the bag and starts handing them out. Everyone has at least two bags and takes note of everything inside. Then the doctor leads everyone outside to the field to practice care under fire. Reisen and Tewi were doing last minute checks on their weapons while Kaguya was looking towards the sky.
Eirin has Reisen load weaken rounds and Tewi moves a few hundred yards away and lays down. Once everything is ready, the doctor gives the command and the Buddhist caretakers rush towards the earth rabbit. Reisen starts to pour rounds downrange, forcing the medics to find cover and low crawl. When they get too close to their patient, Reisen shoots the ground in front of them. This continues for about an hour. Eirin is satisfied with their progress.
?Alright, that?s enough. We can?t have all of you be too tired for the action later on. Get some rest, you?ll be doing the real thing in a few hours.?
With that, they gather their belongings and head back to their temple. Eirin watches them go, hoping that they would be able to do their job skillfully. On her way back to her study, she sees Reisen and Tewi eating a small meal. The Lunarian felt a ping of fear in her heart. It wasn?t for her but for her apprentice and the smaller rabbit. Even though she was tough on them, she still cared about them. She still remembered every soldier that she had lost during her time in the Medical Service. The ones that she couldn?t reach in time, the ones that were helpless as soon as they were hit, and the ones that would had been saved if the right medicine had been discovered in time.
She sits down and looks at the medals hanging on the wall. So many were there, but she still remembered how she earned each and every one. The crest of the Medical Service stared back at her, reminding her of her duty and creed. Her old uniform made her remember all of the different units that she was assigned to and how she became a valued part. Then she remembered teaching Yorihime and Toyohime when they were young children.
If the war goes wrong, then there?s a real chance that both princesses would have to step in and lead their own regiments into battle. And since they were well trained in the Lunarian tradition, it would meant that they would be on the frontlines. And that scared Eirin as well.
Eirin had never had children of her own, but the two princesses filled that gap for her. Even though she was their distant grand aunt, she had treated them like her own children. The countless nights that she had spent reading telling them stories when they were afraid of the dark, helping them take their first steps, and teaching them their first spells and chemical reactions would be something that Eirin would always cherish. And now seeing how well they performed their duties as the leaders of the LDF and as the royal family filled her a vast amount of pride. It was enough to bring a small tear to her eye.
Wiping away the tear, she turns to her old uniform. A few minutes later, she?s standing in front of her mirror, admiring how it looked on her. Then she put her old pistol belt and quiver on. Finally, her command saber completed the outfit. Eirin hadn?t put all of this on in more than 700 years. It all felt so familiar to her. She pulls out the only service pistol that she ever used, the Mauser lookalike. She checks the magazine and puts it on safe. Then she remembers the offer that the Lunarian princesses had made her a few days ago.
The doctor pauses, surprised that she?s even considering it. At the current time, she was still exiled from the moon. But the Watatsuki sisters had offered her the one thing that she had missed: her old commission in the Corps. And they had extended the offer to Kaguya and Reisen. At first glance, it seemed like a perfect idea.
But she had gotten used to life on the Earth. No more court politics, no more assassination attempts, no more having to solve everyone?s problems. And she had begun to cultivate a pleasant relationship with the residents of the human village. They were grateful for her skills and willingness to cure their medical problems and had taken steps to show that gratitude. That was something that Eirin had begun to be happy about.
She snaps herself out of her daze and looks at the clock. Four hours had passes since that general had been attacked by the kangaroo and the skunk. That meant that six hours remained. Eirin walks towards the courtyard in front of the mansion. She plans to do one last inspection before it?s time.
Outside the Hakueri Barrier, Japan-6 Hours Left
It was early in the morning when Maribel and Renko left the small inn. They had made sure to bring everything they needed and did their best to convince the innkeeper to find cover soon. She looked confused but agreed to after the pair started to beg. They then headed towards the shrine, being careful to avoid the early morning patrols that the NATO forces were sending out. It was still somewhat dark, so evading them was a little easier.
They walked for about an hour and decided to have breakfast before trying to cross through the thicker parts of the forest. As they sat and ate, they could see and hear the patrols returning to their FOBs. Based on the time, they were going to get ready for the invasion. That meant that the pair?s window of opportunity just got wider. Once they were done, they snuck into the deeper part of the forest.
It was slow going since they hadn?t really packed the best clothes for a hike through the forest. Maribel?s dress kept being snagged by the many low branches and Renko?s skirt was dragging in the dirt. The mosquitoes were also starting to take a liking to them. Overhead, the sounds of multiple aircraft could be heard.
The sun began to rise, but they could barely tell due to the thick overhead brush. Maribel kept a tight grip on Renko?s hand, determined not to get lost. Her head is still hurting a little but she shuts it out to concentrate on making it out of the forest. Every time she looks up, she keeps seeing the cracks in the sky that get wider and wider. It was enough to make her shudder.
Renko could tell that something was affecting Maribel. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and kept moving forward at a slower pace. Every so often, she would stop to pull out her map and compass since she can?t get a look at the moon or stars anymore. Since they had entered the forest, they hadn?t come across any patrols at all, so Renko?s idea was succeeding.
The pair both kept track of time, knowing that they would have to find shelter before the invasion commenced. But they had no idea of how to do that. Renko was trying to figure it out herself so Maribel would have one less thing to worry about. Their watches read 10:00, so they decided to take a quick rest. They had been hiking for four hours and were almost out of the forest, at least according to the map. But there was still trees as far as the eye could see, even if it wasn?t very far.
?Two hours left?? Renko trailed off.
All Maribel could do was nod her head and keep looking at what little sky peeked through the treetops. It was a blue sky, so it meant that the sun was probably beating down on everything not under the shade. The trees kept the inside of the forest cool, but they both knew that they would have to make sure to keep hydrated. Their water sources were about three quarters full, so they were good for a while.
But one thing still bothered the pair: the fact that it was too quiet in the woods. Ever since they had left the inn, they hadn?t heard any birds or any other animals at all. That emptiness had sent chills down the pair?s back once they had noticed it. It did make some sense, seeing how the boundary was so close and was designed to keep outsiders away.
Once they had reached the edge of the deepest part of the forest, Maribel checked the time again. One hour was left until the deadline.
-
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-1 Hour Left
Remiu was just finishing up a last minute check before she went to her spot. She carried her M4 carbine and M9 pistol with her. In her pockets, all of her spellcards were ready to be activated with a moment?s notice. She even had Yukari?s ready just in case. Floating just a few feet off the ground to prevent from being seen, she moves out. Finding her spot, she drops to the prone and crawls behind a bush. She drops one of her rifle magazines by accident and taps it on her rifle to get the dirt out. The she pulls the charging handle back, slides the magazine in, and release the bolt. Checking to make sure it?s on safe, she takes a deep breath.
Marisa had already gotten in her spot a few meters to Reimu?s left. The pair would be the first line of defense due to their records when it came to fighting. The witch had her Mosin Nagant and both Ruger Blackhawks at the ready. Under her shirt, she could feel the medallion on its chain. Patting her apron pocket, she makes sure that her Mini-Hakkero is still there. The witch rotates the bolt back and puts four rounds into the internal magazine. She hesitates before putting in the fifth round. The realization that she was going to kill another living being hit her, but she pushed it away by remembering that she was defending her home. Once that was done, she puts the final round in the chamber and rotates the bolt forward. She moves back a little to make sure that her bayonet isn?t poking out from the bush.
About 300 meters to their left, Momiji and a few other white wolf tengus were at the ready. They were eager to start the battle. She had her regular sword and shield with her but had her H&K MSG90 locked and loaded. The rest of the white wolf tengus had decided to say with M1 Garands and M1911 pistols. She still wore the little red hat that was the tengu traditional ware, even though she should have probably worn a helmet. In her ear, she had an earphone that was connected to the kappa?s main communication network. At the moment, Nitori was speaking with someone off channel.
Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo-1 Hour Left
The kappa?s relay system had allowed all of the faction heads to stay at their respective locations and send a projection to the relay post. Every important person in Gensokyo was gathered around the magical map in this fashion. Nitori then began to request a status check from all of them.
?All factions, report in,? Nitori was double checking her panel of green lights.
?Scarlet Devil Mansion air defense artillery, standing by.? Remilia was holding an officer?s saber. She also had a service cap on.
?Hakugyokurou redoubt, ready.? Yuyuko was closing her fan. The playfulness had disappeared from her normally bright eyes.
?Human Village, ready.? Keine held a book, The Art of War. She seemed to struggle to get the words out and had to hold Mokou?s hand.
?Eientei, standing by.? Eirin was wearing her old uniform. The doctor had the look of someone that had seen what war was really about.
?Moriya Temple, ready.? Kanako and Suwako both looked wary. They both held their traditional weapons but had pistols holstered.
?Celestial field artillery, ready for combat.? Tenshi looked eager holding her sword. Her hair waved in the wind, along with her dress.
?Underground, ready.? Satori was clenching and releasing a fist. She had to breathe slowly to calm herself down.
?Buddhist medical personnel, ready.? Byakuren held her scroll and medical bag. The monk had a sincere look on her face, ready to aid the wounded.
?Taoist warriors, ready for combat.? Miko had her fanciest battle rattle on. She seemed eager to relive the rush of combat, just like her earlier days.
?General Staff, standing by.? Yukari held the katana from the other day. She wore her combat dress, the white one with ruffles and the purple cover.
?Higan judicial staff, on alert.? Eiki looked extremely depressed. She was also carrying a thick book and papers.
?Lunarian 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, standing by for insertion.? Toyohime calmly chimed in. The Lunarian was having to hold a numerous assortment of paperwork.
?Tengu air forces still need more time,? Nitori checked over her panel of lights. ?This is it, everybody. I think Yukari has some things she wants to say.?
?In less than an hour, we?re going to be holding back the largest attack this planet has ever seen. Every eye on the planet will be on Gensokyo for this entire battle. We?re going to war against the most advanced nations that have existed on this Earth. We can win this. We can make them fall back and regret ever discovering our homes and threating us. Then we?ll have to continue to fight. We?ll have to take some of their land so they can understand that we are not someone that they can mess with without any consequences. That?s why we have to work together in this. Should we fall apart, we lose. That barrier will hold out most attacks, but infantry and armor are going to get though.? Yukari had to take a breath. ?We have to make sure that we keep them as far from the Hakueri Shrine as possible. Reimu and Marisa are already in position in front of the shrine, along with a team of White Wolf Tengus.?
Yukari pointed at an area in front of the stairs to the shrine. ?This is where most of the attack is going to come from. At least from the ground. We still have to watch out for air assault, airborne, and paratrooper attacks behind our lines. Nitori, how long until the Tengu can be in the sky??
?About 1 more hour. We just got to arm the planes and do last minute checks.? The kappa consulted her clipboard. ?Marisa?s Apache should be done in about 45 minutes.?
?The first part of the fighting is going to be rough, I won?t lie about that.? Yukari points at the Human Village. ?Flandre has predicted that this is their second target. It?s the center of Gensokyo, with multiple roads and easily defendable. But that?s subject to change. Flandre also believes that should the Scarlet Devil Mansion launch their artillery, they would become the second target. The difference is that they would be more likely to send Special Forces to take the grid out than regular troops.?
?Sakuya and Meiling have a surprise for our guests, should they happen to pay a visit.? Remilia nodded. ?But what about Patchy?s Copper Spell??
?As soon as NATO aircraft breach the barrier, that?s when we should activate it. I don?t want us to tip our hand before we absolutely have to. The spell only scrambles long range air to air missiles. We only really need it to cover our fighters until they?re up in the sky under their own power. The Lunarian version is still under development, so we still have to worry about small arms.? Yukari turned to Tenshi. ?How accurate are your artillery operators??
?I would say they can a target at 40 kilometers with only half a meter of deviation.? Tenshi shrugged. ?A lot of them were bored, so they studied this so hard and long that they?re experts. They even have all the cannons sighted to fire at straight lines in front of the Hakueri Shrine, should the need arise.?
?Good. Once we can get enough of them stopped inside the barrier, we can hit them hard.? Yukari turned to Toyohime. ?Where will you be inserting the 4th??
The Lunarian pointed at a clearing about half a mile from the shrine. ?This is the only place near the area of operations that I can transport them there. But I can?t transport so many of them with the barrier up, so we?ll have to stay on standby until then. Do you know how long it?ll take??
The gap youkai looks at the horizon. ?The way it looks, it?ll probably last another hour and a half. But I can?t be sure until the artillery starts to hit.?
?Thirty minutes left until contact,? Nitori calls out from behind her screen.
?Time?s running out.? Yukari could be seen motioning to someone off to the side of her map. ?We got most of this figured out, but we can?t follow this blindly. I got Flandre to keep an eye on the data so that we?re able to counter them as fast as possible.? She paused. ?It was good to have been able to know all of you and your troops. Not all of us are going to come back after this. It?s the nature of war after all. But we can lessen it by trusting each other. Everyone, do your best and live to tell about it.?
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo-Zero Hour
Remiu was still in the prone hiding behind a bush. Her M4 started to shake and made her jump a little. Then she realized it was her nerves that was making it shake. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and looks straight ahead. The miko rests her head against the stock of her rifle and slides her head forward until her nose touches the charging handle. Laying like this, she had a steady sight picture.
She can hear Marisa moving around next to her, probably nervous like she was. The witch was laying down like the miko was but hadn?t put her nose to her bolt. Nitori had warned her that with a weapon that powerful, that was asking for a bloody nose or black eye. Marisa had stuck a few twigs in her hat to break up her profile but couldn?t really hide the giant bow on it.
The silence was the worst thing of all. There were no birds chirping and no wind at all. It seemed surreal, even to the pair. Deep down, the two were scared. They remembered something that Erwin Rommel had told them when he had trained them in holding actions. He had told them that it was natural to be scared before combat. That fear would be replaced with anger as soon as the bullets started to fly. And anger was a powerful motivator.
They had been thought by some of the best teachers, Remiu recognized that. And each one of them had said that she was wasting her potential by being lazy. But they hadn?t been cross with her. In fact, they had talked with her at length and offered their own advice. They had seen the weight that she was carrying and had told her that they would be happy to talk with her again anytime. Even the rough talking General Patton had offered mentorship to her.
It was strange how the prospect of dying soon would make people think about the weirdest things at the weirdest times. She never would had given that a second thought if it wasn?t for the fact that one of the deadliest invasion forces was headed straight for her shrine. And it was starting to sink in. Everyone around was right to say that she should had trained more. The miko promised herself that she would start when this battle was over.
Her eyes begin to strain from looking through the tiny sight so she lifts her head up and closes her eyes. For a few seconds, it seems like a normal day. The sun was shining, she could smell the flowers, and she could fell the grass under her. It almost seemed like she was safe.
Then she hears a loud high pitch whistle. Looking up, she sees fire rain down from the sky towards her.
-
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
The sky towards the direction of the Hakueri Shrine had suddenly gone orange. Every Celestial on the mountaintop had stopped what they were doing and was watching the display. It almost seemed like the sky itself was on fire. The explosions weren?t happening in bursts or waves, they were just there.
Tenshi rushes into the small command post that she was near and is surprised by what she sees on the map. Arranged in a wide ring around the boundary, thousands of red Xs were flashing. The flashing symbols meant full artillery companies were firing. The radio that the Celestial kept in her pocket was full of traffic.
?There?s too many of them!?
?First squad, come in! First squad!?
?We can?t hold off firepower of that magnitude!?
?This is not what I signed up for!?
?CALM DOWN!!!? This was Nitori. ?Keep off the radio unless you?re giving updates. The barrier is still holding for now but those explosions are interfering with their radios. I say again: our first line is still active.?
The eagerness that Tenshi had felt had disappeared, replaced with a feeling of dread. Then the sky above the shrine began to simmer a little. This really began to worry the Celestial.
?Barrier readouts still look solid. Everyone, hold your positions!? Nitori called out over the open channel. The sounds of multiple kappas yelling over alarms could be heard in the background. ?First wave incoming after the barrage ends!?
Looking at the map again, Tenshi can see multiple aircraft start to from up near the FOBs. Flandre was right in saying that Special Forces would be the first to touch the ground after the artillery. The map shows more than an entire regiment was waiting for the shells to finish landing.
?All GDF units: Intel reports that the American 75th Ranger Regiment has been confirmed present. Numbers are estimated at 100% attendance. I say again: the Ranger Regiment is in the area.? Nitori?s voice came out of the radio again.
Tenshi poked her head out of the command post. ?Heads up! Rangers are in the area!?
As the message was repeated, the outer ring of artillery began to designate one team member as security. Tenshi left the command post to get to the higher clearing that let her see almost all of Gensokyo. When she got up there after about five minutes of flying, the artillery attack still hadn?t stopped. At this height, she could see that it wasn?t just artillery shells, but rockets and missiles were hitting the barrier.
Even though Yukari had taught here that artillery was the deadliest force in combat, Tenshi couldn?t help but find the way that the barrage hit the barrier to be beautiful. All of that power was something that appealed to her. It encouraged her to boost her own.
Hearing someone behind her brought her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she recognizes Iku. The messenger had a scroll from the Dragon Palace and a resigned look on her face.
?Eldest Daughter, the Dragon Palace has been talking about your actions during the Yamaxanadu?s assassination attempt.?
?What have they been saying, Iku??
?Some were impressed with your actions while others were talking about calling for your resignation. But the majority support you.?
?Are the higher ups in the majority??
?All but one or two,? Iku hands Tenshi the scroll. ?The Dragon Palace has sent you this. They would like for you to open it immediately.?
The Celestial takes the scroll and checks the seal. Seeing that it?s still intact, she breaks it and reads the content. Her eyes narrow in confusion and she folds it up after she?s done. Giving a nod of gratitude to Iku, she pulls out her cell phone and types a quick text.
?Iku, I need to ask you a question but it has to stay between the two of us.?
?Ask, Eldest Daughter.?
Tenshi hesitates. ?Do you think?that all of this was planned by someone??
?Eldest Daughter, I don?t know what you mean.?
?I was just thinking that everything was normal until the barrier started to weaken. That barrier?s stood for so long without it weakening, until now. Why now? Is it because of all the incidents? Or is it because we overstepped our boundaries??
?Does it matter now, Eldest Daughter? If we knew the reason and could do something about it, then it would be different. But the barrier?s about to collapse and we have the outside world about to take everything we know away. You should focus on the here and now instead of the past.?
?I know.? Tenshi planted her sword into the mountain rock. ?But I have the feeling that I?m being played by someone that has planned all of this out. And they?ll stop at nothing to get what they want.?
Iku stepped forward until her mouth was about half an inch away from Tenshi?s left ear. She whispered in a very low voice, ?Eldest Daughter, watch what you say and to whom you say it to. These are very dangerous times and our enemies are on both sides of the barrier. I can only protect you against so much. Especially if what I?m thinking is true. No, don?t ask me about it yet. I still need more evidence.?
The Celestial froze for the second time since the artillery started to fall. She could still hear the faint sounds of shells on the barrier so far away. Iku stepped back to her original spot, performing a quick scan of the surrounding area. She then turns and begins to take to the sky, but not before she gives Tenshi one more warning. ?Eldest Daughter, be wary of any communication that you get from the Dragon Palace. And trust everything Yukari says.?
Tenshi was grateful for the fact that she had read so many outside world political thrillers because it felt like she had just been dropped into one. Iku?s words kept repeating themselves again and again. It was obvious that the messenger knew more than she did. And the fact that the she was warned about the Dragon Palace didn?t bode well for anyone.
But what did Yukari have to do with this? First Yukari gives her another chance, and now it seems that someone wants to get rid of both of them. Tenshi couldn?t think of anyone that would benefit by having Yukari out of the way. Not unless they were wanting to take control of Gensokyo. But that would only work if the barrier was intact.
Looking over at the barrier, Tenshi notices that the shelling stopped. She grips her sword tightly. The first wave is on its way.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
With the iron rain stopped, Remiu could finally figure out what had happened. Her ears were ringing and her hands were shaking. She was worried that the others hadn?t escaped the rounds but relaxed when she looked around. None of the rounds had made it past the barrier, but the shock waves had caused some trees to explode. And now that her radio worked, she could hear Nitori bring everything back under control.
?All units, hold your positions. The first wave of helicopters are 20 seconds out. Looks like their spearhead is here.?
Looking over to her side, Reimu could see Marisa dusting her hat off and bring her rifle up. The miko does the same with her M4 and waits. Her bush shakes when her rifle transfers her twitches to it, causing her to focus on slowing her breathing down. For the first time, the sensation of fear begins to creep up on her. She hated having the icy feeling in her stomach.
Those twenty seconds were the longest twenty seconds of her life. Then she saw specks in the sky. It was a wing of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. And it seemed that there were a lot of them. Remiu activates her radio, ?Nitori, how many helicopters are there??
?Looks like over 350, but only about 20 are moving forward. Flandre says that those 20 are going to get in closer and fast rope troops. Be careful, those are most likely troops from the American 75th Ranger Regiment. Stay behind all possible cover and concealment. If you are in danger of being overrun, retreat towards the Human Village.?
Remiu sharply inhaled, she knew that they were going to be in for a fight. And a helicopter was getting close to where her bush was. It keeps on getting closer until she can make out the passengers and door gunners. She could also see the pilot looking around to make sure the area was clear. Moving back to hide better in the bush, Remiu brought her rifle up.
She couldn?t get a good sight picture on the pilot so she ended up having to aim at the door gunner. Then several ropes were thrown out of both sides of the helicopter. Cursing under her breath, she tried to see which one would have the first soldier. The miko counts at least fifteen of them in full battle rattle pulling security form inside the hovering aircraft.
Seeing movement, she aims at him. She gets her sight picture centered on his torso. Pulling in the M4 to steady it, she waits until she?s done exhaling. Then she squeezes the trigger. The bullet springs to life and hurls out of the barrel, a bright red bullet marking her position. The round hits her target and causes him to fall out of the helicopter. But before he can fall more than a few feet, the soldier is grabbed by his comrades. The door gunner starts to fire towards where the red bullet came from, forcing Remiu to leave her spot amid a shower of tracer rounds.
Running towards another tree, she sees her target sit up, but with some trouble. The fear that she felt earlier had disappeared, replaced with a sense of anger. She ducks behind another tree, flinching as bullets send dirt flying everywhere. The Black Hawk turns to face her and moves in. The miko takes a knee and sends more bullets flying towards it, but they aren?t having that much of an effect.
Others in the area were more preoccupied with their own helicopters. Then AH-64s began to fly towards the fight and fired their missiles. The forest was full of the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Trees were exploding all around them and bullets were sending chunks of dirt into the air. Remiu was starting to doubt her chances of surviving when she heard a loud gunshot.
Looking over, she spots Marisa on a knee. She had fired the shot and had managed to damage the helicopter. As the aircraft began to smoke and turn around, the witch rotates her bolt and fires another shot. This time, the round caused it to start to lose control. A third shot set the engine on fire and sent it into a tailspin. On the way down, the pair could see soldiers being thrown out of it. The pilot was trying to regain control but slammed his head on the instrument panel. Then the disabled aircraft disappeared behind the tree line and an explosion was heard.
A second or two later, a volley of missiles rammed into almost every helicopter in the nearby area and dealt severe damage. Some of them met the same fate as the first while the lucky ones were forced to turn back. A second volley of missiles dispersed the bigger group that was waiting.
?This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Our air defense artillery?s having problems targeting those helicopters. You?ll going to have to hold them off yourselves until the Tengus get in the sky.? Koakuma?s voice was strained over the radio. ?Lady Patchouli?s trying to figure it out but she doubts that we can keep hitting them with good hits.?
?Status update: NATO helicopters are offloading their troops outside of the barrier. Be prepared for a ground assault,? Nitori called out again. ?Armor units have also been spotted in the area. If you have a Mosin Nagant, aim for the treads to disable them. Tengu air support is still twenty five minutes away.? There was a pause where someone could be heard yelling in the background. ?Russian troops have also left their checkpoints. Be on the lookout for Spetsnaz operatives.?
Even though they had heard the kappa, Reimu and Marisa didn?t move. They were both looking towards the smoke that was coming from the wreckage of the first helicopter. They could sense the White Wolf Tengus moving towards the FOBs, aiming to cut communication from the enemy chain of command. But what had just happened was taking up the majority of their attention.
Marisa Kirisame had just made the first kill of the Battle of the Great Hakueri Barrier.
-
Outside the Great Hakueri Barrier
The plan was going well until the artillery began to fly. Renko had grabbed Maribel and dropped to the ground. They had covered their heads and ears while the sounds of explosions had gone on for more than 10 minutes. Once it had stopped, they had stayed down until they risked a peek. Seeing that the coast was clear, the pair got up and looked around.
Then they spotted the helicopters flying towards the shrine. Renko grabs Maribel?s hand and runs in that direction. The pair keep running until they see one of the lead helicopters get hit by bright colored bullets and crash. Renko stops and then steps back when a volley of missiles fly over them and hit more helicopters. Maribel gasps and hides behind Renko.
The physicist looks around and finds a group of trees. She leads Maribel there so they can have some cover from all the chaos around them. More missiles fly above them, this time in multiple directions. Then a helicopter crashes a few hundred meters away from them. The sound of the explosion almost covered up Maribel?s yelp of surprise.
Smoke began to float above the trees, blocking their view of the sky. But they could still hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire. And they also hear one word being repeated all around them in English.
?MEDIC!?
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
A certain kitsune and nekomata were dashing through the woods when the older one felt her cellphone vibrate. Stopping and taking a knee behind a bush while Chen had her Ruger 10/22 and was pulling security, Ran was surprised to have received a text from Tenshi. She frowns when she reads the contents and shakes her head.
?Chen, change of plan. How?s your ammo??
?I got about 10 magazines left, Lady Ran.?
?And grenades??
?I still have all of them.?
?Follow my lead.?
Putting away her cellphone, the kitsune unslings her H&K G36 and begins to sprint towards the area in front of the Hakueri Shrine. Chen was right behind her, keeping an eye out behind them.
Voile, Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
The library was a blur of activity. Patchouli was zipping around casting spells and Koakuma was gathering materials. The pair was also trying to keep an ear on the radio during all of this. Fairy maids were also running around, trying to help. Looking at her notes, the librarian couldn?t figure out what was making the spells not want to work.
Then Koakuma let out a satisfied outburst, ?Lady Patchouli, I fixed both of the spells!?
The librarian immediately flew to the control panel and slammed both hands down on two buttons. One of them activated the radio while the other activated her masterpiece.
?This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion, both spells are now fixed! They are now in effect!?
Outside the mansion, the various launchers began to rotate. They were searching for targets and froze when they found some. Their rockets ignited and charged out of the holders. All of them flew straight up for about 3,000 feet and then executed a sharp turn that faced them towards the sky above the shrine. With Patchouli?s Copper Spell in effect, all electronic targeting was being jammed. That left only magical tracking for all of the GDF?s ordnance.
Less than 20 seconds out, multiple squadrons of NATO F-22s, F-18s, and F-16s were coming in for an attack run. Their attention was focused on the anti-aircraft batteries that had lit up near the human village. Many of them didn?t see the mass of missiles that began to crash into most of them. The lucky ones managed to deploy flares that attracted the missiles meant for them.
The formation was shattered, with the few aircraft that survived scattering. The helicopters that they were covering hadn?t been spared from the destruction. Most of the survivors from the first wave had been hit and went down. A lone F-22 Raptor had managed to get deeper into Gensokyo and was trying to get a target lock on the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
He switches on the targeting computer built into his air to ground missile and was aiming towards the clock tower. The beeps that he?s expecting never come. Looking down, he sees that his instrument panel is being effected by static. Then a bright red blur tears through his left wing. The impact makes the aircraft wobble and alarms go off in the cockpit. Then a missile hits the Raptor?s underside.
Outside the Hakueri Barrier
The second volley of missiles had created even more confusion. More aircraft had crashed into the forest around Maribel and Renko. The pair where too confused to even think about moving. Then they heard more noise from the direction away from the barrier.
A group of NATO troops were running through the woods, trying to help the survivors of all the wreckage. A few of them created a circle around a crash site about 250 meters from the hiding pair. Renko motions to Maribel to stay quiet and low. Then another explosion went off in the distance, causing Maribel to yelp in surprise.
The outburst had attracted the attention of the troops and they began to open fire on the pair. A round missed the magician?s face by less than an inch. Renko grabs her hand and begins to run towards the shrine. Half of the group of soldiers began to run after them, determined to take them down. Another platoon was nearby when they saw Maribel and Renko run past them.
One of the squads was a mortar team, so the pair found themselves having to dodge mortar rounds as they ran. They were lucky that the team hadn?t had the time to properly sight their tube, so the rounds were going wide on either side.
Renko couldn?t think of any way that they were going to get out of this.
Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo
Reisen was no stranger to the sounds of gunfire and explosions. But they still brought back memories of the last time she was in combat. She still felt like she was fighting in the Lunar War. Her ears began to twitch, a sign that she was going back to her old combat mode.
The moon rabbit was patrolling around the mansion when the sounds began to get closer. Her grip began to tighten around her rifle, causing her knuckles to turn white. She had her original service rifle at the ready.
Sensing close combat near, she takes a knee and installs a bayonet at the end of the rifle. That action triggered the avalanche of memories.
Dark Side of the Moon, 1969
?Damn.?
Reisen watched artillery create craters all over the side of the mountain she was about to charge. Taking a knee, she pulls out a pair of binoculars and looks at the mountain to her north. She can see her side trade fire with the assassins from the earth. The amount of fire that the assassins were putting out surprised Reisen.
?We?re badly pinned down. Need support, over.?
She could barely hear anything other than bullets but can make out someone talking. The voice on the radio was familiar to her. Then she remembered it was one of her comrades from initial training. Her squad was supposed to securing a mountaintop that was not far from Reisen?s present location. And it sounded like they were taking the blunt of the entire attack.
Sprinting to a better viewpoint, she drops to the prone and looks through her scope. She can see hundreds of tracers crisscrossing the mountainside. Then another artillery barrage hits. Thousands of Lunarian flares rain down all over the mountain. Reisen?s heart drops when she sees that rounds are hitting their own troops. Her radio instantly erupted into a storm of calls for ceasefire. But it?s too late as flares drop down on the mountain top, setting the rocks on fire.
Reisen?s eye was attracted by a glint of light. She moves her crosshair towards the source and sees a squad of Lunarians locked in close combat against a large group of assassins. While her comrades were well trained, Reisen could tell that they were going to be overrun. Firing a quick laser burst, she counts the time it takes to get back. She calculates the distance at 2.5 miles.
Taking a deep breath, she aims at one of the experienced ones that was taking a Lunarian on one on one. She finds it strange that the assassin?s wearing a green beret and wielding such an ugly weapon. The human had forced his opponent back and was starting to reload his weapon. Reisen squeezes the trigger and waits. Two seconds later, he?s spun around as the bullet impacts his chest. His body?s flung into one of his nearby comrades and knocks him down.
She unloads the rest of her internal magazine, four more shots, and takes down 7 of the more experienced assassins. A bullet ricochets off the rock next to her. Rolling behind the boulder away from it, Reisen gets a good look at the little trench it creates. She can tell the direction and height it comes from and pulls out a small mirror.
Angling it, she spots the shooter. About half a mile away, he?s accompanied by a spotter. Both of them wear the strange green colored beret. She can see their mouths moving, probably trying to find another shot.
The artillery begins to rain down again. This time, it starts on the base of the mountain that Reisen?s holding. And then it turns into flares.
?Shit, shit, shit!? The flares begin to speed up, forcing Reisen to expose herself to enemy fire as she ran away from the fire. She didn?t think that she would have to face that much but was surprised by the sheer volume of bullets that came close to her. Some of them were even colliding in the air around her. The rocky terrain did nothing to help her sprint.
Down the mountain, she could see a Lunarian officer cutting assassins down left and right with her katana. She pulls out her sidearm and fires a few shots before an assassin catches her in the back with a shotgun. As she falls, she manages to turn around and punches her killer in the throat. She hits the ground and keeps firing into his body. Reisen charges at the rest of the assassins and takes them by surprise.
They?re too tired from the last fight to be able to bring their weapons up in time. The moon rabbit slams every weapon out of their hands and stabs one of them with her bayonet. He screams as the knife is drawn out and Reisen?s foot kicks him down the mountain side. She turns around and slams the stock of her rifle into another green beret?s head and hears a loud crack.
The rest of the assassins draw their knives and rush forward. The mortally wounded officer reloads but is starting to have trouble holding up her sidearm. She manages to take down two more before she can?t hold it up anymore. In that time, Reisen had killed three more with vicious neck snaps. The last one grabs her from behind and tries to choke her. The moon rabbit elbows him in the stomach and extends his arm. Then moves forward, causing a loud crack to sound and bone to break skin.
Reisen flips him over and grabs his head. With one quick movement, she snaps his neck. Taking a quick look, she clears the area. Then she rushes to the wounded officer, taking out her medical kit on the way. But it was too late, she had bled out from the large wound on her back. She had died with her eyes open and a solid grip on both her weapons. The moon rabbit takes out a large poncho and covers the body. It took a bit of effort, but she managed to pry the katana free and planted it in the rock in front of the body.
Taking a moment to wish for her fallen comrade to find eternal rest, Reisen took a knee. Once she felt that the pause was long enough, she got up and began to run towards the forest near her. The forest was quiet, a sharp contrast to the mountainside she had just left. She kept sprinting at full speed, trying to reach a rally point near her.
Then she ran right into an assassin. She had been running so fast that their impact had knocked them back a few feet. Something white had being knocked out of a pocket from the assassin. They had both seen it fly and tried to grab it first. But instead of the cold determination of the others, this one had become desperate when he saw it. Lashing out, his rifle connects with Reisen?s side.
Out of instinct, she throws an uppercut that catches him on the chin. He falls back, but rolls to his side. The moon rabbit charges after him, stabbing with her bayonet. The assassin scrambles back, moving from side to side to avoid the stabs. Then he trips and falls backwards.
Reisen jumps forward, delivering the final strike. But her target manages to bring his rifle up and lock hers. They both push against each other, not giving an inch. This close, she could see the desperation in his eyes. All that mattered to him was getting what had being knocked away from him. The moon rabbit is surprised when he finds the strength to swipe her feet out from under her.
She lands hard on her side, but rolls away when a rifle strike comes out of the air towards her. Reisen lashes out with a reverse roundhouse kick that connects with her target?s shoulder. He?s slammed back into the ground, causing him to lose his grip on his rifle. Seeing her opportunity, she stabs again.
This time, it hits his stomach. She pushed forward until she was stopped by the barrel of her rifle. Then she pulls the trigger and send a bullet through him. She jumps back, pulling the blade clear. Breathing heavily, she rotates the bolt on her rifle, ready to fire another shot.
But the stab and bullet wounds were enough to take him down. Reisen remembers what he was fighting for and sees it laying a few feet away. She picks it up and is surprised by what it was.
It?s a picture of a woman holding a child. The child was young, it was obvious that she hadn?t begun to walk yet. On the back, it was a short letter and a countdown. Reisen could guess that it was a countdown to when he would be able to see them again. But due to the surprise attack, the countdown was now void.
A noise behind her attracted her attention. Spinning around, she holds her rifle at the high ready. But it was only the mortally wounded assassin. He had managed to pull another letter from his pocket and was trying to wipe blood off it in vain. The moon rabbit steps closer, lowering her weapon. She kneels down next to him but knows there?s no way that he can survive the wounds she inflicted.
The sounds of battle still resonate in the background but fell on deaf ears. Reisen had never fought anyone that had the skill and heart that the dying man in front of her had. She takes a gentle grip on the letter he?s holding.
?Don?t worry. I?ll rewrite it and make sure that it gets where it needs to.?
The assassin?s eyes widen in surprise. After a few seconds, he gives her a nod of gratitude.
?Thank you.?
As soon as the words leave his mouth, his head falls back and he goes limp. Reisen slings her rifle and stands up. She pulls out a note pad and a pen. Finding a spot with good cover, she sits and begins to rewrite the letter. When she?s done, she takes the green colored beret off the dead man?s head and puts the letter and picture in it. As she?s trying to figure out how she?s going to get it back to the earth, she hears someone approaching. Seeing a bush nearby, she quickly hides behind it.
A lone assassin runs into the clearing. He stops when he sees the body and begins to sweep his weapon around. Reisen responds with a bullet to the weapon, knocking it out of his hands. Then she begins to walk forward. Her target begins to glance around, looking for a way to continue the fight.
?No, don?t even try.? She flicks her head to the body. ?Look at what happened to him. But I have no intention of killing you.?
?Why should I believe you? Just go ahead and shoot me, avoid the games.?
?Because I need you to deliver something. Look at his headgear.?
The assassin looks and spots the picture and the letter.
?His last wish was for that to be returned to his family. Most of the others that die here won?t have the chance for their loved ones to know what happened to them. Give me your word that you?ll deliver this and I will let you go.?
?Deal.?
He moves forward and crouches down to retrieve the letter. But Reisen sees sudden movement and tenses up. The assassin looks at her and begins to move his right arm. Out of instinct, she shoots him in the neck. He?s spun around and falls face down. She moves forward to kick the weapon out of his hand but stops when she notices that he wasn?t armed. She had just killed an unarmed person. And she couldn?t keep the promise she made to the other dead man.
Then she remembered all of the others she had killed, treating the attack as a game. The picture was still fresh in her mind. What if every person she had killed had a family that would never know what happened to their loved one? She had always said that she understood their pain, but now she actually felt it. And it made her feel like a monster.
There was no way that she could go back to her unit. Not with everyone fighting for their lives while she treated everything like a game. The sounds of artillery began to move closer, forcing her to make a decision. Looking at the direction directly away from the battle, she runs. She keeps running, not looking back for anything. She was running away from her life of war and the profession of arms.
-
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
Back at the workshop, every aircraft was ready to go. Tengu pilots were making mad dashes to their waiting vehicles, while kappas where directing them onto the strip. Aya was still not used to the power that she felt coming from the SU-47. She can see a kappa wave her forward and begins to test her rudders and wings. Once she gets the thumbs up, she pushes the throttle all the way and is pushed back into her seat.
The black jet shoots forward and off the side of the mountain. It falls for a second and then has enough airflow to pull up. She goes up to 4,000 feet, waiting for her squadron to from up behind her. Looking around, she can see thick patches of magical flak exploding above the Hakueri Shrine and the Human Village. On her map, she can see formations of enemy aircraft heading towards them. Remnants of the first wave are still dodging missiles and gunfire from all directions.
?Command to all Black Crows, mission update. A second wave of NATO aircraft are incoming. Intel says they?re mostly fighter bombers and attack cart. All Black Crows, you are cleared to engage.?
Aya?s SU-47 turned towards the shrine and turned on full afterburner. The tengu thought about going in low but didn?t want to risk hurting her comrades on the ground with the sonic boom. The rest of her squadron catches up again and moves into formation flying. Her wing mates move forward until they have their wingtips less than a foot from their canopies. They bank to the left and all of them rise up at the same rate.
Once they reach their desired altitude, they flip over until they?re upside down. Aya scans around until she catches a glimpse of light being reflected. She can see the fighters break off when they spot her. As one, her squadron breaks off, going in every direction. A red tipped F-22 Raptor catches her attention as it dodges the volley of missiles that hit the rest of the Raptors.
Her radio begins to buzz with mostly random activity from every tengu squadron in the air.
?Break off, break off! He?s right behind you!?
?Watch this!?
?Use the flares! Use the flares!?
?Do a barrel roll!?
?What?s a barrel roll going to do??
?He?s on my tail! Somebody get him!?
?Cut to the left, I got you.?
?Watch out, we got a badass over here.?
?Don?t be that guy.?
?Looks like I just stirred the hornet?s nest.?
The Raptor that Aya was tailing knew what the tengu was wanting to do, so it launched itself into a dizzying array of turns and rolls that she found hard to follow. But she still kept going, determined not to lose him.
The dogfight began to move towards the interior of Gensokyo. Before she knew it, they were flying over the Misty Lake. The air defense systems of the Scarlet Devil Mansion began to slowly fire at the Raptor, being careful to avoid hitting Aya. Sensing an opening, the Raptor dropped an unarmed missile. But a short burst of red bullets hit it, setting it off well above the mansion.
?This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The point defense system is fully online.? Koakuma was on the radio again. ?Tengu squadrons, we can?t hit the fighters without risking friendly fire due to spell circle problems. We?re working on them right now. We need you to keep the fighter bombers away from us so we can hit the bombers coming in.?
Nitori joined in as well. ?Most of the helicopters are ready to lift off. Black Crow Squadron 2, we need you to fly cover for them.?
That was Hatate?s squadron. On the map, Aya could see them disengage from the fur ball and head back towards Youkai Mountain. She covers them the best she can, but has to focus most of her attention on her prey. Her magic powered missiles are having trouble getting a lock, so she increases thrust to get closer. She gets close enough to see the rivets in the fuselage but is taken by surprise when the Raptor rolls to the side and cuts its thrust dramatically. Aya rushes forward and the Raptor increase its thrust back to the same as before. Now, Aya is dodging gunfire and live missiles.
Aya deploys flares to distract the missiles and executes a sharp turn to the left. She dives down, stopping when she?s barely 200 feet from the treetops. To be able to get a missile lock, the Raptor pilot has to get in close to get past the Copper Spell. He shows a remarkable skill level in being able to keep up with the spastic tengu. Tired of waiting for the missiles to get a lock, the Raptor pilot opens up with his machine gun. The bullets begin to graze the SU-47, causing Aya to add even more evasive maneuvers to her flight.
?Black Crow 1, lead them back to the mansion. We got an idea.? Koakuma could be heard trying to catch her breath. ?Reload those launchers right now! Repairers, give me a count on how many spell circles got knocked out! We got company coming in from the west. Get me a lock on them, now! Hurry, hurry, hurry!?
The reporter cuts to the left again, flinching when bullets bounce off her cockpit. She can see one of her wing mates being chased by three Raptors. But as soon as they were near the Scarlet Devil Mansion, a volley of missiles slammed into the NATO aircraft.
?Black Crow 5, you?re all clear.? Then the sounds of sparks being emitted could be heard in the background. ?Don?t cross those spell circles! Squad two, reload Lady Patchouli?s launchers! Black Crow 1, I have eyes on you. Bring it in closer.?
Aya?s about to cut again when a missile flies within a foot of her cockpit. She reacts instantly, pulling to the other side and deploying another set of flares. Knowing that she wouldn?t be able to do anything while being chased, she decides to turn the tables.
She slams the button that disables the G and angle of attack limiter. Then she pulls back on the control stick hard. Thrust down into her seat this time, she waits until she?s angled up at 120 degrees and loses most of her speed. Then she centers the elevator, pitching the aircraft forward. Her form was perfect, the SU-47 hadn?t rolled or yawed at all during the maneuver. And even better, her adrenaline was starting to kick in.
Surprised, the Raptor pilot overshoots Aya, giving the tengu the advantage. She locks on his movements, time making sure that she won?t fall for any more tricks. Figuring out that his opponent was serious, the NATO pilot dives down until he?s about 100 feet from the ground. Aya follows him, firing her machine gun all the way. A lucky shot rips through his left wing, causing the aircraft to fishtail for a bit. But her opponent won?t be taken down that easily. Then they remember where they are.
Solid streams of anti-air fire come up from the ground, forcing the dueling pair to start a dance to dodge all of them. If it wasn?t for the fact that Aya?s eyes were used to having danmaku everywhere, she would had been in trouble. She could tell that the other pilot was having trouble seeing but still kept going. Then magical flak began to explode all around them, creating clouds of every color imaginable.
The pilot becomes determined to at least take his opponent with him, so he starts to get even closer to the ground. The dogfight turns into a game of cat and mouse as both aircraft weave in and out of anti-air fire and the various tall trees. One wrong move could mean the end for either of them.
But being the fastest in Gensokyo meant that Aya had the reflexes for this. Every move that the fighter made in front of her, she countered and followed perfectly. She wasn?t fazed at all by the near misses, in fact she was even more confident since she had a cockpit to protect her.
?Black Crow 1, you have the last fighter. The rest of your squadron is being moved to the gateway for the next wave. We can?t send you backup so you?re on your own.? Nitori was almost drowned out by an alarm. ?Third wave of NATO forces is heading for the Shrine. They have armor and air support. Barrier is still up. Green group, stick close to holding sector MG-7!?
Aya wasn?t worried about not having backup. She was more than happy to be able to fight such a good opponent by herself. He almost gets the slip on her by braking and going into a slide, but the tengu was an expert in that trick herself. Matching his maneuver exactly, she adds a little power to move up and tap his rudders. He jerks in surprise and Aya gives him some space.
She opens up with her machine gun again, this time hitting the elevators and causing an engine fire. The aircraft starts to fishtail again, but regains some measure of control. Aya still keeps on firing, hitting the right wing and setting it on fire as well. Starting a slow roll, the underside is hit by one of Aya?s magical missiles. A small explosion comes out of the cockpit as the NATO pilot ejects. But with the aircraft upside down, he went straight into the forest.
The downed aircraft crashes into the forest, starting yet another fire. Aya pulls up, wanting to get a better view of the sky around her. The surrounding area was clear, giving her a chance to catch her breath. She realized that she was so hyped up during the entire chase just now. It would not do to have her reputation of being calm, cool and collective ruined.
She checks her map, there was another fur ball happening above the Hakueri Shrine. Not wanting to be left out of the party, she turns and activates her afterburners.
Near the Great Hakueri Barrier, Outside Gensokyo
It was business as usual for the Sealing Club. A lot of running and looking for old shrines. But something was different about today. Maybe it was the bullets and mortars raining down all around them. And the fact that now an entire company of NATO troops was chasing them.
If she had to guess, Renko would say that they had already run at least two and a half miles. Maribel had begun to slow down a mile ago, but had grabbed Renko?s hand. The look in her eyes was begging the physicist not to leave her. In response, Renko had a tight grip on her hand. She swore that she wouldn?t leave her best friend, no matter what.
They kept running, even with their sides hurting and their calves seizing up. Their adrenaline boost had hit as soon as the first bullet flew towards then but had worn off half a mile ago. And the mortar team had finally gotten their ranges right, so they were starting to hit closer and closer. Then the bigger guns started to drop shells near them.
This forces their pursuers to give them more distance, but does little else to help the pair?s situation. But about two hundred yards in front of them, they can see a large ditch. They sprint to it, trying to ignore their exhaustion. About a hundred yards in, an artillery shell hits extremely close to them. Both of them are thrown forward into the ground from the blast. Shrapnel flies everywhere, narrowly missing Maribel but cutting Renko on the cheek.
The physicist barely notices the cut, immediately shaking her head and trying to get Maribel back on her feet. She?s badly disorientated by the blast, with blurred vision and ringing in her ears. But they both manage to get back to running towards the ditch, wanting at least some cover from their pursuers.
After what felt like an eternity of running, they finally reach the ditch. Instead of jumping in, the pair just falls in amid a hail of bullets. Trying to catch her breath, Renko sits against the sloping ground. She tries to think of a plan to get them out but draws a blank. Maribel sits next to her, too tired to do anything else.
Outside the ditch, the company sets up defensive positions. The front element begins to line up and reload. Then they slowly begin to walk forward. Holding their weapons at the high ready, they?re prepared to fire as soon as they see either of them.
Maribel grips Renko?s arm tightly and buries her head into her shoulder. Renko still can?t think of anything but spots a branch next to her. There?s no way that it could get them out of this but she would rather go down protecting Maribel than being defenseless. She grips the branch tightly, and closes her eyes.
?Mary, I don?t think we got a way out.?
?I?m sorry.? Maribel was starting to have tears in her eyes. ?I never should have dragged you here with me.?
Renko grabs her in a tight embrace. ?That doesn?t matter, I would had followed you anyway if you tried to do this by yourself.?
Before Maribel could respond, a loud roar was heard from the side. It was an unworldly roar that made the hair on both of their necks stand on end. Renko risks a look and is astonished by what she sees. Two giant demons had flown into the middle of the company and were throwing them everywhere. The soldiers had opened fire on them but it was having no effect.
The pair hears running from behind them and tense up. Out of the bushes, a kitsune and nekomata hop out and slide into the ditch with them. The nekomata drops to the prone and crawls up the slope until her rifle is out and begins to lay down blue and red bullets.
The pair recognizes the kitsune as one of the attendees of the UN meeting weeks before.
?Don?t worry, we?re not here to attack you.? The kitsune spoke in a gentle voice. ?I am called Ran Yakumo and that?s Chen over there.? The two tailed cat gives them a quick wave in between magazine changes. Ran looks to the melee and drops down. ?Get down, you two.?
Renko drops down, bringing Maribel with her. Half a second later, a flailing solider flies through the air that they had just occupied and crashed into a tree. Ran brings up her rifle and puts two shots in him to be sure he won?t be a problem. ?We were asked to come help both of you. I know a place where we can go and I can explain everything there.?
The pair look at each other for a second before they both nod. Ran calls out, ?Chen, get ready to pull back. How much longer does your spell card last??
?About ten more seconds, Lady Ran.?
?Lead these two back to the shrine. I?ll cover you.?
?Yes, Lady Ran.?
Chen slides down the slope and runs back into the woods while Renko guides Maribel after her. Ran lays down and begins to shoot the officers that she can spot. She waits until Chen?s spell card, Oni Sign: Red Oni, Blue Oni times out before she pulls out her own grenade. When she hears the soldiers begin to regroup, she sneaks a peek and throws it. It hits a solider in the head and lands at his feet.
It explodes, sending a mass of purple and blue bullets flying into neat squares. Orbs fly out to form a perimeter and begin to emit bullets in a whirling pattern. Any soldier unlucky enough to be hit by one instantly went down. The remaining officers try to restore order while medics attend to their fallen comrades. Ran knew that their efforts were in vain since, without the Hakueri spellcard rules to hold her back, every bullet delivered instant death.
She knew that she should had felt guilt but with everything on the line, she was more concerned with giving Chen a better chance of survival. After a quick magazine change, she slides back down the berm and runs back into the woods. Her spell card, Shikigami ?Banquet of 12 General Gods? won?t last for long when at lethal power, so she has little time to waste. Following a trio of footsteps, she finds Chen, Maribel, and Renko. They barely get done linking up before they?re forced to throw themselves on the ground as an F-18 Hornet flies low overhead and is destroyed by an SU-47 unleashing a hail of rockets into its engines. From the side, an A-10 Thunderbolt II tries to get away but bursts into flames when heavy streams of magical bullets tears into its missiles.
The shock of the blast destroys branches that fall everywhere. Quickly raising a barrier, Chen stops branches and splinters from hitting the group. Ran raises her head and pulls her radio out again.
?Nitori, those fighters are getting too close to the ground! What happened to the air defense grid??
?There?s too many of them for the grid to take and they?re being overloaded,? Nitori pauses as an alarm goes off. ?We got another wave coming in! Looks like the British and French want to join the party. We got a better kill ratio but we?re getting overrun.?
Then on the main channel, ?This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion, our targeting spell?s gone out! All we have left are the cannons, but they?re starting to overheat. And we got company on the ground! Patches identify them as the 1st Armored Division!?
?We have armored units moving to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. All Apaches, move to defend the air defense grid. 2nd Squad of White Wolf Tengus, we need you there as well,? Nitori was starting to go into a frenzy. ?Human Village also reports contact on the north side. And it looks like we have traitors.?
?Damn, this isn?t looking good,? Ran takes a knee and pulls out her cell phone. She types a quick text and sends it off. ?I hope she?s paying attention right now. She?s the only one that can get us out of this mess. Chen, what?s your count on ammo and grenades??
?I have six magazines and fifteen spell card grenades left, Lady Ran.?
Ran pulls out a Colt Single Action Army revolver and holds it out to Renko. ?Take this, it?s not as good as a rifle but it still hits hard. Have you ever shot a firearm before??
Renko shakes her head and holds the weapon gingerly.
?First, get a good grip on it. There, just like that. Then remember the most important thing: never aim it at anything that you don?t intend to kill. Especially since this one is modified to be more powerful. Next, the five fundamentals of shooting: firm grip, breath control, sight picture, trigger squeeze, and follow through. You got the first one down. Breath control is just shooting when you?re on the natural pause between breaths. Sight picture is making sure that you keep looking through the sights the same way every time. Pick a way to position the revolver and shoot it only that way. Follow through is not jerking the weapon as soon as you pull the trigger. Wait about half a second before moving it. That way the bullet won?t miss by so little.?
The physicist had a blank look on her face. Ran knew that it was a lot of information to digest in such a small amount of time. ?Don?t worry about remembering all that. Just take it nice and slow and you?ll get it in no time. Now come on, we have to get to the shrine before we get surrounded.?
-
Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo
A large detachment of the 75th Ranger Regiment hadn?t been expecting that much trouble when they were walking through the seemly deserted brush. But that changed when Reisen had spotted them.
Immediately taking down three officers with three shots from her service rifle, she had caused them to disperse. The moon rabbit recognized them as special forces and was eager to show them what the Lunarian Defense Corps had taught her. The fear and nervousness had disappeared when the first round had left the barrel.
With the equivalent of an entire company pouring down fire in her direction, Reisen was forced to fall back. Some of the lead elements decide to give chase while the others scan the surrounding areas. She began to weave between trees, dodging bursts of fire. At a downed bamboo trunk, she feigns a stumble, covering the fact that she had armed and dropped a live grenade.
The Rangers don?t notice until one of them almost trips on it. It explodes, sending a mass of red bullets that phase in and out randomly. All but one are taken down by her spell grenade. The noise had attracted the rest of the Rangers, keeping pressure on the moon rabbit. Bullets begin to increase in volume as she kept running. She?s so focused that she barely notices a low flying A-10 leaving a trail of fire and smoke.
A bullet zips by her left ear, telling her that they were getting closer. Turning around, she takes half a second to do some calculations. Then she brings her rifle up and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits a bamboo tree at an angle, sending it into two of her pursuers. Another small group of them appear from the left, sending Reisen running again.
She recognizes the clearings that she runs through. A few hundred meters, there was a bunker that she had set up earlier. If she can reach it, she can deal a lot of damage to the Rangers and keep them away from Eientei. Another NATO fighter, this time an F-22, was spinning out of control and crashed. From the direction and distance, she guesses that the fighter had probably crashed into some of the Rangers.
A little rectangular hole showed her that she had reached the bunker. The hail of bullets made going through the back door too risky, so she slides in through the front. Ignoring the branches and rocks scratching her legs, she lands and rolls. She spots a MG-42 that Nitori had modified and picks it up. Slamming it down on the ledge made by the hole, she leans forward and gets her lane of fire.
Movement attracted her eye and she squeezes the trigger. Bright red bullets tear through the first few groups that were caught in the clearing. The rest scattered, racing to find any cover from the waves of death that the moon rabbit was sending out. The kappa had guessed that the machine gun would have to hold off large numbers by itself and added another type of magic to each bullet.
It was great not having to worry about causing the barrel to overheat. The water magic that Nitori had infused in each bullet cooled down the barrel with every shot, making it safe to the touch, even after hundreds of rounds. Since the Rangers couldn?t had known this, they were waiting for a pause in the firing that would never come. Then Reisen heard something land next to her.
Looking down, she sees a grenade. Quickly reaching down, she grabs it and returns it to the thrower. The rest of the Rangers spot their window and begin to rush forward, throwing grenades as well. Scrambling, she manages to shoot most of them out of the air and ducks when the rest explode all around her. Knowing that she wouldn?t be able to hit all of them with the MG-42 before they overran her, she has no choice but to relay on her ability.
Her eyes begin to glow a deeper shade of red and the air all around begins to simmer. The Rangers see that and begin to falter. Reisen increases the power of her gaze and forces them to stop completely. Then the worst possible thing happens.
Reisen begins to feel something affect her. She begins to feel extremely agitated and depressed. Memories of her last time on the battlefield replay themselves in her mind. The logical part of her mind knows that somehow, she?s being affected by her own power. It triggers serious alarms, but she?s powerless to do anything about it. Almost as if by itself, her body begins to move forward. Grabbing her rifle, she charges forward with bayonet at the ready.
Reaching the nearest Ranger, she kicks him the stomach and slams her rifle into the side of his head. Hearing a loud crack, she steps back and stabs him in the chest. Spotting another, she raise her rifle high and brings it down hard on his helmet butt first. It leaves a deep dent and she finishes him off by punching him in his throat. The rest of the Rangers are stumbling around, badly affected due to her ability.
A part of her mind recognized that she was suffering from an attack of shell shock. She couldn?t stop herself, no matter how hard she tried. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a Ranger bring his rifle up. Reacting instantly, she pulls back and throws her rifle. It flies true and impales her target through the heart. Pulling out her knife, she grabs her next target.
Locking his arm into a bar, she brings her elbow down on it. It cracks loudly and bends at a sickening angle. Then she swiftly cuts him in the throat. Throwing the body to the side, she doesn?t slow down to clean the blade. She jumps forward, slamming her shoulder into another of her enemies. A quick cut to the throat and the stomach sends him to the ground. Remembering the MG-42, she retrieves it and holds the trigger down.
The machine gun keeps firing and firing as Reisen walks slowly forward. She doesn?t even bother to keep count of how many Rangers she?s taken down but she notices all of the bodies that are everywhere. A loud click is heard from the machine gun, signaling that she?s out of ammo. That breaks the frenzy that she had given up on.
Dropping to her knees, she slowly looks around her. Not one Ranger was left alive in the clearing. An entire company of the some of the best soldiers that NATO could send had been wiped out by one former member of the Lunarian Defense Corps. But it wouldn?t be fair to forget that she had gone into a frenzy during the battle. She knew that she had to kill to protect her home and loved ones, but she never wanted to do it like this. Picking herself and the MG-42 up, her legs are shaking too much for her to stand steady.
She has to take a few seconds to get herself together and gets her rifle back. Opening the bolt, she notices that she?s empty. Her hand shakes as she reloads and she makes her way back to the bunker. Climbing in, she silently reloads the machine gun. The whole time, she had not noticed that the radio was still on.
?-incoming, I say again, American Green Berets have been spotted near the Bamboo Forest! They?re believed to be after our leaders, mainly Yukari, Eirin, and Eiki. Do not engage them alone!?
Reisen tensed up, she was in for another hard fight. Her biggest fear wasn?t dying anymore, it was going into that frenzy and never coming out. Her knuckles turn white when she grips the machine gun and sights downrange. For the next few minutes, she?s staying deathly still.
At the far end of the clearing, bushes begin to shake. Then a figure slowly moves out in front of the bush. A few seconds later, more figures move out, their weapons at the high ready. One near the front has a tube slung from his shoulder.
Switching to her rifle, she aims for him. She squeezes the trigger and watches the red blur go straight through the man. He?s flung a few feet as his comrades scatter to find cover and return fire. Taking up the machine gun, she puts suppressive fire downrange. Flinching as bullets hit all around her, she tries to hold them off but can?t keep the side elements.
She can feel the agitation and depression start to build up again. She clamps down on it, this time trying to distance herself from the fight. Keeping count of how many rounds she had fired, she knows that she?s about to need to reload. Quickly grabbing for another drum, she takes pulls out a Mauser C96 and shoots at the nearest Green Berets. She grabs the ammunition but has to slam it down on the head of a Green Beret that had jumped into the bunker.
Dropping the drum, she spins the man around and uses him as a shield as she fires even more rounds. Now with all of them out of cover, she can count ten of them. Her pistol only has seven rounds left, so she decides to hit their weapons instead. With her sidearm out of ammo, she takes her shield?s sidearm and shoots the rest of the weapons, but it jams before she can take any of the operators down.
Dispatching her shield with a quick neck snap she throws him into one of the other operatives. The others rush forward and try to overwhelm her. Reisen crouches a little, adopting a boxing stance. The first one to reach her tries to tackle her but she holds him back easily. Leaning to the left, she makes him stumble and elbows him in the back of the head. He instantly goes limp, leaving the moon rabbit to dodge the fury of punches from the next one.
She dodges the punches and then throws a few of her own. Each of them connect, and they all make cracking noises. Her target gets disorientated, making the final punch to the temple easy to land. Hearing steps from her left side, she throws out a kick that catches her attacker in the throat. He falls, and begins to make gurgling noises. Reisen puts him out of his misery with a hard kick to the side of the head.
A glint of light was the only warning that she had of the knife that she barely had time to dodge. It misses her eye by less than an inch causing her to jump back. The Green Beret presses the attack, giving the rest of them a chance to surround her. Now, she was being flanked by five of the operatives while dodging knife slashes from a sixth.
Three of them rush in at the first time, leaving her with no chance to escape. So instead, she drops to a knee and sweeps her leg all around her. The quick move knocks all of them down, leaving the last three to charge in. She lunges at the one directly in front of her. He tries to bring his knife up but she knocks it out of his hand.
Before he lands on his back, Reisen has her knee on his stomach and her elbow on his throat. When they hit the ground, the force of the impact and the knee on his stomach causes his body armor to shatter. Then she pulls her knife and stabs him in the stomach. Rolling off she dodges the kick that was aimed at her head.
One of them stabs forward, causing the moon rabbit to dodge again. But she stumbles on the third step. She can?t jump back enough to avoid the knife and gets cut on her cheek. She immediately grabs the knife and turns it back on its wielder. Then she twists it and throws his body to the side.
Everyone in the area is thrown on the ground when another low flying A-10 goes right over their location. Then another SU-47 flies after it, pouring machine gun fire downrange. Reisen?s hearing rings as she gets back on her feet while the operatives had trouble doing the same thing. She takes the opportunity to take down two more by stabbing them in the throat.
Now with only two left, she?s going on the offensive. Getting in close to one of the operatives, she unleashes a punishing barrage of punches that leaves no room for defense. She hits with enough force to break his body armor and his helmet. Then she connects with a devastating uppercut that shatters bone.
A shot rings out and Reisen feels something hot burn into her arm. She instantly feels light headed due to her sudden decrease in blood pressure. But she still has enough determination to spin around and make her hand into a gun shape. Then a bullet flies from it and hits the last operative in the face.
With the last operative down, she inspects her wound. It seems to be light but it will affect her ability to fight. Making her way back to the bunker, she begins to search for the first aid kit. But before she can get far, a rain of bullets hits all around her.
Looking at the clearing again, she sees more Green Berets and now they brought along Spetsnaz troops. The amount of bullets that they put down around her block her vision. Reisen reloads the machine gun and gets into position to fire.
She feels another bullet hit her shoulder and spins her around. Pulling out her pistol, she sits against the wall. Trying to slow down her breathing, she knows that she has only a last stand to look forward to. She can hear the soldiers getting closer and closer. Bring her Mauser up, she waits for one to get into her line of sight.
Her hand starts to shake and her vision starts to blacken. She tries to steady her breath, but it gets short and shallow. Feeling the sweat on her forehead, she knows that she doesn?t have that much time left. The top part of a helmet begins to come into view. But she doesn?t have the strength to pull the trigger.
The Spetsnaz operative trains his weapon on her, waiting for her to make a move. He keeps on getting closer and closer. With a sneer on his face, he begins to pull the trigger. But then he gets a shocked look on his face and falls forward.
The last things that Reisen sees before she blacks out is an arrow sticking out of the dead Russian and a blur of red and blue next to her.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
Ever since the first element had stepped into the general vicinity of the Hakueri Shrine, they had to deal with the devastating attacks launched by Reimu. Instead of fighting in a conventional style, she had adopted hit and run tactics. The blunt of the damage had been received by the American 4th Infantry Division and the British 3rd Mechanised Division.
The fittest solider of either division couldn?t keep up with the miko when she used her power of flight to get away from each ambush. And their morale was dropping with each attack as well.
Remiu was putting more effort into this than anything else in her life. She wasn?t anywhere near the point of having to slow down. Her ammo was more than three quarters full and she still had plenty of grenades. As long as she kept them away from the stairs in front of the shrine, they wouldn?t be able to fire on the shrine.
Running back after she had emptied another magazine and threw a few grenades, she notices a weird feeling in her stomach. Looking up, she can tell that somehow, the sky was different. But she couldn?t figure out why. It was starting to worry her a lot. Deep down, she knew it had something to do with the barrier.
The sound of something large and metal began to get louder and louder. Quickly dropping to the prone behind a bush, Remiu sees what looks like a tank make its way through the forest. Trees are knocked down as it slowly moves forward.
Grabbing her radio, she tries to spot a weakness.
?Nitori, there?s this thing rolling up here.?
?What?s it look like, Remiu??
?It?s got wheels, and a big gun turning around. The front looks like an arrow.?
?Give me a minute?wheels and an arrow front?that?s probably it. Looks like we got Strykers. They?re personnel carriers. They can take a good amount of damage before they stop. Do not let them get up the hill!?
The armor looks strong, so Remiu takes out one of her grenades. This one is not one of her special spell card grenades, but just a regular magically enhanced one. She throws it and it lands on top of the vehicle with a loud clunk. The machine gun mounted on the top turns to face her and begins to fire a storm of bullets at her. Narrowly dodging a bullet, the miko turns and breaks contact.
The grenade goes off in bright red explosion. Since it was magically enhanced, what happened next was a total surprise to the crew. The force of the blast destroyed the suspension and slammed the vehicle into the ground so hard, it was buried half a foot. Looking back, Remiu sees that the machine gun was obliterated by the blast. Turning around, she charges forward and lands on top of it.
Being careful to avoid the sharp shards of metal created by the explosion, she takes a knee and wait for the door to open. After a few seconds, it drops down with a loud clang. 9 soldiers stumble out, moving to set up security. Reimu opens fire on them from above, taking them all down before they can react. Jumping down, she enters the vehicle and takes down the two crew members.
Dashing out of the wreckage, she can see explosions nearby. Flying into the tree line, she can barely make out a mortar team moving towards the shrine. Bullets suddenly start to come close to her, a hint that she should probably get closer to the ground.
Dropping behind a tree, she looks for the source of the bullets. Seeing a squad taking defensive positions a few hundred meters away, the miko runs to the side. Catching sight of her flanking maneuver, they begin to fall back while covering each other. One of them is hit by a red bullet and flails back. He?s grabbed by one of his comrades and is dragged back.
Encouraged by her lucky shot, she continues to fire at the retreating men. She hits another and slows down the entire group. Moving forward, Remiu keeps dashing to avoid the return fire. But then the hair on the back of her neck start to stand on end, causing her to run back. She barely has the time to throw herself into the prone before an entire company opens fire on her. Immediately grateful for the small hill that she was hiding behind, she was angry for almost walking into that trap.
Rolling to her side, she opens fire with her M4. She keeps firing until she hears a click then rolls back and reloads. But she forgets how many magazines she has already gone through and almost burns herself when she puts her hand on the handle guard. Pulling out her sidearm, she fires until she get a jam about 4 rounds in. It?s a tight jam, not something that she?ll be able to clear before she gets overrun.
She?s low on grenades but has two aces still up her sleeve. Hesitant about the prospect of using one of them, she?s forced to play her hand when the entire company charges. Pulling out her most valuable spell card, she activates it.
Remiu begins to float, even as bullets hit where she?s at. But the bullets go straight through. Seeing this, the soldiers stop and begin to concentrate fire on her. Even with so many rounds aimed at her, none of them hit. Some of the troops begin to step black slowly, fear evident on their faces. A captain steps forward and begins to fire at her, but it still has no effect.
Orbs begin to orbit around her, filling up with every bullet that passes through her. They glow bright, causing the entire company of soldiers to turn and flee. But it was too late.
The miko raises her left hand and crosses her right one over her chest. Then she spins and spreads her arms out. The orbs explode, sending spell cards everywhere. They hit every soldier in the area, instantly sending them to the ground. A Stryker was moving forward to support the infantry when a hail of spell cards cut straight through its armor and causes a massive fire.
Concentrating on extending the spell?s duration, Remiu started to pool all of her energy into it. Normally, she would had been able to attack indefinitely, but with the added power that she needed to make it lethal, it was draining her quickly. Over in another clearing, she can see a trio of Strykers fire at her. Gain altitude, she looks around for more targets. Before she forgets, she rains another barrage on the trio and moves on.
A loud crack sounds a few feet from her. On the ground an M1 Abrams tank had just entered a clearing a few hundred meters away and had its sights on her. In response, Remiu rains down spellcards on it, but is surprised when they barely make craters. She keeps on hitting it, but feels her energy being drained with each spell card. Lowering her altitude, she tries to figure something out.
She decides to cut the spell off before she gets exhausted and hurls the orbs at the tank. The orbs hit with a good amount of force and explode. Dust flies into the air, blocking her view of the tank. About a few feet off the ground, Remiu?s energy gives out and she falls. She lands on her feet but falls backwards. Breathing heavily, she can barely lift her own hand up after she sits up.
Her heart drops when she hears a rumbling from inside the cloud. Slowly, the tank moves forward, but its armor is heavy damaged. With that amount of damage, Remiu could had broken through if she had another grenade. But she had used the last one and dropped her rifle earlier. And now, she doesn?t have the energy to run away.
Even with the massive tank moving towards her, Remiu holds her ground. She still had her pistol and pulls it out. Looking down, she notices that the jam is clear. Pulling the slide back, she brings it up. The first round hits the tank head on but does no damage. She fires another but the same thing happens. At this point, she doesn?t care and just keeps pulling the trigger.
Just as the last round hits the tank, it explodes. Hearing a whirling noise in the air, Remiu looks up and sees an AH-64 helicopter flying above. In the cockpit, Marisa gives her a tip of the hat and flies towards the heavier parts of the fighting, raining down magical bullets and missiles. The sense of relief is cut short when a heavily camouflaged Bradley IFV rams into the clearing.
The rear door opens and a team of six soldiers dash out. They take up a firing line and begin to march forward, weapons held at the high ready. All of them could tell that Remiu was exhausted and her pistol was out of ammo. The miko?s arm had dropped the pistol next to her, causing them to be extra wary.
When they about 10 feet from her, they stopped. Before they could do anything else, a green blur came from the wood line. Everyone in the clearing turned but the blur was already in their midst. The highest ranking member of the team, a sergeant, lost his weapon when a slash cut it into two pieces. Now that the blur was moving fast, Remiu could recognized her rescuer.
Youmu Konpaku had used her ability of high speed to get in close enough to not worry about getting shot. She kept performing a graceful dance that ended with the entire team?s rifles being cut in half. With the soldiers now getting themselves together, they began to try to overwhelm her. Youmu?s ghost half rams into one of the soldiers with so much force, his neck is snapped.
The marshmallow keeps going and rams into the cannon on top of the Bradley, bending it at a 60 degree angle. With the ability to accurately aim, the risk of friendly fire was too great for the IFV to take. Youmu dashes behind the group in the blink of an eye and swings her sword. The bullets that are created from the slash hit the soldiers, breaking through their body armor and killing them.
Now with no more chance of friendly fire, the Bradley accelerates forward, aiming to run over Youmu. The half human jumps on top of the vehicle and stabs right through the armor. Running to the front of the vehicle, she stops then slashes the front part off. The remaining part slows down than stops.
A few seconds go by and then Youmu runs to Remiu?s side.
?Lady Yukari sent me to keep an eye on you. We need to get back to the Human Village.? Youmu helped Remiu get back on her feet. ?From what I heard on the radio, we?re getting overrun slowly.?
?I used up all of my grenades and spell cards,? Remiu was having trouble breathing. ?Fantasy Heaven took a lot out of me just now??
?I saw everything. Don?t worry, Lady Yukari said that she knows what to do.?
-
Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
A few minutes ago, Yukari had left the main room to take a call. Inside Nitori?s office, Yukari was talking on the phone with a potential ally in the outside world.
?I will admit, Lady Yukari, that the evidence that the Americans gave us was suspect. The Federal Court has looked at everything concerning this matter, and most of them ruled in your favor. The Federal Council has also found merit in you stand.?
?I?m pleased to hear that, Mr. President. But would that mean that Switzerland would be willing to become one of our allies??
There was a short pause. ?At the moment, I can only speak in support of Gensokyo for myself. But we are willing to open talks as soon as you can get those in charge together.?
?I understand that the full Council must be in agreement. I would like to open the talks right now, but we are in the middle of a massive attack on our sovereign land.?
?That?s understandable. I wish you luck in pushing back that attack. But, hasn?t NATO technically violated Japanese sovereignty??
?From what our intelligence services have told us, the Japanese government has been providing support troops and an open borders treaty with NATO. They have enough problems to deal with at the moment, but even the smallest support hurts us. But I?m happy to see that the Americans? refusal to share their proof has made it possible for this lie to be exposed.?
?Lady Yukari, if I remember correctly, the files that you presented at the UN, were those really from their CIA? And couldn?t you have brought those captured soldiers in front of the entire assembly??
?I may not be human, but I?m still respectful. About the files, yes, they were the originals, straight from the Director?s desk. I also hid his television remote on my way out. From what I heard, he was angrier about the remote than the files. He missed the series finale of one of his soaps.?
?Then why didn?t you pursue this to the World Court? You had plenty of strong evidence against the US.?
?Do you remember the case of Nicaragua v. United States, Mr. President??
?The case about the US arming the Contras? The court ruled with Nicaragua but the US blocked the judgment by using the UN Security Council.?
?Exactly, Mr. President. The US basically controls the UN and the World Court, relying on them is useless. Any evidence that I brought to light wasn?t for them, it was for all the nations of the world to make their own decisions.?
?That was well played, Lady Yukari. The only problem that I can see is if they take too long to decide to join you.?
Yukari was silent for a few seconds. ?That?s a risk I have to take. So far, we?ve been able to inflict massive damage on the invading forces, but they?re starting to overrun us.?
?Lady Yukari, excuse me if I overstep my bounds, but most of you aren?t technically humans. Shouldn?t that make up for the difference in numbers??
?We youkai are much stronger and faster physically, but we can only take so much pain before we fall. Our White Wolf Tengus are our best fighters, but they can?t hold off a modern regiment all by themselves. They would be able to inflict massive amounts of damage with their normal weapons. But those weapons are outdated, even if they are boosted by magic. And we haven?t had to kill in battle ever since the Great Hakueri Barrier was created so long ago. That?s why I given them weapons that are more lethal than just swords and brooms. I even taught them how to infuse their bullets with magic, making them instantly lethal. It gives us a fighting chance.?
?But what about them using the weapons against your forces??
?They would have to be able to use magic. From what I know about the outside world, the closest things you have to magicians are illusionists. Unless they can hurt us by making pigeons fly out of our hats, we?re not worried about them. But may I ask one thing, Mr. President??
?Yes, you may, Lady Yukari.?
?What about the risks Switzerland takes by joining us? You?re about the same size as we are, but you have managed to stay out of a lot of conflicts over the course of history.?
?We?re good at staying out of trouble. It?s because we?re always ready for a fight. During World War II, we shot down both Allied and Axis craft and got apologies from both sides. Nowadays, since our banks store money from various VIPs from around the world, a war would mean that those records could go public. That would be the last thing that some ministers or representatives would want.?
Yukari bowed her head. ?I salute you, Mr. President. Even I wouldn?t had come up with insurance that solid. I am grateful that we?re not enemies.?
?Everything has its reason, Lady Yukari. I hate to have to cut this short, but I know that you have a battle to oversee.?
?Thank you for your support, Mr. President. When will the Federal Council take the vote??
?We?ll be meeting later today. I should have an answer for you tomorrow night at the latest.?
With that, the phone was hung up. Yukari stood there for a few minutes. Then she went to Nitori?s desk and picked up a file. It was a brief on Switzerland. The gap youkai knew a little about the tiny nation but was thoroughly impressed when she was done reading.
If the Swiss Federal Council voted to join Gensokyo as an ally, it would mean that the story that the United States had given for the start of the war was false. And the Swiss would be able to tie up some of NATO?s troops, giving the GDF a little more space to breathe.
But that all hinged on them surviving the current battle. Looking outside the office, Yukari can see that the blue rectangles are slowly being pushed back by the mass of red rectangles and triangles. Above everything, the fur ball above the Hakueri Shrine had expanded to cover half of Gensokyo. The barrier was still up, so at least they didn?t have to worry about artillery.
Yukari knew that she still had something else to do, so she opened up another of her gaps and stepped through.
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
Tenshi was still going over the conversation with Iku. Just the way that the messenger had told her to be careful of the Dragon Palace had made her question the scroll that she received. But then her cell phone began to vibrate. She had received a text message from Ran. Reading it, she sighed in relief, happy that she wasn?t wrong this time.
Hearing someone land behind her, she looks back to see Iku. She has another scroll and an agitated look on her face. ?Eldest Daughter, the Dragon Palace is still buzzing about your actions. But the Dragon is starting to become displeased with your inaction.?
?I can?t order the artillery to fire. The risk for friendly fire is too much.?
?I know, but the dragon won?t listen to any of us. Here?s another message from him.?
Iku holds it out, waiting for Tenshi to grab it. The Celestial grabs it and breaks the seal. Reading the contents, her eyes narrow.
?What is this? Does he really expect me to do this!?!?
The oarfish took a step back at the level of anger in Tenshi?s voice. Crumbling it into a ball, Tenshi throws the trash down the mountain.
?That?s not going to happen. I don?t care how important it is, but it won?t happen.?
Iku was confused, ?Eldest Daughter, if it?s an order from the Dragon Palace, you-?
?I am not going to withdraw my forces just to protect the Dragon Palace!!! What about everyone else on the ground fighting for their lives and everyone they care about!?! As a Celestial, I have to be able to take the best course of action for everyone! I will not withdraw my artillery just to protect the lazy in their ivory towers!!!?
Iku had to turn away to keep herself silent. Then a gap appeared and Yukari walked out.
?I was just around and?oh my, am I interrupting something?? Yukari looked from the oarfish to the Celestial.
?I should take my leave. Eldest Daughter,? Iku bows slightly towards Tenshi. ?Lady Yukari.? Another bow, this time towards Yukari.
?Always a pleasure to meet with the Dragon Palace?s messenger,? the gap youkai returned the gesture with a nod. With a sharp turn, she stepped off and took to the sky, heading back to the Dragon Palace. This left just Tenshi and Yukari to stand in silence until the younger woman spoke.
?You had more plans for me when you got me this job, didn?t you,? Tenshi made it more of a statement than a question. Yukari looked her dead in the eyes.
?I?m sure that Iku has already warned you about the political climate at the moment. She?s one of the few people that saw the crumbs for the evidence that it is. And her position at the Dragon Palace lets her know more than most others.? Yukari looked like she was staring into Tenshi?s soul. ?It?s clear that you know something?s wrong. But you?re not the only one. Those in charge of making all of this happen know as well. I?ll give you this warning: watch everything around you.?
Tenshi could only stare back, that was the same warning that Iku had given her before. But she couldn?t stop herself from asking the question that was nagging at her. ?Who?s behind all this and what do they want??
?I?m sorry, but I can?t say anything about that right now. I told you all I can for the moment. But I would like for you to answer a question for me.?
After all that had happened, Tenshi still didn?t know what all of this was about. Remembering Iku?s warning, the Celestial nodded her head.
Yukari leaned in close, now she had a deadly serious look on her face. Tenshi almost flinched at the youkai?s change of aura. It was way worse than the time the Hakueri Shrine was destroyed.
?Should anything happen against the best interests of Gensokyo, would I be able to count on you to stand by my side? Even if the threat is from within the barrier??
It took a few seconds for Tenshi to understand what Yukari was asking. Everything was pointing to only one conclusion: Yukari Yakumo was planning to overthrow the Dragon.
-
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The shrine was exactly what Maribel and Renko was expecting. A traditional Shinto temple, it had the aura of home. Even with the sounds of gunfire and explosions all around, the pair still felt a sense of comfort as soon as they passed the gate.
Reaching the donation box, Maribel found it weird to see not a single coin in it. And now that they were closer, they could see that the shrine was a little run down. Renko was a little hesitant to go in, but followed Ran and Chen anyway.
The nekomata disappears in the back room and returns moments later with two AR-15s. She hands them to Maribel and Renko and goes back to get ammo. Ran pulls out a spell card and begins to cast its incantation. Seconds later, a hazy barrier covers the shrine grounds.
?That should keep their artillery and heavy fire off of us for a little,? Ran looks around. ?We?re going to have to hold the shrine until the rest of the GDF can regroup and come back.?
The radio buzzes to life with activity, ?-the line, I say again, hold the line! White Wolf Tengus, take out the satellite technicians and the field grade officers! Black Crow Squadron, keep those Warthogs away from the Shrine and the Village! Any Oni near the Misty Lake, armor is your priority!?
?Damn, we?re starting to break. We have to hold the line here,? Ran pulled out her cell phone and read a text message. ?Somehow, they?re getting past the shrine and attacking all over Gensokyo. We need to stop them here before they get to a really bad target.?
Ran motioned Maribel and Renko to follow her and led them to a pair of bushes overlooking the stairs to the shrine. Finding a few good sized rocks, she picks them up and tosses them in front of the foliage.
?Uses these as cover. You have modified AR-15s but since neither of you can use magic, it won?t make any difference. Stay behind the rocks and remember the fundamentals of marksmanship: firm grip, sight picture, breath control, trigger squeeze, and follow through. Keep those in mind and you?ll be alright. Chen and I will be defending the sides so don?t think that you?re alone. Good luck.?
Ran turned and rushed to join Chen. Renko inspected the rifle, seeing how it operates. Maribel had a wary look on her face, wondering if she would be able to kill anyone. Then they both get in the prone and adjust the rocks in front of them. Once they were ready, they waited.
The pair knew that they had the advantage since they were on top of the steep hill that led up to the shrine. But they knew better than to get careless. Renko looked over to Maribel, making sure that she was alright. The magician was nervous, afraid that she would get her or her best friend killed.
On the left side of the clearing at the foot of the stairs, the bushes started to move. Poking his head out slightly, a solider was on a knee looking up the hill. The physicist heard a sharp intake of breathe from Maribel. Calming her own breathing, she focuses on the soldier?s center mass. Gripping the rifle and pulling it back tightly, she aligns the front side post over his slowly moving form.
She lets out a slow breath and waits until she?s out of air. Then she squeezes the trigger and the rifle burst to life. The bullet travels through the barrel and flies into the soldier?s neck. He falls back, clutching at his wound. Renko flinches as the return fire hits the rocks in front of her and Maribel.
Thinking about her first kill, the physicist can?t help but feel a sense of pride at her shot. It was at least 250 meters away, and she had hit her target in an unarmored spot. She may had hit high but her target was still down. Rolling to the side, Renko can see that a squad had moved to defensive positions and were trying to retrieve their fallen comrade.
Maribel steels herself to fire on the soldiers. Crawling to a spot where she can see down the hill, she spots a fire team trying to climb the hill through the trees. Aiming for the leader, she closes her eyes and pulls the trigger. The bullet hits the ground in front of the leader. Reacting instantly, they scatter and race for cover down the hill.
Behind them, Ran and Chen were facing off against a troop of British soldiers. The pair were moving from cover to cover as fast as they could, sometimes dodging bullets by less than an inch. It was obvious that the kitsune was concentrating fire on the ones that were aiming for Chen, but the nekomata didn?t say anything. Then a squad with a L43A1 general purpose machine gun arrived and pinned the youkai down.
Forced to take cover behind a thick tree, Ran pulled out another of her spell card grenades. Throwing it in the midst of the clearing, it goes off. The soldiers jump away but Shikigami ?Hermit Fox Thoughts? takes down most of them. The rest of them flee from the spell card, doing their best to bring their wounded. Chen follows suit with her own grenade, Hermit Sign ?Phoenix Egg?.
In the sky above the shrine, cruise missiles were starting to make it past the barrier. One was shot by a tengu pilot and exploded in a large flash. Maribel and Renko had to drip their heads to keep from being blinded from the flash. When she looked up, Renko could see another fire team rushing to get to a group of trees halfway up the hill.
Aiming for the one with the machine gun, she pulls the trigger. The shot goes wide and hits a rock. The rebounding bullet then stops when it meets another solider down the line. Seeing this gave Renko an idea. Pausing to calculate a few things, she smiles a little when her eyes follow a path she likes. Firing another round, she can see the sparks on the rock that she deflects the round and sees an officer in the back clutch his leg and fall.
Maribel had decided against killing anyone. She was going to have to force them to stay back by laying down suppressive fire. Focusing on a squad that was moving forward, she aims for the ground directly in front of them. They move back to cover, keep them from getting a better position. Then the magician sends another round downrange, this one narrowly misses another soldier?s face.
The pair kept firing, holding off the attacking troops for the next ten minutes. Maribel?s side of the hill had no dead or wounded, just a platoon of terrified soldiers. Renko?s side was littered with the bodies of the dead and wounded, even if they were behind cover. Ran and Chen had taken an entire company out and were facing two more.
Throughout the holding action, Maribel?s headache had begun to get worse and worse. During the times when she had to reload, she snuck a look at the sky. The cracks in the sky had begun to grow wider and spread. She had also begun to feel a pain in her heart. But she still kept firing, determined to protect Renko?s side.
On the other side of the pathway, Renko was reloading. She could tell that her best friend wasn?t aiming to kill or wound. But that meant that eventually, they would overrun her side. Shifting to the side, she shoots an assistant gunner that poked his head out from behind a tree.
The rest of the soldiers stop trying to rush forward and concentrate on returning fire. Renko senses something amiss and begins to look around. An explosion hits about half way up the hill, making her jump. Looking to the tree line, she sees an entire company had arrived. There were a few soldiers armed with M203 grenade launchers, and they were aiming at the pair.
Renko sees one that is done reloading and is getting his sight picture. Not wanting to risk getting a grenade to the face, she moves her front sight post over him. She pulls the trigger at the same time he does. The bullet is faster, hitting the grenade before it?s fully out of the tube. The resulting explosion engulfs him and every soldier near him.
Amazed by the shot she had just made, Renko aims for the other grenade launchers. She counts at least 8 more of them, each aiming at her. Maribel shoots at them, attracting their attention. One of them begins to sight on her when Renko deflected a bullet off another soldier?s helmet into his throat. On his way down, his launcher goes off and hits a small group of soldiers hiding behind a tree.
Off in the distance, the pair could see another company move in to reinforce the first. Renko can?t help but groan as the odds keep turning against them. Maribel doubts that she can keep on forcing the attackers back without killing them. They both hope that something would happen to change the tide.
Outside the Hakueri Barrier
Ever since the battle started, it was easy for the White Wolf Tengus to pass the line of battle and hide near command posts. Every so often, they would do a quick raid and hide in the forest, putting the command staff on edge.
The hit and run attacks hadn?t appealed to Momiji, so she just stayed in the forest and sniped random members of staff. Her H&K MSG90 was the perfect complement to her sharp eyes. The FOB that she was targeting was starting to call in reserve units, so the tengu had to keep moving.
Catching sight of a solider with an eagle on his chest, she recognizes him as a full bird colonel. Dropping to the prone, she quickly calms her breathing down and takes the shot. He?s thrown back as the bright red bullet shatters his body armor. The guards start to fire into the forest, hoping to get lucky and score a hit on Momiji.
Seeing that she?s caused all the confusion she can at that spot, the white wolf moves back into the forest. She remembers another FOB around the area and decides to wreak havoc there. Moving through the forest silently, the sounds of gunfire and explosions were all around. Then her ears hear footsteps in the area. Quickly dashing behind a tree, she stays perfectly still.
About 100 meters from her, a small squad of military police were arranged in a wedge formation. They held their weapons at the high ready and were visibly unnerved. Waiting until she had the right angle, she held her breath. She fires, taking down half of the wedge with one shot. Nodding in satisfaction at her perfect shot, she had to move to avoid the return fire.
Taking a knee behind a small mound of dirt, she fires two more shots. Now the only one left, the surviving solider turns around and runs. Momiji aims for him but spins around before she can squeeze the trigger. That action saved her from having an AK-12 slammed into her back. Her rifle took most of the blow from the attack and gave her the chance to analyze her situation.
A lone Spetznaz operative had managed to sneak up on her. He was putting all of his weight on the weapon, hoping to overpower her. But the tengu wasn?t having any of that. She rotates to her left, letting the Russian lean too forward to counter her attack. Momiji knees him the stomach than rips the weapon from his hands after she drops her own.
He doubles over but manages to head butt the tengu, causing her vision to become blurry for a few seconds. She still throws a fury of punches, making the operative stumble back. He wraps his arms around her outstretched one and began to throw her. She lands hard but lifts herself up and sweeps his feet out from under him. Landing on his side, he scrambles to pull out a baton as Momiji kicks at him.
As soon as Momiji?s kick connects, she feels an electric shock course through her body. The operative had manage to hit her with a stun baton, but had shocked himself in the process. The pair kept on getting shocked until the baton shorted out. They both struggle to pull themselves together, wanting to get the advantage. Reaching for her saber, she has it halfway drawn when she finds herself getting another shock.
She manages to break free of the electricity by slamming the pommel of her saber into his stomach. He starts to wheeze, giving Momiji the chance to recover. Two seconds later, she?s on the attack. Grabbing hold of her saber, she charges forward and elbows the Russian in the face. Then she slams her knee into his stomach, in the same spot as before.
His noise is bleeding from the elbow, some of it lands on Momiji?s sleeve. Smelling the blood brought out her white wolf instincts, making her fight even harder. She hears more footsteps getting closer, so she grabs her opponent, spins him around, and uses him as a shield. His body is riddled with bullets from the Spetznaz troops that had just joined the fight.
Backpedaling, she looks around for an escape route. Bullets wiz all around her, keeping her moving. She pulls out a magic grenade and tosses it. It causes the others to scatter and gives her the opening she needed. Quickly throwing the body to the side, she dashes to her rifle and then hauls tail out of there. On the way, she puts a few rounds in the operatives.
The explosion throws them into even more confusion, as more red and blue bullets fill the air. Momiji is dashing through the trees when she?s spotted by a platoon moving forward to reinforce the line. They shout and begin to pour fire at her. Flinching at all the close calls, the tengu doesn?t bother to turn around and return fire. Taking flight, she?s about to head to the higher levels of the forest when a burning F-35 comes too close for comfort.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see the black crow tengus locked in a deadly dance with the enemy air forces. Turning her radio on, she?s immediately barraged with the traffic on the channel.
?TANK!!! TANK!!! TANK!!!?
?Move those fairies back, NOW!!!?
?Get that medic up here! Don?t die on me, please don?t die on me. We?re going to patch you up and make you better.?
?The left side?s collapsing! Pull back, pull back!?
?There?s too many of them! We can?t-?
?We lost contact with the Forest of Magic team.?
?Move that gun up here now! Hold them off while we pull out!?
?Get those mortars, they got us zeroed!?
Momiji speeds toward the Hakueri Shrine, the rally point that they had all agreed on beforehand. But before she can even get within half a mile of it, she?s shot at by a battalion?s worth of NATO troops. Changing direction, she decides to head for the human village instead.
?Momiji, this is Nitori, come in please.?
?I?m here, Nitori.?
?We?ve been trying to get ahold of you for a while. The other white wolves had to pull back when they got jumped by tanks. The Hakueri Shrine rally point?s out for now, it?s being attacked by at least two battalions. We need you to go to the Human Village and clear out the Secret History Association. They?ve turned against the village and have the defense force pinned down. If the shrine falls, that?ll be their next target.?
?What about the shrine??
?Ran and Chen are holding them off while the rest of the GDF falls back to their rally points. They also found two humans that are keeping the majority of the attacker at bay by themselves. The village is higher priority.?
?I?ll be there.?
In the distance, Momiji could see an attack helicopter rain down star shaped bullets on the ground forces that were trying to boost the attack on the shrine. Knowing instantly who it was, she felt a slight pain as she remembered getting Master Sparked during the feud between the two shrines. But the tengu had her doubts. Even with the magician?s power and skill, it was impossible to hold off numbers that high forever.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
The Scarlet Devil Mansion was being attacked by US Marine Recon troops that were aiming to destroy the air defense grid. But they had never expected the fight for their lives that the Scarlet Devil and her sister were giving them. And they weren?t alone, with the Dog of the Devil, the Unmoving Great Library, and the Colorful Rainbow Gatekeeper all lending a hand.
When the recon units first tried to sneak up to the mansion, they stopped when a giant flare flew into the sky directly above the building. Then a bright red spear flew after it and hit it. The resulting explosion sent fireballs flying into the ground all around the mansion. The recon troops that were within the range of the impact zone were taken down immediately.
Before the dust could clear, rainbow colored bullets and silver knives flew out of the cloud. Taking down entire groups of Marines, the storm kept coming. The lucky survivors managed to find cover behind the trees some distance away from the falling flares. On the clock tower, Remilia was observing the battle with a stoic look on her face. She knew the reputation of the United States Marines, the ?Devil Dogs?, but she was confident that the Dog of the Devil was more than a match for them.
Inside the mansion, Patchouli and Flandre were casting another round of Royal Flare and Leviathan. The librarian shot the flare straight up, followed by Flandre?s spear right after. A few hundred feet above the mansion, they collided, raining down fiery death. For now, that combination kept their attackers at bay and the air defense grid online.
Koakuma was administrating the grid, keeping the teams of fairy maids busy at all times. It was a complicated affair, spell circles would begin to dissipate after a short time, forcing her to split her attention between recasting and reloading missiles. The radio on the table kept her updated on the status of the overall battle, but didn?t raise their morale with the news of the retreats.
An alarm began to go off, alerting them that a NATO aircraft was almost in range of their missiles. Quickly making her way to the map, Koakuma sees a flight of F/A-18s on their way to engage the SU-47s.
?We got another flight coming in! Hurry up and get those loaded! You, over there, get a lock and fire when you get a good shot!? Koakuma turned to the map again. ?Where do they keep coming from!?!?
The library began to shake again, meaning that another round of Royal Flare had landed. With the way that the flares were falling, they would have to time the missile launch perfectly. Keeping her eye on the map, Koakuma grabbed one of the books next to her. It was a spell book, one that concentrated on fire elemental magic. She was looking for a way to increase the missiles? speed, so they would be able to clear the flares faster.
Outside, a fire team of Marines had managed to get past the flares and were stacked up against the fence. They all flinch when the flares hit the ground behind them. Splitting into two groups of four, they began to prepare explosives to breach the wall. Once they were set, both teams ran away from the area and blew a hole in the fence. Quickly moving in before the dust could settle, they all halted when they could see what was in front of them.
In front of them, a young woman with short white hair stood ready. She wore a well maintained World War II era German Army uniform in a dark blue color. She held a Karabiner 98K and had a G36 slung on her back. A bandolier of knives was draped on her shoulder. But what had stopped the Marines was her eyes. Not a single man in either team could take their eyes off the blue eyed beauty in front of them.
One blink later, a hail of knives appeared in front of her and then flew towards the Marines. They were so shocked that they couldn?t react as the knives rained into them. Once they had all fallen, Sakuya calmly walked behind a large piece of rubble and took a knee. Bringing her rifle up, she began to snipe any movement in the forest past the flares.
At the front gate, Hong Meiling was using her manipulation of chi to boost her speed and get in too close for the Marines to shoot. Taking down a sergeant with a kick to the side of the head, she spins around and punches a lance corporal in the chest, breaking his body armor and a few ribs.
Out of the corner of her eye, she can see two of them bringing their weapons up. Meiling unleashes a crescent kick that sends rainbow colored crystals flying at them. With their weapons nothing more than twist pieces of metal, they draw their knives and charge in.
Even though she knew that she was fighting for her life, Meiling couldn?t help but enjoy the battle. At least all she had to worry about was infantry, the tengu were taking care of the armored units that had tried to charge the mansion. The ground shook as flares landed and missiles were launched, somewhat annoying the youkai.
A bullet misses her head by an inch, causing Meiling to jump back. Looking out, she can barely make out the figure of a sharpshooter that almost hit her through flares and dust. Then she sees him go limp and hit the ground. Off to the side, Sakuya had made the shot that kept Meiling from getting killed or wounded.
But making that shot distracted the chief maid. If her reflexes were a millisecond slower, she wouldn?t have been able to stop time fast enough. Turning around, she sees a bullet less than a foot away, stopped before it would had hit her. Moving to the side, she finds the source and aims. Letting time continue, she fires. The Marine on the other end of the rifle that was pointed at her only saw her disappear before a bullet came through his scope and then into his eye.
Sakuya pulled out another clip, sliding it smoothly into the internal magazine. She takes the stripper clip and puts it back into her side pouch. A Marine jumps out at her from behind some rubble, tomahawk brought up for the strike. Taking a step to the side, she dodges the strike and slams her rifle into his stomach. Then the chief maid pulls out a knife and stabs him between the shoulder blades.
Pulling out the knife, she calmly wipes off the blood on the dead man?s clothes and takes up her firing position again. The diligence that she had shown in maintaining her rifle showed when she kept firing with no jams, each shot hitting an enemy in a kill spot. She didn?t even have to boost her bullets? lethality with any magic, her marksmanship did enough damage.
The way things looked, the pair would be enough to hold the line. Then the Scarlet Devil decided to join in. Opening up the box that she had next to her on top of the clock tower, she pauses for a bit to admire the weapon in it. Loading a clip of five rounds, she brings up the Springfield 1903 rifle and aims for a figure with a machine gun. She fires, sending a large red beam of magical energy flying towards her target.
It hits the man in the heart, instantly killing him and flinging his body into the rest of his squad. Remilia was impressed with the shot, Gunghir was a perfect choice for her. She could see that every eye was on her, so she kept up the performance. Since she didn?t have to worry about accuracy that much, she just squeezed off quick shots.
As soon the bullets left the barrel, they curve in flight to go after their targets. Each time the Scarlet Devil pulls the trigger, a life in ended. Her ability to manipulate fate didn?t apply here, all that mattered was her will. If she intended for anyone on the field of battle to die when she pulled the trigger, Odin?s divine spear make it happen. Even the most battle harden veteran was starting to feel the sensation of fear as the bullets rained down on them.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The 1st Armored Division had been pushed back from the Scarlet Devil Mansion by the GDF?s air support and were trying their luck in getting closer to the shrine. Then they ran into the Tiny Dowser General.
Nazrin was running towards another spot of heavy fighting when she ran into a lone M1 Abrams. Even though she was supposed to be performing medical duties, but she couldn?t flee now. Running towards the tank, she calls up all the field mice in the immediate area. They being to rush out of their holes, almost invisible to the tank crew.
Once they were close enough, the mice began to launch themselves on top of the treads. The ones that landed moved quickly to avoid being flung off and crushed. They made living ladders, allowing their comrades to climb inside the tank. Once they were inside, they attacked the crew and forced them out.
With the crew out in the open, the rest of the field mice jumped them. After a few seconds of complete chaos, the entire crew was down and the M1 was empty. Nazrin jumps into the tank, followed by a large group of mice. The rest return to their nests, happy that all of them made it.
Organizing the mice into teams, they were able to get the tank moving. After a few minutes of getting used to the controls, they were off. Coming across another lone tank, they fire a direct hit that disables the vehicle. Since the attack was so fast, there wasn?t any chance for them to get a warning out. Now with armor of their own, the GDF had better odds for the defense.
Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo
For the Rangers and Spetsnaz that were still left after the initial attack, it all went downhill. With her apprentice wounded, the old Lunarian officer came out in Eirin. Every time the remaining Rangers took a step, they were mercilessly attacked by an angry doctor. And it wasn?t the same attack twice. Traps were going off left and right, arrows were taking down every officer that breathed, and explosives were going off in the middle of tactical formations.
With the wounded Reisen entrusted to Kaguya and Tewi, Eirin was able to taken on two battalions of Special Forces troops by herself. And what sent fear into their hearts was the fact that the lone doctor was winning. They had never faced an enemy that was so skilled and so determined in their entire careers. For every inch that they traveled forward, they lost half a squad. Reinforcements were beginning to arrive, but that only gave the doctor more targets.
A radioman had taken a knee and was trying to call in more support. Eirin hits him with an arrow that goes straight through and hits an officer next to him. The rest of the squad panicked and began to run in different directions, even with the sergeants trying to get them back in formation. A corporal had the bad luck of running right towards Eirin. She doesn?t think twice about drawing her saber and cutting him down.
The scream from the dying man attracted another squad that was nearby. As they turn to fire on her, the doctor takes an arrow and infuses it with lethal danmaku. She shoots it into the middle of the squad, where it explodes and sends deadly red and blue bullets everywhere. The entire squad instantly goes down, leaving Eirin to disappear between the bamboos of the forest.
A fire had started near the outer edge of the forest, adding to the confusion all around. The thick smoke was being blown into the forest and started to reduce visibility. The odds were being stacked even more against the invading forces. Some squads had even broke from contact and leaving the battlefield as soon as they heard the swoosh of an arrow.
The reinforcing British troops had managed to set up a machine gun nest and had caught sight of Eirin. Firing nonstop, they filled the clearing with solid streams of fire. Dropping down to the prone, she prepares an arrow with one of her old spells from the war. Rolling on her back, she draws her bow. Going over the numbers in her head, she knows exactly where to shoot.
The arrow?s released and flies true. It hits the back of the nest and explodes in a giant ball of fire. When it reaches the ammo cases, bullets are sent flying towards the soldiers to the sides. Taking advantage of this, Eirin jumps up and rushes into the middle of the closest squad. Her saber comes out and cuts down two of them in one fluid motion.
Turning around, the doctor slams the pommel into an officer?s face, sending blood flying everywhere. Then she brings her knee into his stomach, ignoring his body armor being shattered. Grabbing the unconscious man, she throws him into another next to him. She draws her sidearm and fires a shot into a sergeant that was firing at her. The bullet goes straight through and hits another one behind him.
Grabbing a confused soldier, Eirin moves him in front of her. Using him as a shield, she starts forward, firing as she goes. Hesitant to fire on their own, the soldiers begin to move back and race to cover. Before they can reach safety, Eirin shoots all of them down. She puts one round in her hostage?s head and runs back into the deeper part of the forest.
Finding a small trench near another patrol, she hops in and hides the top with a camouflaged sheet hidden in the hole. Reloading her pistol, she listens for the sounds of footsteps. Poking her head up slightly, she can see another squad arranged in the wedge formation heading across the clearing in front of her. A glint of light catches her attention, and lets her sit this attack out.
The compass holder is the one that triggers the trap, his foot tripping the wire strung between two bamboo trees. Half a second later, poisoned arrows are launched at the group, killing them within seconds of being hit. Eirin takes out a map that Reisen had made that highlighted all of the traps that were set. She was lucky that she hadn?t triggered any herself.
Halfway out of the trench, she?s forced back by a series of explosions that come from the entrance of the forest. An A-10 had been shot down and had crashed with its entire complement of bombs. From what Eirin knew about the forest, that explosion would cut off reinforcements for a while. It also added to the fires that were already going.
Picking up a radio from one of the dead soldiers, she decides to stir up the invaders. She takes a second to think about what she?s going to say and then flips the setting to an open channel.
?To all invading forces, this is Eirin Yagokoro, former Chief Medical Officer of the Lunarian Defense Corps, former teacher of the Lunarian Royal Family, former Commander of the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot and the 1st Regiment of Royal Guards, and advisor to exiled Lunarian Princess Kaguya Houraisan. Veteran of the Lunarian Civil Wars, and the First Lunar War with more than 50 citations for bravery above the call of duty with extreme recklessness to loss of life or limb. I am the one that sabotaged the Apollo 13 mission assassination mission that started the First Lunar War. I am the one that has created immortality. I am older than humanity itself. You cannot kill or harm me, that is against the laws of physics and time itself. You are in my forest, looking to harm those that I protect. You have already wounded my apprentice. For that, I will throw all of you out of my forest. For looking to hurt the princess that I have promised my life to protect, I will kill every single one of you. I will find you and I will kill you.?
Throwing the radio on the ground, she shatters it with one step and readies her bow and arrow. Firing it into the air, it explodes into a large flare. The flare was an old Lunarian method of marking targets for total annihilation. Every enemy soldier in the forest froze when they saw the flare, it was bright enough to overpower the sun. The green light casted an eerie shade all over.
Through every radio still in possession of the invaders, screams could be heard as Eirin got started fulfilling her promise. No matter how many of them joined up into large groups, they were still cut down by the lone doctor, suffering death brought by her arrows, magic, and saber. Even if they had managed to get a good shot, she was too focused to let it slow her down. Whenever a rare shot did hit her, she would finish taking down the squad and dig the bullet out, not bothering to apply a bandage before continuing. Her uniform would repair itself and cover the wound, giving the impression that she was untouchable.
The besieged troops began to call in requests for armor, but with the GDF air units destroying almost every vehicle in sight, they were on their own. Since Eirin had served in every branch of the Lunarian Defense Corps, she was trained in every aspect of warfare, and the long period of peace had done nothing to take the edge off of her skills. With a display of swordsmanship that would leave Youmu Konpaku jealous and begging for Eirin to be her teacher, the doctor ambushed an entire platoon of British soldiers.
Leaving one disarmed, she forced him to watch as the rest of his comrades were cut down. Then she pulled out a small dart and stabbed him in the leg. He falls on his side, withering in unbearable pain. Eirin kicks him the stomach, flipping him on his back. She holds her saber a hair away from his throat.
?Don?t be such a weakling. The poison doesn?t hurt that much, but you?ll be dead within two hours. Get back to your commanders and tell them what happens when my home and family is threatened.?
He?s sweating profusely due to the pain, and Eirin?s announcement had sent an obvious streak of fear into him.
?Please?you?re a doctor?help me-?
?No. I?m a tired, former member of the Lunarian Defense Corps. Your rules of engagement mean nothing to me or my former comrades. I did not take the Hippocratic Oath. Be grateful that I am giving you this extra time to live, I?m sure that your friends would cherish that chance.?
Turning around, she walked back towards another hiding spot that Reisen had set up. On the way, she could tell that the old Lunarian tradition of total war was still alive in her. She had come to respect the humans? customs of war, but knew that following them now would cause a lot of headache. Looking up, she can see the moon faintly in the daytime sky. In the back of her mind, one question had always been there ever since she had first met a human. Was the Lunarian culture of absolutes and purity really better than the human one of struggle and triumph?
-
Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
On the parade ground in front of the Lunar Palace, the entire 4th Regiment of Royal Foot stood in formation. Reisen stood at the front of formation, her general staff behind her. Every one of her soldiers stood tall, prepared for what was coming. The formation came to attention when Yorihime and Toyohime appear in front of the mass. All 5,000 pairs of feet snapped together at the exact same time.
Looking over the regiment, a look of sadness could be seen in Toyohime?s eyes. In her sister?s, only a serious glint was present. Reisen knew that the odds were against all 5,000 of them coming back, and it was obvious the both the sisters knew. But, they had pledged to help their former master and had given everyone the chance to stay out of it. None had taken that option.
Toyohime had finished reading a file and handed it off to her younger sister. She takes a second to organize her thoughts and find the right words.
?The NATO forces have gained a fair amount of ground and are almost at the Hakueri Shrine. The GDF has managed to get air support but are getting overwhelmed. There are reports of medium to heavy casualties, straining their medical personnel. Master Yagokoro has entered the battle personally, after Reisen Udongein was wounded by American Rangers and Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces.? She had to pause, a feeling of guilt gripping her stomach. ?She has been evacuated from the battlefield and is undergoing medical care at Eientei. Master Yagokoro has been decimating their best soldiers by herself, leaving only their average ones. The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot will land just inside the boundary line of Gensokyo and sweep through the enemy posts. Since the Celestials have a mass of artillery sighted in, and they have a better record in preventing friendly fire, they?ll provide fire support. The humans have vastly higher numbers than we do, but their troops aren?t anywhere near your quality. Reisen, stand ready to deploy.?
Reisen turned around and drew her saber. As one, the foot soldiers brought their rifles up and loaded while the officers and NCOs drew their own sabers. The general staff all dismounted their horses, the forest that they would be landing in would slow them down if they weren?t on foot. Watching her horse be led away, Reisen hoped that it wouldn?t be the last she saw it.
Next to her, the standard bearer had the regimental colors at the ready, with the streamers for the various campaigns of their history waving in the faint breeze. Reisen still felt that she wasn?t ready to lead the regiment, even with both princesses? voicing their faith in her. Her first combat command was rapidly approaching.
?The barrier is still up, so hold your positions. Once that barrier is down, expect the humans to charge you after you land. Stay in formation and fend them off. They?re too used to fighting each other to counter our doctrine. Follow the Lunarian customs of war, we are not party to the Geneva Conventions. Even if we were, some of the humans have been disregarding them.?
A signaler ran towards the sisters, and held out a small communicator. Taking it, Yorihime listened and nodded her head.
?4th Regiment, stand by. The barrier will be falling shortly.?
Reisen held a sharp intake of breath from everyone present. Even though they were elite troops, they all still felt a sense of fear. It wasn?t about the battle itself, it was from not knowing how it would turn out. Checking her sidearm one last time, she tighten her grip on her saber. The moon rabbit champed down on her fear and waited for the signal to charge forward.
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
Maribel and Renko were still holding off the British and American soldiers when the magician begin to feel something happening. Looking up, she can see that the cracks in the sky had grown to massive sizes. Her breathing begin to pick up as well as her heart rate. The edges of her vision were starting to get blurry and she was getting disorientated. She could barely concentrate due to her headache getting worse.
Renko could tell something was affecting Maribel, but she couldn?t move due to the amount of return fire that they were taking. She cursed at the shower of bullets that was hitting the path between the two of them. But she was feeling a sense of dread in her stomach. Shifting to the side, she began to aim at the soldiers nearest her, wanting to clear the air for a few seconds so she could move. If she knew what was going to happen, she would had moved immediately.
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
Yukari had returned from her trip to visit Tenshi and was watching the real time map. It was almost impossible to see, but there was glint of something that flashed in the gap youkai?s eyes. She motions Nitori towards her and grips her umbrella tightly. Once the kappa was close enough, Yukari grabbed the microphone that was hooked into the communication network.
?All GDF forces, get to cover. The barrier is about to fall. I say again: the barrier is about to fall.?
Nitori looked at the map, frowning at how far the NATO troops had gotten inside Gensokyo. And behind them, the red Xs were standing ready to fire.
?Is that it? Have we really lost, Yukari??
?No, we still have a chance. But we need everyone to get somewhere safe first.?
The kappa couldn?t help but glance at the map, praying that Yukari was telling the straight truth this time.
Yukari had turned away from the map and disappeared into one of her gaps. A second later, she exits in her library. She goes to an ornate wooden box and opens it. Inside, an old book sat covered in a light layer of dust. Opening it, she flips through it. A harsh look can be seen in her eyes, followed by a lone tear.
?Here?s where everything changes.?
Putting the book into one of her gaps, her hand was trembling a little. It was time to alter the tide of the battle and the course of history. And to change one person?s fate.
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
With Yukari?s announcement, the entire mountainside became a frenzy of activity. Tenshi looked at the sky and could see the faint outline of cracks. Her stomach dropped when she could tell that they were getting wider. She hadn?t given much thought to what would happen when the barrier would fall, and now regretted it.
Every Celestial was working to make sure that their calculations where right. If they were off by even a thousandth of a number, they risked a horrible case of friendly fire. All of the artillery cannons were loaded and ready to fire. All they needed was for the barrier to finally break.
Tenshi pulled out her Walther P38 and looked towards the Hakueri Shrine. She hated the fact that the fog of war prevented the Celestial artillery from targeting the infantry attack. But she couldn?t risk the chance for friendly fire, no matter how perfect their calculations were. It was one thing that she learned from her father?s assignments, that patience was a valuable trait.
Looking over to the map, she sees more red squares forming up on the other side of the boundary. The Celestial artillery could inflict massive damage, but even Tenshi doubted that they would be able to hold the line by themselves if it came down to it. But that wouldn?t mean that she would fall back to the Dragon Palace just to protect the court.
If she had to, she would stay as the rear guard while the rest of the Celestials retreated. Tenshi checked her ammo one more time and looked back at the map. The red squares kept on multiplying, and were beginning to cut off and surround some of the blue ones.
The sky kept on getting more and more fractured, but still didn?t break. Tenshi looked down at her cell phone, waiting for the message to finally come through.
Human Village, Gensokyo
The Secret History Association had decided to reveal itself when Mokou had left to patrol the surrounding forest. They had managed to capture an old shop and where trying to fight off the rest of the village militia. Keine had called them back, unwilling to take casualties. She was willing to wait until the Hourai immortal came back before she made any moves.
Outside the village, Youmu was helping Remiu get to the central plaza so she could be watched over by the schoolteacher. The miko was having trouble breathing and was still unsteady on her feet. The cold feeling in her stomach told her that this wasn?t being caused by simple exhaustion.
Youmu looked up to see a SU-47 shoot the wings off of an F-22 and felt her eyes widen when she saw cracks in the sky. Everyone in the village stopped what they were doing when they saw the same thing. Mokou noticed it and rushed back to the village. On the way back, she ran into Youmu and Remiu. Helping the half ghost, Mokou led them to Keine.
Leaving the shrine maiden with Keine, Mokou walked straight towards the shop that the Secret History Association had captured. They begin to fire on her and she stops. Raising her hand up, she snaps her fingers. A spark springs to life and flies into the shop. Half a second later, the building explodes into fire. Turning around, Mokou rejoins Keine and the rest of the village militia.
The schoolteacher was looking over Reimu, she knew that the cracks in the sky had something to do with the miko?s condition. Youmu had moved to the outside of the village, kneeling behind a cart. She was keeping an eye out for any uninvited guests. The villagers had joined her and were fidgeting behind their cover. Overhead, they could hear the aircraft of both sides locked in a deadly dance.
Remiu managed to catch her breath but was still weak. Her face was pale and her eyes was starting to have a glazed look to them. Keine had a villager run and get a moist washcloth to put on the miko?s forehead. She wanted to call for Eirin but the doctor hadn?t been in contact ever since a green flare had appeared over the Bamboo Forest.
?The barrier?s starting to break. Yukari didn?t tell me anything about this, but I felt it. Now how are we going to keep them back??
Mokou shrugged her shoulders, ?I don?t know. Yukari said that the Lunarians were going to help, but they haven?t shown up yet. From what I hear on the radio, we?re getting pushed back hard. I might be able to do a good amount of damage, Kaguya would too if she would get out of Eientei. But I doubt we would be to turn this around by ourselves.?
A blur in the corner of Keine?s eye made her spin around. She relaxed when it turned out to be Momiji. The White Wolf tengu had a bruise forming around her eye and she had a bloody nose.
?A group of Rangers ambushed me on the way here. And they had rocket launchers. I got all of them but they hit me with a tree in the face. Anyway, the Hakueri Shrine?s almost overrun, but I heard we have two humans barely holding the line up there with Ran and Chen. And the barrier?? Momiji couldn?t find the words to express herself.
?Yeah, the barrier?? Mokou looked at Keine, worried about her. ?We won?t be able to shake off that much artillery.?
?We can?t stop, even with the odds stacked that high against us. Lady Yukari said that she had a solution-?, Youmu was interrupted by a loud shattering noise. It sent chills down everyone?s spine and made their hair stand on end.
-
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
Renko was reloading when she heard the loud shattering. Immediately looking over to Maribel, her heart dropped when she saw Maribel?s head fall and hit the ground hard. Completely disregarding the bullets being fired at her, the physicist sprinted to the magician?s side. Landing hard on her side, she froze when she saw that the cracks had finally broken parts of the sky off.
Rolling Maribel over, she checks for any signs of bullet wounds. Finding none, Renko checks her pulse and breathing. It seems shallow and fast. Bullets hit the ground near them, making the physicist shield her. Grabbing Maribel?s rifle, Renko returns fire while still shielding her best friend. She can barely hit anything due to the tears in her eyes and her hands shaking so much.
Moving back, she holds Maribel and puts her head in her hair. In her heart, she?s begging for her best friend to wake up. Ran and Chen saw what had happened and were keeping the invading troops back. Shouting into her radio, the kitsune was trying to get a medic but all of them were too far away.
Even with all of this happening, Renko could fell something strange around Maribel. It seemed like time was simmering around her. But that wasn?t a priority right now.
Then the ground shook and the air was full of high pitch whistles.
Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
A loud alarm began to blare, making Reisen jump. Toyohime pulled out the communicator and listened for a second. Then she drew her fan and created a large portal.
?The time has come. 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, you are now clear to land in Gensokyo. Good luck.?
Reisen nodded at the standard bearer and started to march forward. Slowly, the entire regiment followed her into the portal. For the first time, she was heading into actual combat on the frontline. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the portal. She kept her eyes closed, expecting a bullet to hit her as soon as she was out. Concentrating on the cadence that the drummers kept up, she kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It felt like she had been marching for the longest time. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in the middle of the forest. Then the sounds of the battle hit her. A SU-47 flew low over the forest, forcing her to crouch a little. Her general staff stayed in formation around her and kept their weapons at the ready.
The headquarters company was the next to emerge from the portal. They all kept moving, making room for the rest of the regiment. Then it was the first full strength company. Reisen looked at the communications specialist in her staff.
?Have you made contact with the GDF??
?We?re in contact. They say that NATO forces saw us arrive and want to meet us. There?s a green flare above the Bamboo Forest.?
?We?ll have to hold them off until we?re all here. Get the battalion commanders ready. And send half the regiment to investigate that flare after we get accountability. Get our riot shields up.?
A few minutes later, the battalion commanders had their commands arranged in a perimeter around the staging area. Their lead rows had brought out riot shields that were reported to block NATO rounds. The second row held their rifles over the shields, ready to fire. Reisen kept scanning the woods, waiting for first contact. The more time that it took for the enemy troops to attack them, the more companies the regiment could get on the field.
A large explosion hit near the lead company, knocking down some of Reisen?s soldiers. Then gunfire rang out, hitting the formation through the hole in their front. The moon rabbit?s mind began to race. She noticed that their opponents were taking advantage of cover and concealment and were using weapons with wide impact areas and explosive force. The number of Lunarian soldiers that were being wounded kept rising, and the concentration of fire was having little effect.
Then light vehicles began to arrive, spraying machine gun fire at the formation. The Lunarian armor and shields managed to protect a good number of the soldiers but the amount of wounded began to increase faster. More explosions began to hit the regiment as mortar teams had finished setting up and zeroing in. With more of the shied bearers being knocked down, the rest of the regiment was getting downed.
?ALL BATTALION COMMANDERS, SWITCH TO LIGHT INFANTRY TACTICS!!!? Reisen yelled out, surprising her staff. Immediately passing down her orders, the battalion commanders rush forward into the forest. Raising her saber, she follows them. She had been counting on their line infantry doctrine to counter the humans, but it looks like they had underestimated them.
The first line of LDC troops had closed with the NATO troops and were mowing them down. Running behind the rapidly advancing line, Reisen was proud of how well her troops were fighting. The NATO soldiers weren?t ready for such ferocity, most enemy kills were from rapid hand to hand combat than from bullets. Lunarian troops were taking no steps back, and they had stopped taking casualties. Back at the staging area, the rest of the battalions and companies were moving to the Bamboo Forest. Their medics were running from casualty to casualty, administering medicine. Eirin?s advances in medicine were able to bring troops that were near death to perfect health with just one pill.
The first line of light vehicles were quickly overrun by small squads. They climbed on the roofs and were beating in the hatches. When the cannons began to move to track them, the Lunarians would bend the barrels to disable them. One squad was had finally gotten the hatch open and were pouring gunfire into the crew while another were grabbing the crew and throwing them off the vehicle so their comrades could shoot them in midair. One fire team had cleared a vehicle and were running over enemy troops with it.
The ground began to shake, making Reisen stumble a little bit. An American Sergeant First Class had got in close to her and was bringing his M4 up to fire. The moon rabbit closed the distance and knocked his weapon away with her saber. He draws his head back and head butts her, helmet and all. Reisen?s vision goes blurry but she still keeps slashing at him with her saber. One hit cuts through his body armor, causing a large chunk to fall on his feet and unbalance him. This gives the moon rabbit the chance to run him through with her saber, all the way to the hilt. She kicks the body off the blade and charges at another sergeant.
A corporal was behind her and was reloading his magazine. Reisen grabs the sergeant and uses him as a human shield when the junior NCO fires. Throwing his body to the side, she blocks a strike from behind without even turning. Grabbing the arm, she breaks it and stabs backwards. A grenade goes hits the ground a few dozen feet from her, alerting her to the presence of a M203 grenade launcher. Shrapnel hits the corporal, letting Reisen look for the attacker.
Standing fully up, she calmly drew her side arm and fired two shots at the shooter. Off to the side, she could see a squad setting up a firing line. Rushing forward, she stomps on the first line that had taken a knee and jumped into the air. Swinging her saber in a wide arc, she cuts at least four necks. Pulling out a knife, she throws it and takes down a Second Lieutenant.
With a bayonet attached to his M16, a Private First Class had wanted to backstab her. The moon rabbit grabs the rifle by the handle guard and slams the butt into his jaw. The weapon goes off and hits another private coming at Reisen. Seeing more wanting to stab her, she swings the rifle one handed and hits three of them in the face. Using her momentum, she finishes by smashing in a Captain?s skull and throws the rifle to the side.
A machine gunner fires at her, forcing her to jump into a ditch. Grabbing a grenade from a dead soldier, she sneaks a peek over a fallen log. About 200 meters from her, a M240B had been set up behind another fallen log and was pinning down her and some of her general staff. Seconds later, a second machine gun team set up next to the first. The amount of fire that they were putting down was sending splinters everywhere.
She doubts that she can get the grenade to that distance with just her arm, even with her background at pounding mochi with a giant mallet. Then she looks down and spots the regimental rope hanging from her shoulder board. Quickly taking it off, she ties the end into a net. Putting the grenade in it, she gives it a test swing. The sling holds good and she sees how to make it release. Remembering the briefing that she had received from the intelligence liaison before they had stepped off, she knows that she only has five to seven seconds. Reisen quickly thumbs the clip and pulls the pin. Standing up, she swings the sling in two powerful rotations and sends the explosive on its way.
Dropping down, a hail of gunfire flies through the spot that she had just vacated. The moon rabbit waits until she hears the explosion and then jumps out of the ditch. She covers the 200 meters quickly and stabs the two crews just to make sure that they are down. Then she cuts both M240Bs in half and moves to her next target.
Above the forest, Reisen sees the various types of aircraft that NATO and the Russians had sent in. An A-10 Thunderbolt II was sent crashing by a GDF SU-47 that then destroyed a trio of Sukhoi PAK FA fighters in one pass. She was impressed by the skill that the tengus had in air to air combat and turned her attention back to the ground. The rest of her soldiers had almost made it to the end of the forest and had captured an enormous amount of weapons and other sensitive equipment.
Then she heard a hail of gunfire from her side. The standard bearer was pinned down by a platoon that had been cut off from the rest of the NATO forces. From what Reisen could tell, the humans thought that capturing the standard would make the Lunarians fall back or surrender. But they didn?t know that Reisen had no intention of being the first commander of a Royal Foot regiment to lose a standard.
Grabbing a fallen M16, Reisen takes a knee. She squeezes off a set of rounds that takes down half a squad and runs toward a rock. She slides behind it just as bullets fly towards her. Rolling on her side, she manages to squeeze off a few more with her sidearm before she has to take cover again. She tries to figure out another approach when she hears a light vehicle approach.
It was the one that her soldiers had captured. The NATO troops were stunned when it began to run them over. Reisen takes the opening and runs forward. She cuts one sergeant?s legs from behind and stabs him in the back when he falls on his knees. Then she moves forward and kicks another one behind the knees. As this one falls back, she grabs his head in a lock and falls backward. She hears a crack from the impact and rolls to the side, pulling her sidearm out.
She sees one last soldier trying to make it to cover and shoots him. Looking around, she sees that the LDC has cleared the surrounding area. Running towards her communications officer, she reloads quickly.
?Anything new??
?The Celestials have launched three volleys of artillery that have knocked out 95 percent of NATO?s artillery. NATO infantry units are being sent towards us, they?re trying to keep us from joining up with the GDF. Armor units are being held off by helicopters and the occasional fighter. The air is too thick with dogfights for us to fly. Master Yagokoro has sent an entire division, the American 4th Infantry Division, back to their rally point and has almost decimated an entire Spetsnaz battalion. She?s not taking any prisoners or giving any of the traditional customs of war. She?s also ordered our troops to head to the Human Village and hold the line there until we can rejoin them.?
?Well, Master Yagokoro knows best. Get me accountability and get us a good map of the area.?
Looking up, she can see the moon floating in the daytime sky. Her nervousness was gone, replaced by a determination to make her masters proud.
Parts Unknown, Time Unknown
She was still confused about the recent turn of events. Just the other day, she and Renko were almost done with their senior classes and getting their degrees. The last thing she remembered was the sensation of falling during the firefight at the Hakueri Shrine.
The scene in front of her was nothing like she had seen before. It was morning and somewhat hot. She was walking on a small path that went by a large white mansion. Maribel remembered seeing a house like that in one of her history textbooks.
Then she remembered: the American Old South. Off in the distance, she saw a pair walking on the path in her direction. Not wanting to be found until she figured out what all of this was about, she moves to hide behind a nearby tree. She puts her hand on it to steady herself but almost falls when it goes straight though. Her eyes widen at this and she looks around. Seeing a white tailed deer nearby, Maribel walks towards it. The deer doesn?t notice her at all and keeps grazing.
Her mind races until she finds a plausible explanation. She settles for it being a dream and calms down. The pair is closer and Maribel is shocked once more. One of them is an older, distinguished looking gentleman with a Southern Eastern American accent. The other is a young, blonde women in a dress that looked remarkably like hers and was holding a white parasol. She even looked like her, except that her hair was longer.
?Why, General Lee, I must say that I have enjoyed my time here. And I do want to apologize again for taking up your time.?
?It was nothing at all. My wife and I have had a wonderful time during your visit and we would be happy to host you again any time.?
The pair reaches a small patio and General Lee takes out a chair for the woman. He sit down and a junior enlisted Confederate soldier brings out a tray with two glasses and a pitcher of sweet tea. He pours each of them a glass and then moves back to a nearby tree and faces away.
?Forgive me, but you never did tell me the purpose of your visit.?
The woman took a sip from the glass and pulled an envelope out. ?President Davis has written a letter of introduction for me. I happen to have some information that would be helpful for the Confederacy.?
?May I ask where you got this information??
?I have my sources.?
?You must understand that I am a little hesitant to trust you, even with this letter from President Davis.?
?My information has always been proven to be correct. I did advise President Davis about the battles of Mile Hill, Harpers Ferry, and South Mountain.?
?So you?re the one that warned us about those disasters.?
?Yes, I was the one. The information that I have may turn the tide of the war and grant the CSA the chance to become fully independent.?
?You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.?
She pulls out another envelope and puts it on the table.
?This contains the perfect strategy for an attack at an area near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. Federal troops will be under General McClellan in the open. A decisive strike there will break the Union?s will to fight. President Davis would like a copy to be signed by your adjutant general so that he knows that the strategy is in place.?
?I?ll have General Chilton sign it and deliver it to you right now.?
General Lee motions to the soldier, who jogs forward and receives the paper from his hand. He runs towards another mansion and returns a few minutes later. He hands it back to the General, who gives it to the woman.
?President Davis should be happy. Is there anything else??
?That was the only thing. I hope it wasn?t too much of a burden.?
?Not at all, Lady Yukari. You have provided an invaluable service to the Confederacy, and my home state of Virginia.?
Before Yukari could reply, a courier arrives on horseback.
?General Lee, General Jackson has sent a report that you should see.?
?Very well, could you get Traveller for me??
?Yes, sir.?
Turning to Yukari, he took her hand in his and kissed it. ?It has been a pleasure, Lady Yukari. But the war calls.?
?Yes, I understand.?
He mounts his horse and follows the courier away from the mansion. The junior soldier comes forward to pour more sweet tea but Yukari raises a hand.
?No, I should be on my way. Thank you.?
He takes both glasses and the pitcher and returns to the mansion. Once he was out of sight, Yukari pulls out the envelope. Putting it on the table, she pulls out three cigars and wraps a piece of paper around them. Then she puts them on the envelope and pulls out a book. She reads it and nods her head.
?To Frederick County, Maryland then.?
She opens up a gap and steps through it, leaving Maribel standing there in amazement. She sits down, going through all the conversations that she had with Renko when she was taking her Military History class. Then she freezes in the midst of a realization.
Renko had talked about a battle in the American Civil War that was lost because a set of orders had fallen into enemy hands. Maribel could only remember parts of the conversation but was sure that the parts that she recalled matched up with what just happened.
But then another realization happened. The American Civil War had been fought in the 1860s, more than a hundred and thirty years before Maribel was even born. And she was sure that it wasn?t re-enactors that she had been watching. And she was still bothered by how closely that woman resembled her.
Something else about that woman didn?t sit well with Maribel. It almost seemed like she knew what was going to happen with certainly. And she was playing this situation for her own benefit. The idea of time travel popped into her mind, but she rejected it immediately.
Right now, she was more worried about getting back to Renko.
-
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
The entire mountain was shaking as every artillery cannon fired at the same time. This was their fourth volley, aimed towards the FOBs that the tengus had marked. As one, the Celestials reloaded and waited for the order to fire again.
Tenshi was dividing her attention between the map and looking through her binoculars at where the impacts were. So far, they had knocked out about 95% of the NATO artillery and were mopping up the rest. The blue haired Celestial felt a growing sense of hope with the amount of red Xs that were disappearing from the map. She was also impressed by how precisely their artillery was hitting.
Starting at the edge of the boundary, the shells were falling in a perfectly straight line. They were spaced out to cover as much area as possible. The next volleys made it seem as if a wave was coming from Gensokyo towards the rear of the NATO formation. Everything, infantry and vehicle, was being destroyed. Then a piece of shrapnel landed in the middle of an ammo depot.
A fire is started and sends cooking rounds everywhere. Ordinance specialists don?t even bother trying to contain the fire, instead they yell for everyone to fall back as artillery rounds hit closer and closer. Another ammo depot is destroyed with a direct hit and a fuel tank is next. The only units that aren?t in immediate danger of the Celestial artillery were the ones that had made it past where the Great Hakueri Barrier was.
But those troops were still having to face their own problems. The GDF had managed to rally together and join up with a detachment of the LDC at the Human Village and were lunching attacks on armored units. On the other side of the forest, the 4th Regiment of Royal Foot were decimating every NATO unit they ran across. In the Bamboo Forest, Eirin had left only one survivor of the two Special Forces groups that had tried to attack Eientei.
The Celestials were forced to duck as a flight of A-10s were lining up for an attack run, only to be shot down by another flight of GDF F/A-18s. The attack planes spin out of control, almost hitting the Celestials. The wreckage falls into a lake that Tenshi had always spent time fishing during her younger days. Staring at the oil and fuel that began to rise to the surface, she couldn?t help but wonder how many of the fish that would die were ones that she had caught and let go.
The sound of a small twig breaking reached her ear, causing her to stab the ground and raise a wall. She was almost too late as it almost didn?t stop a hail of gunfire from hitting her. Raising another wall to protect the rest of the Celestials, she closed her eyes to feel where the attack came from. Once she counted all of them, she had a dozen rocks float in front of her. Then she uppercuts all of them and lowers the rock wall in front of her.
Running forward, she sees that it was a squad of British Special Air Service soldiers that were trying to kill her. Her dozen rocks had destroyed their firearms and gave her the chance to finish them. But she wanted a fair fight, so she puts her P 38 away and readies her sword. The men draw batons and knives and run forward as well. The first one to reach her immediately receives a kick to the face.
Tenshi follows up with a pommel strike to his stomach, cracking his body armor and his ribs. Then she grabs his arm in a lock and swings him around to take a blow from one of his comrades. Kicking him away, she parries a knife slash with her blade and closes the distance quickly. Close enough to feel each other breathing, she pauses for a second to sneer at her opponent.
With a savage punch to the throat, Tenshi forces him to stumble as he gasps for air. Then she grabs his knife and stabs him in the leg with it. Letting him fall, the Celestial grabs his head and gives it a quick snap. Grabbing one of the soldier?s fists as he tries to punch her, she head butts him and makes him stagger back. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see another one move towards her.
Turning to face him, she gets in close. He responds by starting an uppercut with his knife. The Celestial dodges and rolls on his back while he stumbles forward. In the middle of her roll, she brings her sword and cuts his throat. Then she slashes twice and slams another soldier into the ground by his head. Snapping her leg behind her, she catches a third soldier in the chest and shatters his armor.
The first one that she had fought, the soldier with the broken ribs, was trying to crawl away from the fight. Tenshi steps towards him and raises both of her hands into the air. A keystone appears and she slams it into his skull. Spinning around, she throws it into another one that had hesitated.
Two SAS soldiers jump her at the same time, bringing her attention back. The first one tries to full body tackler her and lands on his face when the Celestial sidesteps. He turns on his back and throws his knife. The second one gets grabbed by the throat and swung around to be used as a shield. The knife hits him in the throat and fatally wounds him. Then Tenshi shoves him to the side and jumps forward.
She plants her sword into the soldier and rolls to the side. A butterfly knife stabs the space that she was just in, cutting a little bit of her hair. Kicking back, she feels an impact and sees the knife fly out of the soldier?s hand. Grabbing the knife out of the air, she stabs him in the side and breaks his arm for good measure.
The last one left, a grizzled veteran, stared her down. Tenshi could tell that he was going to be a formidable opponent and was looking forward to this. Another flight of NATO aircraft flew low over them, and they met the same fate as the first flight. The ground shook with the Celestial artillery that was being fired. The Celestial pulled her sword out of the ground and stood at the ready.
At the same time, they both rush forward. Tenshi brings her right arm back, readying a strike. The man sidesteps and grabs her shoulder. In response, she head butts him. Both of them stumble back and flail at each other. Tenshi?s the first to recover and slams her pommel into the hand holding the knife. The soldier shakes his other arm and makes another knife fall out of the sleeve.
Tenshi executes a quick slash that the man barely dodges. She keeps attacking, but somehow, the solider dodges every slice. He locks her sword and manages to knock it out of her hand. But the tassel coming from her pommel caught the knife and took it with it. Now with both of them unarmed, they started to trade blows.
The Celestial had adopted a boxing stance and was raining down blows on the soldier. But he had countered her by doing the same thing. For the next few minutes, the air between them was full of punches from both sides. Tenshi was impressed by how many hits the man could take and at the ones that she was getting. Then she gets a hit that knocks him on the ground.
Being hit so much had left Tenshi with both of her eyes blacken, a broken nose, and the taste in her mouth. But her opponent had taken a worse beating. He had both of his eyes almost swollen shut, blood flowing from both nostrils, severe swelling, and multiple teeth had been knocked out. Wiping her nose off, Tenshi nodded in satisfaction.
She draws her Walther P 38 and switches it to fire. Taking aim, she had to focus to steady her breathing. Then she pulls the trigger and ends her opponent's life. Staggering to where her sword had landed, she retrieves it and has a rock rise up from the ground. After she sits down, she sees Iku walking towards her with another scroll. The messenger took a quick glance around before she held out her hand.
?Eldest Daughter, looks like you?ve been busy lately. The ministers at the Dragon Palace will have a lot to say about this.?
?They can talk all they want about it back in their safe havens. Is the Dragon angry that I didn?t fall back??
?He hasn?t said anything about it. But it looks like he?s going to let you do what you think is right for the time being. You fought them hand to hand, didn?t you??
Tenshi nodded. Her hands were already beginning to become sore after all the times she had punched that body armor and helmet.
?Why didn?t you just shoot them? What if something had come up that you needed to take care of and you were too busy enjoying a fight? What if they had killed you because you were playing around??
Tenshi looked her directly in the eyes.
?Because I need everyone to know that I can take care of myself, even without the weapons that Yukari gave us. My father doesn?t even trust me to leave my room without getting into trouble. Before the earthquake incident, that may had been true. But not now, can?t everyone see how much I?m trying to do the right thing? No matter what I do, I?m always the fool messing everything up.?
?Eldest Daughter, that is not-?
?Isn?t that how the Dragon Palace sees me? Some of them say that they support me, but how many of them really do? ?
?Yukari Yakumo trusted you enough to help get you here.?
?But at what cost? She wants me to?? Tenshi trailed off.
?Do whatever you think is best. Here, the Dragon sends you another message.? Iku hands her the scroll. ?The line of battle is shifting fast. You should be prepared for anything that could happen.? With that, the messenger turns and takes to the sky, leaving Tenshi to recover and plan her next course of action.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The hail of Celestial artillery had cut off reinforcing NATO aircraft. Now with a somewhat more even playing field, the tengus were clearing the sky. The Scarlet Devil Mansion had also fixed its issue with targeting and was firing even more salvos at the human planes. Closer to the ground, Marisa was raining down destruction on every NATO unit she could see.
A group of Avenger Air Defense Systems had moved from concealment in a thick grove and were turning their missile launchers to face her. Then an alarm began to ring in the cockpit. Looking down, she sees that a wing of F-22s had locked on to her and were turning to fire. To make matters worse, a lucky bullet damaged the tail router of her Apache.
Slamming random buttons on the console managed to give her back some control, but the volley of missiles from both the air and ground were heading towards her. The magician slams her foot on the left pedal and jerks her control stick to the left. The agile helicopter rolls to the left, barely dodging all the missiles. Marisa is shocked at how close she had been to getting shot down.
Then the rear rotor decides to start to smoke, making her a sitting target. The Avengers on the ground open up with their machine guns, damaging the helicopter even more. More alarms go off in the cockpit, making it clear to Marisa that the aircraft wasn?t going to last much longer. Undoing her safety harness, she grabs her broom and pulls the handle for the windshield.
She has to fight the downwash but manages to climb out and jumps off. The gunfire stops as the soldiers on the ground think that she?s done for, until she hops on her broom and pulls out a spellcard. Flying closer to the ground, she heads for the Avengers and activates Love Sign ?Non-Directional Laser?. The rotating lasers cut straight through the vehicles and some of the soldiers that hadn?t run towards cover.
Flying over some that had hidden in a ditch, she drops a bottle with a mushroom mixture and watches it explodes in a shower of stars. She?s forced to gain more altitude as the remaining soldiers begin to concentrate their fire on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees her Apache crash into in the ground and start another fire. But before she can look back up, she?s hit by a harsh gust of wind and an extremely loud burst of noise.
An F-22 had just tried to ram her and had missed. Marisa?s about to go lower to the ground but remembers that she?ll have to face small arms fire. She has no choice but to fight the wing of Raptors that had her in their sights. Getting another spellcard ready, she waits until they turn to face her again.
Pouring all of her energy into this next attack, she casts Light Sign ?Earthlight Ray?. The nearest pair of F-22s are immediately hit and suffer critical damage. As they start to spin out of control, their pilots eject and deploy their parachutes. But a gust of wind sends them towards the Bamboo Forest.
The last fighter barely dodges the bright white lasers that come from the orbs orbiting Marisa. Then a laser hits the Raptor on its right wing root, damaging its Gatling cannon. The surprise at getting hit makes the pilot jump and miss ramming Marisa once more. She drops but still feels the back blast from the jet engines push her down farther.
She can tell that the sonic boom would be the real problem in this fight. Pulling out a pair of earmuffs that she had ?borrowed? from Miko, she puts them on and casts a quick spell. She had remembered how Patchouli had explained her Copper spell and had noticed a way to modify it a little.
Casting it made her start to glow with a soft golden light. But she didn?t have time to admire it much as the Raptor made another pass at her. She free falls and closes her eyes. The ear muffs and the spell both work, blocking the sonic boom?s effect on her ears and her internal organs. Even the heat is dissipated by the spell, leaving only physical damage to worry about.
Dodging too much to even think about pulling out her revolvers, Marisa pulls out another spellcard instead. But then a gust of wind blows it out of her hand. She dives after it as the Raptor tries to ram her again. Just as she?s about to grab it, a stray bullet flies in between them, causing her to flinch away. Then the F-22 pulls up to ram her from below.
Marisa lands hard on her side and rolls until she catches hold of the left stabilizer. The pilot?s eyes widen as he catches sight of her and then tries to throw her off. He goes into a series of barrel rolls that make Marisa dizzy. The witch manages to snap her fingers and can feel her broom rushing back towards her. She waits until the plane is upside down and kicks off. Curling up into a ball, she?s pushed to the side by the exhaust from the twin jet engines.
Her trusty broom catches her and gives her the time she needed to get herself together. Her hat?s about to fly off, so she grabs it tight and wonders how it stayed on when she was on the jet. Spotting her spellcard floating in the wind, she rushes forward and grabs it. But she hadn?t counted on the pilot seeing her and pulling a tight Immelmann turn.
The witch is still too disorientated to launch herself into the dodges that she would need to dodge and steadies herself for the impact. But her eyes open just a hair to see the Raptor in front of her.
Then the cockpit explodes as a large bullet hits the plane from the bottom and goes straight through. The resulting hole bursts into flames and the plane spins out of control, barely missing her on its way down. For the next few seconds, she sits there wondering what had happen.
A series of vibrations come from something in her pocket, bring her out of her shock. She answers the phone without even looking at the caller ID.
?Marisa, are you alright? You seem kind of shaken.?
?Kourin? Was that you just now??
?Yes, it was. Marisa, do you remember what I told you the last time you at my shop??
?You told me that I still had some things still on my tab.?
?That?s right. I?m not about to write that off anytime soon. I know that you?re going to pay me back, and I?m going to make sure that that day comes. And your father wouldn?t be happy if I let anything happen to you.?
?How did you even take that thing down??
?I owe Yukari a special favor but she got a rifle that suits me really well. I?ve been keeping an eye on you the entire time, you?re doing well for your first time fighting a real battle. It?s a shame about your Apache getting shot down like that.?
?What?s going on down there right now??
?The Lunarians have finally shown up and are fighting NATO in the forest near your house. From what I heard on the radio, they?re taking no prisoners. The American commanders have been demanding that they pull out due to them breaking the customs of war. But the Lunar princesses have responded that they don?t follow the rules of Earth. It?s getting ugly down there, NATO?s losing entire battalions to them. The rest of the GDF have finally rallied together at the Human Village and there?s rumors that a special forces detachment tried to get Tenshi but failed.?
?What about Reimu, have you heard anything about her??
There?s a short pause. ?She?s been hit with something ever since the barrier fell. Keine thinks that it might be shock from the suddenness of the barrier?s collapse, but?s she?s recovering. Right now, she?s at the Village with the others.?
?I haven?t seen that many NATO soldiers lately, did we break them??
?The Celestials have finally gotten a chance to fire their artillery. They?re making a perimeter that?s keeping out air and ground units. With both the Lunarians and the GDF, we?re finally advancing. So, all we have to do now is clean up the ones in Gensokyo and the battle should be over fast.?
Looking down in front of her, Marisa could see explosions and fires as far as the horizon. Over her shoulder, the tengu pilot aircraft were playing cat and mouse with the remaining NATO planes. Then she jumped when a volley of missiles came through the exploding Royal Flares at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Three of them hit the same A-10 and left no debris after the impact.
She watched the planes chase each other and could only sigh. The ordinary magician knew that Gensokyo could never be the same again after today. Yukari?s warning about having to expand also repeated itself in her mind. But what worried her the most was Remiu?s condition.
-
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The light was extremely harsh to Maribel?s eyes. But that was the least of her worries. Something was crushing her and shaking. She twists a little bit and lets out a small groan. Then she?s grabbed even tighter.
?Maribel, you?re alive!?
She recognizes the voice as Renko and is at a loss about what she?s talking about. Then she notices that her forehead was covered in dirt and was hurting a little. The psychologist tries to sit up but feels lightheaded from the sudden movement. Her best friend was surprised at her sitting up, she didn?t try to hold her down.
?Don?t start moving like that. Take it easy for now, Ran and Chen have us covered. You had me worried so much??
Renko was looking over her, trying to find blood or any other wounds. Finding none, she gently wipes the blonde?s forehead to get the dirt and grass off of it. Maribel can?t help but feel guilty at seeing tears in her best friend?s eyes.
?Renko, what do you know about the American Civil War??
The physicist blinked in surprise, it helps to clear the tears in her eyes. ?I know a little about it. Why are you asking about a war from over a hundred years ago right now? Don?t we have more current things to worry about??
Maribel took a second to compose herself. ?I think I had a dream about it. But it was one of my special ones. I think?that someone changed something and made it happen the way they wanted.? She had to stop, thinking about the consequences of what she?s saying.
?Wait, what? That would mean that people can travel through time. That?s impossible?? She trailed off, remembering Maribel?s ability. Renko knew better than to doubt her visions. First it was the Torifune, then
?Get behind the shrine, you two!? Ran yelled out before Renko could finish her response. A dud mortar shell landed a few feet away from the pair, making them start to crawl towards the shrine. Renko grabs her AR-15 and shoots a few rounds to cover their movement. The kitsune throws a grenade infused with Shikigami?s Radiance ?Fox-Tanuki Youkai Laser.?
The grenade gets halfway down the hill before it explodes. The first thing to come out is a rapid stream of big blue bullets along with smaller, faster blue ones. They punch a giant hole in the forest on the bottom of the hill, slinging bodies everywhere. A second volley shoots out, along its path, a series of lasers are emitted perpendicular to it. The lasers cut straight through a few squads that had been making their way up the hill.
Then a critically damaged NATO F-22 crashes on the hill and sends up a large cloud of smoke and dust that obscures everything. Ran can hear some of the soldiers yell out ?gas, gas, gas?. She stops shooting for a few seconds and then sees that they had put on gas masks and were moving towards them. The first squad had reached the first laser and were low crawling under it. One of them barely touched the laser with top of their helmet and flinched as his helmet disintegrates.
It seemed that the soldiers had figured out the pattern for her spell and were making their way past it. Every time the fast volley would come, they threw themselves to the ground and lay low. The mortar troops were carrying their tubes to get to better cover, making Ran and Chen aim for them first. Switching their actions to fire, they both step out from behind cover.
Before they could aim their fire, the machine gunners opened up. The air was filled with bullets that cut through the mini barrier that Ran had set up and damage the shrine. Splinters begin to fly as the donation box and the building is riddled with holes. Ran and Chen flinched, they knew that Remiu would be out for blood when she saw what had happen.
Starting to reload, Ran looks down and sees that the magazine had jammed in her rifle. Chen?s looking at the magazines next to her, they?ll all empty. Without return fire to hamper their progress, the NATO troops quickly reach the top of the hill and drop to the prone. Waiting until they?re all on line, they lay down fire. Looking at Chen and Maribel and Renko, Ran pulls out one last spellcard and takes a deep breath.
But she stops before she can declare it. On the far side of the line, a large purple gap opens. A loud horn blares, attracting every set of eyes in the area. Then a train charges forward from the gap at full speed. It hits the ground and bounces wildly. Most of the soldiers are frozen in shock while others try to run back down the hill. But none of them escape the train. A few of the soldiers at the bottom of the hill fire at the train out of an instant reaction.
The one thing that Maribel noticed was that the cars were empty. It keeps going until another gap opens up and swallows it whole. The only evidence that it had even existed were the large marks on the ground and the multiple broken bodies that were thrown everywhere. Renko?s jaw had dropped when she had seen the subway seemly appear, her mind was racing to find an explanation that didn?t go against physics.
Above them, more gaps opened and multiple bullets began to fly from them. The rest of the soldiers go down when the bullets create a cone of devastation in front of the shrine. Seeing the destruction being wrecked on their comrades, a trio of A-10s launch missiles towards the shrine. But another gap opens to swallow them and then opens up behind them. The missiles speed out of the gap and hit their launchers. None of the pilots had even dreamt of such a thing happening and were too shocked to eject.
Behind Ran and Chen, another gap opens and a tall blonde woman steps out. She carries a katana and has a scowl on her face. The pair immediately bow to the woman and Maribel gasps. It was the same woman from the incident at the UN and her dream. But when the woman looks at the psychologist and the physicist, her expression softens. She pulls out a handkerchief and hands it to Maribel.
?Both of you must be tired from everything that?s happen today,? the woman?s voice was soft and pleasant, a sharp contrast to the death and chaos all around them. ?I hope that Ran and Chen have taken good care of you two. Since we?re in the middle of a mess right now, I?ll explain everything later. But, where are my manners? You may call me Yukari.?
Before Maribel or Renko could respond, she creates a gap and stabs it with her blade. A scream sounds from a few feet away and the pair turns to look. A sharpshooter had been trying to line up a shot on them, but Yukari had stabbed him through a gap. His partner looks on in horror as the katana is pulled out and then stabbed into him as well.
Yukari had an atmosphere of cold calculation. But her eyes had a surprising warmth in them. Opening a gap, she turns to the group.
?Everyone inside, we?re going to help the kappas with organizing the final push. Yes, I would like for the two of you to join us. I promise that nothing bad will happen to either of you. And you?ll be safer with me.?
Ran and Chen were instantly through the gap. Maribel looked at Renko, she wasn?t sure about this. The physicist nodded and took her hand. Together, they walked into the gap.
White House Situation Room, Washington, DC, United States
The entire room was silent as every eye was on the screens at the front of the room. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were sitting down with stoic looks on their faces as their assistants scurried about. The members of the National Security Council were also kept busy verifying reports of casualties and losses. Once they were done, one of them turned on one of the screens in the side of the room and began to read the file he had.
?Based on reports that we have confirmed, we have lost almost 60 percent of the task force.? The room began to grow loud with murmurs and outbursts. ?A few minutes ago, a series of artillery strikes almost completely destroyed every artillery cannon that we had set up. Our allies have also suffered extremely heavy casualties. Based on reports that we have intercepted, a lone doctor has been confirmed to have taken down two entire battalions of Spetsnaz, one entire regiment of SAS, two battalions of Green Berets, and one battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment by herself. She?s identified herself as a former Lunarian officer.?
A new update began to flash on the screen behind him. He grabbed the tablet that was next to him and began to read.
?Reports have been coming in that our troops have encountered an opposing military. They?re calling themselves the Lunarian Defense Corps and are not following the laws of war. They have completely cut through our forces and are keeping the rest pinned down against their artillery.? He flips pages until he finds the one he?s looking for. ?The Air Force has also reported a heavy amount of downed aircraft. Multiple battalions are beginning to fall back. All of the soldiers are broken and hesitate to get back into the battle. They report multiple instances of magic being used to kill them.?
The Secretary of Defense looked at the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ?Should we pull out? We?ve taken too much damage and casualties for us to continue. And we?re getting destroyed by the Lunarians.?
Before the Chairman could respond, the chair at the head of the table turned around. The acting president, the former CIA director, shook his head. ?No, we?re staying.?
The room began to get louder once more, this time with argument against it. But they?re all silenced when he stares at each one of them.
?Get me the Air Force Space Command and the Army Space and Missile Defense Command. A direct line.?
A few minutes later, he was in a conference call with both of their commanding generals. Then with a smirk on his face, he hangs up and turns around. Everyone in the room looked at each and then all turned to see that one of the television screens had switched to a satellite map.
?Communications, I also want a line to the Lunarian princesses. I want to speak with them about something.?
Immediately, technicians begin to go to work. Some of them had confused looks on their faces when they had to aim the dishes at the moon. But after a few minutes, they received return transmissions.
On the main screen, a pair of woman appeared. The blonde was absentmindedly eating a peach while the purple haired one had a scowl on her face. She also kept playing with the tassel on the end of her katana.
?This is the acting President of the United States of America,? the CIA director had a sneer on his face. ?You may refer to me as either ?Your Excellency? or ?Mr. President?. I am ready to hear your surrender and pleas for mercy.?
?Those are big words for someone that?s on the losing end of the battle. You will refer to me as ?Your Highness?, since you are speaking to a member of the Lunarian Royal Family, I am Toyohime no Watasuki, the oldest princess of the Royal Family and head of the Lunarian Defense Corps. The same troops that are routing your best warriors.? She shook her head. ?But, what could have been expected from an impure being like you, human.?
?I am nothing if not a generous man, withdraw now, and I?ll only pursue the first few war crimes that you have committed.?
?War crimes? Your continued existence is a crime against the Moon. Attacking an isolated location doesn?t seem like something that would be justified, but we Lunarians don?t worry about understanding lower beings? ways of thinking.? Yorihime laughed with a sense of malice. ?But from what I have seen, you seem to think that you?re on a plane of existence higher than everyone around you. That?s the only explanation for you putting yourself against us. I?m not a fortuneteller, but I can tell you that this will not end well for you.?
?Taisui Xingjun told me that you would say that.?
The name didn?t mean anything to the staff in the Situation Room, but both Lunarian princesses stiffened.
?I see that you recognize his name, that?s the first smart thing you have done all day. Did you really think that I wouldn?t have thought of a way to win all of these? The God of Calamity himself has pledged his allegiance to me! You?re lucky that he asked me to give you another chance, something about an elixir he wants to get his hands on. If it was up to me, I would wipe all of you off the face of the moon. After all, we did plant our flag there.?
?Yet, you disregard your own laws,? Yorihime had recovered. ?The ?Outer Space Treaty? that your nation signed before you sent assassins to our sovereign territory prohibits any claims on any extraterrestrial body. And your own Congress agreed that it had no claims. From what I can see, those are the actions of a power hungry despot.?
?Everything that I have done is legal and in the best interests of my nation. I serve the people of the United States of American and will protect them from any threat, foreign and domestic. The continued existence of Gensokyo is a threat to the American people and the world.? He shrugs. ?Let me ask you this: have either of you ever of a 25S??
The princesses just stare at him.
?Well, in our military, we have different designations for the different types of service members we have. Each of our branches have a different method of designation, but most of them still are the same thing. For the United States Army, the 25 series is our communications branch. The S signifies that they are responsible for our multiple satellites. To even be considered to work on our satellites, they have to show a great amount of intellect. So, while I don?t mean to brag, they are some of our brightest and best. But, there?s an even higher echelon above the 25S. They are designated 1Cs. Their full designation is 25S1C. You may be asking yourselves, why am I giving all this information away??
He laughs. ?Anyone with an internet connection can find this out. But the reason why I?m tell both of you is this: I am not be played with and I?m about to show you why. The 1Cs are our satellite controllers. That means that they can have absolute power over all of our satellites, even our obsolete ones. And I have given them authorization to do whatever I wish. Watch this.?
Pushing a button next to him, he leans back with a smug smile.
22,500 miles above the Earth
An obsolete and damaged satellite was still in orbit. A remnant from the Cold War, it had an outdated designed, one that brought to mind a stout soda can. None of the lights on it were on, it just went on its merry way. Its solar panels were still in good condition, all it needed was for a signal to be received to turn back on.
The satellite received that signal and began its power on self-tests. As it went through them, status readouts were being sent to satellite controllers stationed deep in the Cheyenne Mountain range. Once everything was green, the controllers send the satellite a new set of orders.
It begins to tilt, and slowly begins to close the distance to the planet. Picking up speed, the satellite starts to glow from the friction of the earth?s atmosphere. The controllers on the ground kept a close eye on its trajectory, adjusting it with surgical precision.
Over the Pacific Ocean, the satellite?s trail can be seen as it heads towards Gensokyo.
Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
An alarm began to go off in the operations room, causing one of the moon rabbits to wave at Yorihime. She comes into the room and turns her attention to the screen that the rabbit points to. Turning around, the princess returns to the meeting room and stares the director in the eye.
?What do you think you?re doing? Are you really going to crash a satellite near your own people??
?They?ll be far away from the impact area. But, I?m afraid that your forces won?t be.?
Toyohime makes a cutting motion that makes the transmission turn off and walks into the operations room with her sister close behind her. She looks at the map and turns to the communication officer.
?Get ahold of Reisen?s General Staff. Tell them to get to cover as quickly as they can.?
As the communications officer begins to work her system, Yorihime walks into an empty office. Toyohime follows her after noticing the look on her face. Once the door closes, she sits down behind the desk. The pair are silent as they watch updates on the screen at the front of the room.
?We should have known.?
Toyohime turns to look at her sister, keeping silent.
?Humans shouldn?t have been able to find Gensokyo in the first place, unless they had help. If it?s really Taisui Xingjun, we?re in for a long and hard fight. He?s the only one that has ever gotten past the barrier to the Capital. We?ve underestimated him before and we?re still recovering from it.? She paused. ?I can?t admit this outside of this room, but if it?s really him, Reisen won?t be able to handle the fighting by herself.?
?She?s really changed a lot.? Yorihime smiles a little. ?Reisen?s not the same little rabbit that I fell on right before the Second Genso-Lunar War. We?ve both seen just now how she handles combat. But now that I think about it, just the 4th Regiment won?t be enough. You?re right, but it?ll have to be an all-out operation.?
?We?ll need to mobilize the entire LDC. And we?ll going to have to dust off our old weapons.?
Yorihime shrugged. ?It can?t be helped, but how are we going to lead all of the Royal Regiments? There?ll be one left over without a royal commander.?
?What about Master Eirin??
?From what she told me, she?s really thinking about retaking her old commission. If she does, it would make sense to give her the 1st Regiment. It was her last command, after all. The fact that she?s not really of royal blood shouldn?t affect anything. She is one of our Founders.?
?Then shouldn?t we go ahead and send in all the other branches? We can?t let the Royal Foot handle the fighting all by themselves.?
?The Cavalry Regiments should touch down next. But, if they?re going to rain down satellites on our forces, we?re going to get pinned down fast.?
Looking back at the screen, they see that the satellite is at 40,000 feet and is seconds away from impact. Both of them are hoping that Reisen got the message in time for her to get to safety. Then, the satellite suddenly explodes 10,000 above the ground. Alarms go off all around the explosion, highlighting extremely high energy levels.
?What?what was that?? Yorihime stared at the screen. ?Did it do any damage at all??
?Doesn?t look like it?, Toyohime grabbed a file off the desk. ?But I remember that Master Eirin sent us a report of someone with very destructive powers. If I remember right?here it is. Her name?s Flandre Scarlet, that?s interesting. It looks like she?s the younger sister of that vampire that tried to invade. From what Master Eirin wrote, she suffers from bouts of insanity. But she?s taking medicine to counteract that.?
?Is she a threat??
?She has a close relationship with Yukari Yakumo and that red-white shrine maiden. But she doesn?t seem to be the type to deal with cloak and dagger operations. As long as we don?t threaten her, she?ll be friendly, hopefully. From what the report says, her ability concerns something called the eye. It says that the eye is where tension is higher and that she can find it. Then she pours energy into it and destroys it.?
?Such a powerful ability. It?s too bad that she?s from the earth. We could use someone like that.?
?She?s a little too close to Yukari Yakumo for me to completely trust her if I had to. But, what about that man?s willingness to rain down satellites on Gensokyo? We don?t have to worry about them reaching us here like they are now, but that?ll change if Taisui Xingjun does the same thing he did last time. ?
?You mean having his minions take control of every faction and get them to work together? It looks like he?s already started, did you see that pin on his lapel??
Toyohime nodded. ?A catfish. His best and most loyal minion. So it?s confirmed that he has the United States under his control.?
?We can also assume that he?s working on getting his minions to infiltrate the other powers. Probably going after Russia or China as we speak. Once those three are under his power, international law will cease to exist. That?ll leave France and the United Kingdom, but they?ll usually follow the United States. At least until they fall under his control as well.?
?I can?t believe that you?ve paid attention to politics on Earth. But at least it?ll be useful now.? Toyohime is interrupted by an alarm going off. Another satellite begins to drop from orbit and heads towards Gensokyo. They watch it until it explodes near the same height as the first one.
?He?s not going to stop raining them down. Maybe he?ll throw one of his modern ones down and cut his own communications.?
?He?s not the smartest human, but I don?t think even he would order something like that.?
?From what I could tell, the fool?s power hungry.? Taking another bite out of her peach, Yorihime reads an update on Reisen?s progress on the ground. ?The 4th had to switch to light infantry tactics.?
?Light infantry? There?s no way the humans could have countered our Line infantry doctrine.?
?That?s exactly what they did. Instead of matching us as Line infantry, they fought as light. So Reisen gave the order to switch doctrines. So far, they managed to clear the staging area and are covering the GDF as they regroup and attack back.?
?How bad are the casualties??
?No serious ones at the moment. Master Eirin?s medicines have made it possible to save every last soldier under our command. It?s too bad the humans think that we have to follow their laws. I hate having to listen to them complain.?
Toyohime sighed. ?The real shame is that we?re even fighting in the first place. The Second Lunar War ended with us being embarrassed but no one died. We haven?t had a shooting war since those assassins invaded. Now, we?re in open warfare.?
They both look at the wall, where two command sabers are crossed behind the Royal Crest. The sabers were relics that had seen combat in every conflict ever since the founding of the Lunarian civilization. It was tradition that members of the Royal Family wield them on the field of battle. Now, it was time for them to be used again.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
Flandre tighten her fist once more as another satellite tried to crash into them. The rain of satellites wasn?t expected at all, so she had almost not believed Remilia when she started to yell from the top of the clock tower. The younger sister?s radio had suffered some damage from the shout and had more static than before.
Looking through the spyglass that Patchouli had given her, she keeps scanning the sky for more trails of fire. Seeing another one, she focuses on it and makes a fist. It explodes into another fireball. Flandre shakes her head, she didn?t like using her ability ever since she had finally understood the consequences. But this was for defense, so it was justified.
Outside the mansion, Sakuya had pinned down an entire company with a combination of knives and bullets. A grenade comes flying towards her while she?s pulling out another set of knives. She spins around and kicks it back towards its thrower. It lands at his feet and goes off, taking down most of the squad near him.
Meiling had closed with another squad and was fighting them hand to hand. Grabbing one soldier by the neck, she throws him into another one. When they collide, an accidental discharge hits a third soldier in the leg and sends him crashing to the ground. He turns around and tries to pull out his sidearm, but the gatekeeper stabs him with his own knife.
Grabbing another soldier, she starts to hop back to the safety of the wall as bullets riddle her shield?s body. Reaching cover, she throws the body to the side and leans on the wall. Sakuya is beside her, wiping a bit of dirt off of her service cap.
?No matter how many I kill, they just won?t stop coming,? Sakuya checked her ammo. ?And I?m out of rounds.?
Meiling picks up a straight sword that she had used to practice Tai Chi and pulled it out of its scabbarded. ?We?ll have to show them what we youkai can do.? She pauses, remembering something. ?Wait, that?s not what I meant-?
?Don?t worry about it, Meiling. I?m alright with staying human.? A bullet makes both of them turn their heads as bits of brick are send flying. ?I promised Milady that I would protect her to my last breath. And that means that I?m protecting every member of this household.? Sakuya draws her old service knife. ?At least we?ll take a few more with us.?
Sakuya pulls out one of her spellcards, Illusion Image ?Luna Clock?, and activates it. Knives begin to rain down on the Marines that had set up hasty fighting positions, forcing them to duck. The pair use the opportunity to get in close with the first group and start to cut them down.
Remilia sees her two servants rush forward and brings her Springfield to bear. Pulling off multiple quick shots, she aims for officers. This throws the invaders into a panic, letting Sakuya and Meiling do even more damage. Every time that one of them tries to bring their rifle up, Sakuya throws a knife that hits their hand. Meiling is busy using the straight sword to disarm her opponents before she kills them.
A volley of missiles is launched, shaking the ground. Everyone is knocked off balance due to the sheer number and power of the launch. Getting her balance back, Meiling stabs a corporal then lifts his body and throws it behind her. She stomps the ground, causing the Marines near her to lose their balance again. Then she executes a large slash that hits all of them.
A commotion at the other end of the thicket attracts her attention. The gatekeeper ducks behind a tree and tries to make out what is causing it. On the other side, a group of youkai rabbits had appeared, wearing the same type of clothes as the taller rabbit from Eientei. And they?re mowing down the rest of the invaders.
Sakuya?s instantly cutting through the men between her and the rabbit with gold trim on her shoulder boards swinging a saber. The rabbit sees this and begins to move towards the maid. Once they were in speaking distance, Sakuya gave her a nod of acknowledgement.
?You couldn?t have chosen a better time to show up. What unit are all of you?? Sakuya throws a knife that hits a lance corporal in the throat and lays him out.
?We?re the 2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment of Royal Foot. Our commander sent us to make sure that the anti-air defenses don?t get knocked out.?
?How many do you have??
?About 100 well trained moon rabbits.?
?What doctrines do you know??
?Light infantry and line infantry.?
?Line infantry? We haven?t used that for over 200 years. But that gives me an idea. What?s the rank structure on the moon??
?Um?I?m the equivalent to a NATO captain, if that?s what you?re asking.?
Sakuya points at her own shoulder board. ?This denotes me as a Hauptmann, a captain in the German armed forces. Even though I haven?t put on this uniform for a while before today, I still remember a majority of my training. And I did specialize in the Blitzkrieg.?
?But?that?s never happened before. A human commanding a Lunarian unit, it?s-?
?I?m not a regular human. Are you going to let me try out my idea or not.? The moon rabbit looks away and nods. ?That?s what I wanted to hear. Don?t worry, if it doesn?t work, you can have it back. But I?m sure it will. After all, I am a human.?
Sakuya runs up to the standard bear and raises her service knife. ?Lunarian troops, form up in line infantry formation.?
The moon rabbits looked at each other for a second and then started to move. Once they were all formed up, Sakuya looked around for Meiling. ?Get back to the mansion and ask Milady to keep an eye out for vehicles.?
She nods her understanding and runs back. The Chief Maid decides to head for the road that leads to the front gate of the mansion. ?Company, forward!? As one, the company began to march in step. Keeping an eye out for ambushes, she could tell that most of the Marines had fallen back to a rally point. Right now was the most dangerous time since their visibility was limited by both the trees and their formation.
Reaching the road, she has the formation rotate so that it face away from the mansion. ?Ready your weapons!?
As the troops began to reload, Sakuya turned to the standard bearer. ?What doctrine were you using when you first got here??
?Line infantry, ma?am. But our commander had us changed when the humans started to use vehicles and explosives against us.?
?Do you have any defenses??
?Our uniforms can stop a majority of the bullets, but our best defenses were the riot shield that we left at our staging area, ma?am.?
?What about your weapons??
?Our rifles can fire in bursts and full fire, ma?am.?
?Full fire??
?They can fire their entire load by holding down the trigger. They can hold 10 rounds, ma?am.?
?Alright, what about medical personnel??
?Each squad has one dedicated doctor, ma?am.?
?Can you do the goosestep??
?The goosestep, ma?am??
?Never mind, looks like everyone?s ready. Company, forward!?
They begin to march again. Then Sakuya stops movement on both sides of the forest surrounding the road. ?Quickly, square formation!?
The company rearranges themselves into a square formation, with Sakuya and the standard bearer in the middle. For the next few seconds, the field is quiet. Then a low flying NATO F-18 flies over the forest and is hit by a volley of missiles from the mansion. Masked by the noise, Marines and soldiers rush forward and begin to open fire and throw grenades.
?Fire!? Sakuya yells as she throws knives the send the grenades bouncing in the air. Some of the moon rabbits are hit by bullets, but their uniforms only allow the kinetic energy to affect them. Even when they are getting knocked back, they still concentrate fire on their targets. The returned grenades go off, sending shrapnel into the humans that had taken cover.
The first row takes a knee as they reload, allowing the second row to cover them. They keep firing until they need to reload, and allow the first row to stand.
?Aright, cease fire!? Sakuya can?t see any survivors in the forest. She waits for a minute, listening for the sounds of wounded. Hearing none, she nods in satisfaction. ?Form up by ranks!?
As the company moves, her cell phone begins to ring. Picking it up, she answers it. ?Yes, Milady??
?Sakuya, did you really forget your cell phone or were you trying to get Meiling out of there??
?Milady, I-?
?Don?t worry about it. From what I?m hearing from the kappas, the humans are starting to pull back. And nice work on the line infantry. The humans are getting confused with it.?
?Thank you, Milady.?
?Wait?looks like a company of American Marines haven?t gotten the message about falling back. They?re heading towards you from the lake.?
?We?re take care of them, Milady.?
Hanging up, Sakuya has the formation turn to the left and march through the forest. She halts them when she starts to hear movement. Motioning to lay down, she takes a knee and can see the first elements of the enemy company. Arranged in a wedge formation, they?re nervously looking around.
Waiting until they?re in their midst, she attacks them. The moon rabbits rush forward and stab them with their bayonets before they can make a sound. Grabbing the bodies, they hide them in the thick bushes surrounding them. Then they take up their positions once more.
The rest of the company appears and walks towards their hiding place. Sakuya backs up a little to better hide herself. When the majority of the company is on top of them, the maid jumps up and stabs the company commander in the back. This is the signal that the moon rabbits were waiting for.
Sensing the executive officer bringing his rifle up to shoot her in the back, Sakuya keeps hold of the company commander and spins him around. The bullets meant for her hit him instead and cause the XO to freeze. Dropping the body, she moves forward and cuts his throat. Taking care to avoid the blood, she sidesteps another officer trying to beat her with his rifle.
She calmly throws a knife that hits his unprotected leg and cuts the femoral artery. Unable to watch him drop due to the rifle being brought in front of her and pressing down her neck, she lowers her head. Then she bends her knees and grabs the rifle. Leaning forward, she lifts the sergeant off the ground and flips him over her shoulder. Even before he can hit the ground, a knife stabs straight through his armor and into his stomach.
The sounds of gunshots ring through the air as the moon rabbits begin to fire, not having to hesitate due to their confidence in avoiding friendly fire. Half of the company officers and senior NCOs go down, creating a panic. As the rest of the company begins to run back, the Lunarians form up and fire at their backs. The hail of gunfire completely destroys the rest of the company, leaving a silent forest in its wake.
Sakuya finds the commander of the Lunarian company and nods her head. ?You were right, they are good. Now with the humans pulling back, we may be able to throw them out of Gensokyo completely. They remind me of my own troops, before we got sabotaged by not having the supplies were promised.? She has to pause to clamp down on the anger she still felt from that. ?Anyway, they?re yours now. I have some things I have to take care of.?
Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
Renko and Maribel were amazed by the sight that met them when they stepped out of Yukari?s gap. The room was in organized chaos, with kappas running from radio to radio. In the middle of the room, the real time magical map showed the NATO and Russian forces being either wiped out or falling back. They could only fall back so far before they were stopped by the Celestial artillery.
Multiple red squares were flashing quickly then disappearing. Maribel could tell that those were NATO units that were being totally wiped out. Yukari looked at her and shook her head.
?It?s necessary. We can?t afford to hold anything back, especially with almost the entire planet against us. If it wasn?t for the Lunarians, we would?ve probably lost.? She pointed at the Human Village. ?Most of the humans that live there evacuated to the Moriya Shrine, while the rest stayed behind to protect their homes. Less than a month ago, they had no idea that this was going to happen. Neither did any of the youkai. All that we were paying attention to was the harvest festival. None of us cared about anything beyond the barrier. Then it happened. The barrier began to weaken and the humans started to look in.?
Yukari?s face began to grow harsh. ?No matter what I did, they still kept looking in. But it?s my fault as well. I had too much faith in the humans. I thought that their advances in science and philosophy had shown them to accept others that were different. I was completely wrong.? Maribel opens her mouth to protest, but Yukari lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. ?I?m talking about humans as a whole. I will be the first to admit that there are exceptions. But, I?m happy to have met two of them. You remind me so much of myself.? The youkai had to pause. She was skating a thin line.
?Anyway, no matter what I did, I couldn?t stop all of this from happening. And I have the blood of everyone that has died today on my hands, human and youkai. But I can?t let myself slow down or stop. I owe it to them and everyone else to find a way to stop the bloodshed and restore peace.? She points at the Hakueri Shrine. ?The shrine maiden that takes care of that shrine is suffering from shock brought on by the collapse of the barrier. What I want to do right now is be by her side and protect her. That I cannot do right now. She loves Gensokyo with every ounce of her being and has proven that she?s willing to put her life on the line to protect it. The best way I can help her is by coordinating the last push that?ll end this battle.?
?And yet, that?s the easy part. What worries me is what happens afterward. We?ve passed a line when the Shrine was blockaded. We can?t just withdraw into ourselves after this battle is over and expect that we?re left alone. Not with him around.? Maribel and Renko glance at each other, confused by her sudden change in tone. ?But I need more evidence to make sure that I?m right about that. And that leads me to the most important part and the reason why I brought both of you here.?
Yukari turns to face them with a strange look on her face. It?s almost a desperate look, but she tries so hard to clamp down on it. Seeing it made Maribel want to hug her and comfort her. ?Please, I want to ask both of you if you would help us. I?m not asking you to fight as infantry or to develop new magic or technology. Both of you are intelligent and resourceful, if you weren?t, you would have died out there. Please, help us end all of this.?
Maribel had to pause, letting the events of today replay in her mind. But, even before she had woken up this morning, she knew what she would do. Looking at Renko, she can tell that they have come to the same answer.
?We?ll help.?
The sense of relief that Yukari felt was almost tangible. ?Thank you, both of you. I can?t tell you how much this means to me. For now, that?s the main thing. Go ahead and walk around and get to know the kappas. They?re the ones responsible for the weapons and magic that we?re using right now. They?re a bit eccentric, but they fun to know and talk to.?
As Maribel and Renko walked away to tour the relay post, Yuyuko walked to join Yukari. The ghost?s eyes were on the departing pair as she put her fan away.
?Yukari, I haven?t seen you like this in a very long time.?
The gap youkai stayed silent. Yuyuko leans in closer and lowers her voice.
?Yukari, I know what?s going on. This is bigger than anything you?ve ever done.?
This time, Yuyuko got a reaction. Yukari stiffens and focuses on the map.
?You?re playing an extremely dangerous game, Yukari. I doubt that Lady Eiki or the Dragon God will let you go far with this. Don?t worry, I won?t say anything to either them. But are you really ready to accept the consequences? Both of them will be after your head when they find out.?
?I don?t care about myself.? Yukari spoke with such a strained tone that Yuyuko?s heart began to break. ?I couldn?t protect her and then I couldn?t protect you. This is my chance to fix all of that. It doesn?t matter what happens to me, as long as she and you don?t have to go through the pain that both of you had to go through. All of my schemes have led up to this.?
?But what if it makes all of this worse? What if we?we don?t know each other anymore?? Yuyuko?s hand began to tremble and she had to grab her fan to hide it.
?That?s been at the front of my mind. But as long as both of you are happy, that?s a risk I?m willing to take. I don?t ever want you to have to do what you did to seal that tree away.?
Yuyuko moved forward and held Yukari in an embrace. ?I?m happy knowing you right now. No matter what happened in the past, I always knew that you were there to help me pick up the pieces. I?m not mad at that tree for what it did to me. Because of that tree, I got to know my best friend, someone that?s closer than a sister to me.?
?But I still can?t forgive myself for letting you get hurt like that. If only I didn?t wait to do something, I could?ve stop all of this from happening. You could still be alive right now, and so could she.?
?Things happen for a reason. But with all of the pieces in palace, I can?t stop you. Just remember, if anything happens, I?ll always be at your side. Even with all the time that we?ve know each other, I wish I?d known you better.?
?I think, you know me at my best.? Yukari hugged her best friend back. ?I promise that I?ll do everything to make things better than before.?
-
Alight, so since my semester is starting to run down, I finally got time to make my own fic. I have had this idea in my head for a while, especially playing Arma 2. So I'm going to invoke Rule 9. Touhou goes with everything. Construct criticism and questions are welcomed.
Let me rephrase that one for you.
Rule 50: Everything is crossed with everything.
Been following this one on FF.net since a friend showed me it.
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Let me rephrase that one for you.
Rule 50: Everything is crossed with everything.
Been following this one on FF.net since a friend showed me it.
A/N: Changed. Thanks for pointing out my mistake.
Near the Human Village, Gensokyo
So far, the 4th Regiment hadn?t suffered any casualties. That was what Reisen was most grateful for. The moon rabbit had taken accountability and knew that the two detachments were quickly coming back. She decides to wait for them and speaks to the schoolteacher that?s in charge of the village?s meager defense militia.
?I won?t lie, this isn?t the first time that I?m happy to see a rabbit,? Mokou had her hands in her pocket and her H&K 416 slung on her back. ?But the other one is a lot taller and does at least patch me up after those fights.?
?She?s wounded,? Reisen doesn?t bother trying to dance around the news. ?Master Yagokoro?s fallen into a rampage and took down a few battalions of the human?s best warriors by herself. We?re just here to make sure that all of you aren?t overrun.?
Before Keine or Mokou could respond, a mortar hit the ground a few feet away. Dirt rained down on the group, bouncing off Keine?s hat but staying on Mokou?s hair. A shot from the front of the line goes off and the mortars stop falling.
The schoolteacher decided to step in. ?We?re grateful for your help. But with the barrier down, doesn?t that mean that they can attack from any direction??
?That?s why I have the 4th Regiment formed up all around the village in the trees. Any push against us will be stopped. But we can?t win if we don?t take the fight to them.?
?I?m in?? Everyone turns to see Remiu barely staying on her feet walking towards them. Reisen immediately recognizes her as the human that had helped her when she had come to the earth for the first time. But she was pale and shaky. Reisen ran forward and put Remiu?s arm over her should to help her.
?Hey, you?re familiar?aren?t you that doctor?s rabbit??
?No, I?m that rabbit you nursed a long time ago. The one you?re talking about is my namesake. She?s been wounded and made Master Yagokoro go into a rampage.? Remiu began to shake even more. ?Don?t worry, they?re both fine. My regiment?s surrounding the village and holding the humans at bay. But we?re going to have to do something if we don?t want to lose the advantage we have right now.?
?Yukari?she should know??
?Damn,? Reisen turns her head to yell at her staff. ?Get me a doc right now!? She turns back to Remiu. ?Hang in there, we?re going to fix you up. Just try to calm yourself down. We got all of this under control.?
A moon rabbit wearing the insignia of the Medical Service reaches them and begins to examine the shrine maiden. Reisen?s communications officer runs up to her and whispers in her ear. Reisen nods and begins to give her orders to be distributed. Then she turns to the school teacher.
?Is there any way to get in touch with Yukari Yakumo??
?Here.? Keine pulls out her cell phone and dials a number before handing it over.
A few minutes later, the Medical Service moon rabbit shakes her head. ?I?m sorry, but I don?t know anything that can help her. It?s not a physical ailment, so none of my medicines can help. Master Yagokoro probably can cure it.?
?That means you need to rest.? Reisen was firm. ?We?re about to do the final push. After this, I?ll do everything in my power to get Master Yagokoro to cure you. Lady Yakumo has asked me to make sure that you?re not involved with the fighting.?
?But?I-?
?I have my orders. A cavalry regiment?s about to come in, so I need to coordinate with their commander.?
?Alright.? Remiu felt useless, Reisen could see that. She gives the shrine maiden a comforting squeeze on her shoulder and hands her off to Keine. Grabbing her staff, she runs towards the rear of the village. Once she sees a portal open, she stops and waits for their reinforcements to pass through. But what surprised her was the extra support.
Behind the first rank of cavalry, Reisen?s horse was heading towards her. Behind the horse, the rest of her staff?s mounts were also heading towards them. Getting the message that the princesses are sending her, Reisen gets up on her horse. Hosteling her sidearm, she draws her saber and gives her horse a reassuring pat.
?Who?s in charge here,? Reisen looks around and sees a golden crested rider come towards her.
?I am. Princess Toyohime has sent us to reinforce your attack. We?re supposed to fall under your authority.?
Reisen grimaced. She had little experience in using cavalry, especially in a situation like this. ?Form up on opposite sides of the village and wait for my signal.?
Turning around, she moves back to be closer to the front line. Her staff in arranged in a rectangular formation with her at the front and middle. Her operations officer is on her right while her signals officer is on her left. Reisen begins to shift in her saddle as she waits for the start of the attack. Pulling out a scroll from her pocket, she consults it.
The scroll contains a mini-map of the surrounding area, along with the locations of units that her security and operations officer have confirmed. At the present moment, it shows a pair of battalions that have gotten trapped due to the Celestial artillery. From the way the squares are moving, Reisen would be willing to bet that they were going to try one last push for the shrine.
The skies were finally becoming clear of NATO aircraft. That would be one less thing for Reisen to worry about. Nodding at her signals officer, she watches as the 4th Regiment changes back to line infantry doctrine and forms up in one long horizontal line with their riot shields at the front. Once she felt that they were ready, she gives the command. ?4Th Regiment, forward!?
As the regiment marches towards the shrine, Reisen notices that her horse is completely calm. Gripping the reins, she tries her best to get rid of the nervousness that had just taken hold of her. She consults the map again, finding a good spot to stage themselves.
As soon as they arrive, Reisen has them get into firing position. She calls the cavalry to be closer and then waits. Noise from the side of the formation make her snap her head but she relaxes when she sees that it?s some of the white wolf tengus. A few of them have signs of having fought in hand to hand to combat, they had broken noses and black eyes.
More of the inhabitants of Gensokyo start to arrive, all of them have close combat injuries. Sakuya?s uniform was torn and she had a deep cut above her left eye. Youmu was favoring her left leg and was wiping blood from her mouth, Momiji was limping as well. Reisen was starting to grow worried until she saw a familiar face.
Eirin had walked towards them. But she had the aura of pure rage all around her. The company that was in her path scrambled to get out of her way. Reisen jumps off of her horse and bows to the doctor. Eirin?s left eye is twitching and she has her teeth clenched. There were spots of blood and dirt all over her uniform and her service pistol had a large dent on its handle.
?As you were,? Eirin?s voice was harsh. ?What outfit is this??
?The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, Master Yagokoro,? Reisen answered. ?We have the 2nd Calvary Regiment waiting a little behind us.?
Before Eirin could continue her line of questioning, her cell phone started to ring. Answering it, she listens for a few seconds and then hangs up. When she looks up, a sense of relief was evident on her face. ?Alright, so we have two regiments of combat operations here, correct??
?Yes, Master Yagokoro.?
?You?ve changed in such a short time, Reisen.?
The moon rabbit was still too nervous to say anything and flinched when the doctor raised her hand. But she was caught off guard when the doctor ruffled her hair and laughed. ?You don?t have to be so nervous. I?m not as angry now as I was before. If both of my former pupils trusted you with an entire Regiment of Royal Foot, I think I can trust you too. Now tell me, do you have any training experience with using cavalry??
?No, Master Yagokoro.?
?Don?t worry about it. I?ll walk you through it. Do you have a map of the surrounding area??
?Yes, Master Yagokoro.? Reisen pulls out the scroll and unrolls it.
?What do you know about the enemy?? Eirin was going to have the moon rabbit walk herself through it.
?They?re all humans. The majority are NATO forces with a few Russian units spread here and there. They have no vehicles or heavy armor because of the GDF?s air support.?
?So mostly infantry??
?Yes, Master Yagokoro.?
?What kind of weapons and tactics do they use??
?They have mid-range rifles with 20 to 30 round magazines. Some of them have light to medium machine guns and a few have mortars. We?ve ran into a few snipers, but the forest keeps them from being effective.?
?What about the terrain??
?Medium to dense forest with multiple paths. Plenty of cover with trees and ditches everywhere, Master Yagokoro.?
?What?s your objective??
?To clear the area, Master Yagokoro??
?And how are you going to do that??
?We?ll have to wipe out both the remaining battalions.?
?That?s right. We?ll have to wipe out every single person.?
?But what if they surrender, Master Yagokoro??
?They?ve seen too much today to even thing about surrendering. They see us as monsters and inhuman creatures, and they don?t expect mercy from us. But, if you really do believe that they may surrender, give it a try. Just don?t expect a miracle.?
?Yes, Master Yagokoro.?
?So you have two parts of the triangle. What about your own artillery??
?We?ve been having problems with friendly fire at long range, Master Yagokoro. We?re relying on the Celestials to cover us.?
?Hmm?that?s a risky move.?
?I hope you?re not doubting our skills,? Tenshi had showed up. ?We do have a 100% percent accuracy so far.?
?Nice of you to join us, Tenshi,? Eirin nodded in acknowledgement. ?If you?re here, who?s giving the order to fire??
?My father decided to join the fun. And I needed to be able to not worry about getting more messages from the Dragon Palace,? Tenshi holds out a scroll to the doctor. ?You might want to take a look at this later.?
Eirin takes it and folds it into a pouch on her belt. ?Then this?ll work out. Reisen, go ahead and make a tentative plan for the attack. Run it by me before you put it into action. Tenshi, be ready to call in more artillery when we get it moving.?
The Celestial nods and knows that?s a dismissal. She walks away and begins to tend to the various small wounds all around her. She tends to Sakuya but is careful. The maid notices how the Celestial?s extremely careful around and says something. ?Is something wrong?? Sakuya immediately winces at how harsh her tone had just gotten.
Tenshi stiffens, ?I?m sorry.?
Sakuya waits for an explanation, but the blue-haired woman avoids her gaze. ?It?s about what happened during the Earthquake Incident, isn?t it??
?I shouldn?t have said what I did.?
?It?s about time you figured that out, ?Sakuya nods. ?I?m not mad about that anymore. But now that you know your mistake, you?re learning. And I know about all you?ve done so far today. You?re not the spoiled brat that I had knock some sense into so long ago. I can see that you?re trying to do what?s best. I appreciate that, I really do. You still have some work to do, but the fact is that you?re trying. Keep it up.?
Tenshi had to look away and wipe a tear from her eye. But now, she was able to look the maid in the eye as an equal. She finishes affixing a bandage to the cut above Sakuya?s eye and wipes the rest of the blood off of her forehead. Moving on to the next, Tenshi begins to help Youmu wipe the blood out of her mouth and nurse her leg.
Marisa arrives next, riding in on her broom. The witch is a little worse for wear but still seems ready. Once she?s done bandaging Youmu?s leg, Tenshi looks around. Almost everyone in Gensokyo is in the area, except for the faction heads. This is it. Tenshi repeats it again and again in her mind. The final push of the battle had come.
White House Situation Room, Washington, DC, United States
?Useless,? the CIA director?s voice was full of disgust as he watched another satellite explode harmlessly above Gensokyo. ?How am I going to subjugate a rouge power when they can counter everything that I throw at them??
?Sir, these aren?t normal enemies-?, the Army Chief of Staff begins to argue back but he?s cut off.
?I don?t care about that! They aren?t anything but little girls in frilly dress! They shouldn?t have been able to stop, much less push us back!? He slams his fist on the table. ?We?re supposed to be the most advanced and powerful military force on the planet! We have air superiority, the most accurate and dangerous artillery, the most well-trained troops. How are we not wiping them off the face of the planet? That?s it. I?m taking a walk. Maybe you can do something right for once without me having to hold your hand.?
He gets up and stomps out of the room. The rest of the room is silent as the various officials and assistants trade glances with each other. The screens still show rising numbers of wounded and dead from the battle. The numerous boxes that represented divisions and battalions were starting to flash and some even disappeared. The Joint Chiefs of Staff couldn?t take their eyes off the screen. One even put his hand to his face and started to weep silently. The combat action pin on his ASU was the same one as one of the divisions that was taking extreme losses.
?There?s so many of our people gone?? one of the assistants trails off.
?He doesn?t care at all. He just wants power,? one of the secretaries says. ?He keeps sending our own to die just for him to look good. Why should they have to suffer-?
?They?re doing their duty. They swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States and to obey the orders of those placed above them,? the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff responded. ?Even when they have a complete monster above them, they have to follow all lawful orders.?
?There has to be a way to end this,? one of the other assistants said. ?There?s way too much negligence for this to be an honest mistake. So many people have died because of something that never had to happen.?
?Are you really suggesting an impeachment,? the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services lowered his voice. ?Don?t you remember how he got here? What if he?s got files on all of us? If we make a move, we have to make sure that he goes down.?
?But isn?t that treason??
?Not if we do it legally.?
The acting President is almost halfway down to his limo before his Secret Service agents realize that he?s gone. They catch up to him just as he?s walking out of the front door and he slings the door open. Jumping in, he almost slams the door on his bodyguard. He scoffs and moves to the side to let them join him.
He yells at the driver, ?Take me to the Jefferson Memorial, NOW!?
The car begins to move forward and he pulls out his cell phone. Sending a quick text message, he sits back and waits for a response. He gets one a few minutes later and spends the rest of the trip fuming. Once they arrive at the monument, he jumps out and orders his security to stay where they are. Walking away, he goes to a deserted part of the monument.
He waits there for a few minutes, tapping his foot impatiently. Checking his phone again and again, he gets even more agitated when there aren?t any new text messages. There?s no one else in the immediate area as the man looks around. A nervous chill runs down his spine, but he ignores it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees an envelope that wasn?t there before. Picking it up carefully, he opens it. Inside, there is a sheet of paper. As the director?s eyes go from side to side reading it, his anger builds. Crushing the paper in his hand, he turns around and starts to walk around the monument to calm himself down.
From what he can see, it looks like a crowd of people were on the steps on the side away from where his car was parked. For some reason, he feels another chill. This time he pauses, trying to figure out why he?s having these reactions. Sensing something amiss, he sticks his hand in his pocket and grabs hold of the Glock 19 that he keeps there.
His eyes are attracted by the mass group of cherry blossoms that are planted around the monument. He sees movement near then and stiffens, but relaxes a little when it?s just a butterfly. But it was a strange butterfly, it glowed with an unnatural purple.
The crowd of people begin to move, making the director shift towards the side of the stairs. He gets there and looks around again. He notices a short haired blonde girl in a blue dress holding a book. She has pale skin and bright blue eyes. She walks closer to the director and stops to admire the cherry blossoms.
The director decides that she?s not a threat and keeps looking around. He does this for a few more minutes, fidgeting. Then the girl suddenly grabs him and locks the hand in his pocket. She puts her hand over his mouth and drags him into a covered spot between the trees. Struggling the entire time, the man wonders how such a pale and frail looking girl can overpower him so easily.
He stops struggling when he feels a knife stab his kidney and send paralyzing pain throughout his body. She lets him drop next to a bush and watches as he withers. Looking bored, she crouches down and looks him the eye, careful to avoid stepping into the pool of blood. Reaching for the gun in his pocket, he gets his hand slammed by her book for his trouble.
Even with being forced to spasm with pain, his eyes widen as the blonde haired girl changes to a mirror image of himself amidst a swirling of dark energy. His doppelg?nger flashes him a smile and takes his wallet and cell phone. Picking up the Glock, he looks at it and shrugs.
?Can I tell you a secret,? the dying man is astonished at the prefect replication of his voice. ?Taisui Xingjun was always watching you. Do you know how? Because I am Taisui Xingjun and I can change my form. I was everywhere and right next to you. You saw me every single day, and yet you were blinded by your foolishness. I was never going to let you keep all of this. You were a valuable toy, I will admit that. But now, it?s time for you to be thrown away. And before I forget, I don?t appreciate what you said about giant catfishes.? He takes the pistol and slams it down on the director?s hand, breaking every bone in it. He barely keeps hold of his consciousness and almost submits to the black at the edge of his vision.
?Now that I can control the most powerful nation on the earth, I have absolute power! Every other nation?s falling under my influence as I speak! Tell me, what does it feel like to die as a pitiful old man? Such a shame, you had such a promising future.?
?Go?to?hell??
?Ah, at long last he speaks! Why would I want to go back there? I already took it over and got bored with it awfully fast. Even though, the sulfur did add a unique taste to the beef stew that I cooked down there. You humans do say some of the weirdest things. Too bad you didn?t pick better final words.?
Taisui Xingjun stands up. Looking down at the dying human, he stomps him in the throat. For the next few seconds, the only noise heard was a barely audible gurgling noise. Once the noise stops, he snaps his fingers and watches as the body begins to burn. Adjusting his tie, he clears his throat and fires the pistol into the body. Running back towards the monument, he begins to yell about a gunman and a fire.
The crowd begins to disperse as soon as they hear the first gunshot. Then they go into a panic when they hear a second one and hear about the fire. The bodyguards at the car hear the commotion and rush into the crowd. Seeing their charge, they surround him and escort him back to the limo. Jumping in, they do a burnout as they flee the memorial.
Once they were far enough away, Taisui Xingjun adjusts his tie again and laughs. ?That was quite a walk back there. Are both of you alright??
The bodyguards look at each other, surprised by his sudden change of mood. They nod, not knowing what to expect.
?With such an incident behind us, you two must be hungry. Driver, you?re probably hungry as well. I saw a Popeye?s around here somewhere. I always did love their biscuits. Is that good for all of you? Good, but we?ll have to get it to go. We have a lot of work to do back at the White House.?
Dragon Palace, Above Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
Iku had just returned from delivering another scroll to Tenshi?s father when she had the idea to eavesdrop on some of the higher ministers of the palace. Moving quickly, she arrives at a garden and jumps into a bush near the door. The messenger knows that this is around the time where most of the family leaders would eat their lunch and preferred to enjoy the garden while doing so.
For the next few minutes, she sits there and wonders if it?s a mistake. Then the door opens again and they all walk in. All of them are carrying boxed lunches and sit down at the table in the middle of the garden. As they get their food ready, they small talk. This continues until all of them fall silent.
?What do you think about all of this?? one of the ministers wearing a red robe with gold trim asks.
?Are you talking about that delinquent?? A minister in orange and yellow trim responds.
?Yes, I can?t believe that they gave her such a position. Especially after that incident.?
?Aren?t you over that yet??
?How I can be over that when I should have taken her spot because of that! I have been here longer than she has and I have done so much more! The Dragon God should reward me with more power because of my loyalty! That little brat has no right to be anywhere but locked in her room!?
?Last time I heard, you ran away from a simulated battle,? an older minister dressed in a dark purple said. ?Not exactly the best trait for a leader, isn?t it??
?He?s right. Everything something comes up, you?re always trying to get the best for yourself and leave the rest of us out in the rain. Don?t try to deny it, we all have said something about it.?
?I do what?s best for everyone!? He?s interrupted by Iku stepping out of the bush.
?Minister, it?s not befitting for someone of you position to lie so much.? The messenger glares at him, contempt dripping from her voice. ?From the start of this crisis, you?ve been trying to take the mantle of leadership away from the Eldest Daughter. But what will you do once you have it? Will you run at the first volley on the battlefield? Or will you shoot the person next to you out of maliciousness or sheer incompetence? The Eldest Daughter is on the frontlines this very moment, helping with the final push. Is she scared? She won?t admit it, but she is. Why would she be scared? Because she can be killed out there. This is different. This isn?t like dying peacefully and going to meet the Yama on your terms. Human bullets cause a lot of pain and death is not quick. She can die surrounded by enemies with not a friend in sight. She can survive but be emotionally scarred for the rest of her life. Worse things can happen to her. And she knows it. But that didn?t stop her from going out there. She could have stayed with the artillery and been relatively safe. Instead she?s out there fighting the humans face to face.? Iku had to pause. ?Instead of being out there as Celestial tradition dictates in a crisis, you?re sitting here in an ivory tower. Are you waiting until the dust settles so that you?ll have no resistance when you make a power play? Or is it because you?re a coward??
Disgusted, Iku turns and leaves the room. The door slams shut behind her, leaving the ministers in angry silence. She?s halfway down the hall when she feels a chill go down her body. She pauses than a sad smile appears on her face. Looks like I stirred the hornet?s nest. She sighs. Eldest Daught-no, Tenshi, please don?t be too sad when it happens. I have faith in you, just make sure to make me wait on the other side.
She continues going down the hallway and enters the dining hall. She gets a plate of food, but barely eats anything due to her loss of interest and the heavy weight in her stomach. Iku pulls out a small book, she wasn?t concerned with who saw her now. She skimmed through the pages that she had marked and pauses. Then she pulls out another small book and begins to write in it. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the stares of some of the medium level ministers and administrative aides.
Iku can understand why they were staring at her. Word tends to travel fast around the palace and she hadn?t exactly given her speech in the most secluded locale. The book wasn?t helping either. Most of the administrators were educated and could tell exactly what the book was, even if it was from the outside world. It only served to add fuel to the rumors going around. The delinquent Celestial?s closest ally, the one person that held the Dragon God?s ear, was reading Niccolo Machiavelli?s The Prince in the middle of a power play.
-
Courtroom, Ministry of Right and Wrong-Gensokyo Division, Gensokyo
The number of fresh spirits made Eiki?s heart grow heavy. There were so many in the courtroom, it was standing room only. Komachi was doing her best to keep them from getting too disorganized, but it was an uphill battle. More and more spirits were arriving, all human. The Yama was grateful for that one fact. There were others that she prayed that she wouldn?t see.
Standing up, she motions for Komachi to come to her. Once the Shinigami got close enough, the Yama began to talk softly. ?Get them to move out to the hallways and the break rooms, I need this courtroom clear.?
?I?ll try, Lady Eiki.?
As she walked away, Eiki felt a sense of worry about her assistant. She didn?t want to have to judge her in this very courtroom. But if the worst happened, that could become a reality. The room begins to clear out and eventually, just the two of them are left.
Eiki?s temples began to throb, making her start to rub them. For a very long time, she hadn?t seen so many spirits waiting to be judged in so short a time. Even though all of them were enemy combatants, she didn?t even think about just sending them to hell. She knew that they were just doing their duty, the responsible parties were higher up on the chain.
What she wanted to do was apologize to each and every spirit for how all of this turned out and give them the chance to talk to their families one last time. She vowed to try to get them transferred closer to their homes. Hopefully, that would give some of them closure and peace in the afterlife.
There was a knock on the door and a middle level judicial clerk walked in. She carried a bundle of papers and handed them to Komachi. She bows and then leaves the room when Eiki gives her a wave of acknowledgement. The door closes and leaves the pair in silence, expect for the noises of the judge shifting through the papers.
Once she?s done reading, Eiki lowers her head into her hands. Komachi watches her closely, not knowing what to expect.
?We can?t make the mistake of thinking we won already,? the Yama sighed. ?We?re so close to a final push, but the humans won?t stop just because they were beat once. They won?t give up until almost every single one of them is waiting in line for judgment. And then what? We?ve tried so hard to keep to ourselves and now this had to happen. Unless something happens, this?ll probably lead to the extinction of either side.?
Komachi stayed silent and kept her gaze on the carpeted floor. She still had her pistol strapped to her belt, but she had always preferred her scythe. The normally cheery look on her face was replaced by a depressed frown.
?It would be bad enough if this was just between the humans and ourselves, but there?s something else in play. There?s someone out there pulling strings and making all of us dance to their sick little drum.?
This time, Komachi had to look up. ?Lady Eiki, how can you be sure about that? If there was really someone other than a human making all of this happen, wouldn?t we been push back even more??
?They?re hiding, Komachi. They want to get us weakened and then finish us off. If they gotten this far, then they know exactly what they?re doing. From what that clerk had given me,? She holds the papers up. ?The outside world is watching every single thing we?re doing right now. So far, Switzerland has agreed to speak with us about all of this, but only under the utmost security. Yukari managed to argue our case well and she?s just wait for an answer. But with NATO shouting accusations of the Lunarians violating the conventional laws of war, it?ll be hard to get more allies.?
?Why don?t the Lunarians follow the conventional laws of war, Lady Eiki??
?It because they consider the Earth to be beneath them. And the wars fought on the moon were more brutal and savage than any of the wars fought here. Eirin had told me some of the stories about her time serving in the LDC. In a way, it makes sense that they have trained to fight wars like that. But the Earth hasn?t seen that, so they won?t understand.?
?Can?t we have the Lunarians try to follow the customs??
?It?s too late. The Lunarians have already killed entire battalions with no prisoners taken. The humans have seen these and have prepared themselves to fight to the death. The commander of the Lunarian forces, a moon rabbit by the name of Reisen, has asked about forcing a surrender, but Eirin doubts they will. Reisen hasn?t seen the actual wars that the Lunarians have had to fight, so it?s only natural that she?s like this. And the Great Hakueri Barrier?s gone now??
The Shinigami was shocked into silence.
?There?s no retreat now. In war, laws tend to fall by the wayside so that victory can be obtained. No matter how much I try, we?re not going to follow every law and custom exactly. So if we called out the Lunarians, we would have to call ourselves out. Yukari won?t have any of that.?
Eiki stops to read one last piece of paper. ?And Yukari has made two new friends. At least that?s one good thing to have come out of this. But she?s playing a dangerous game. Komachi, what?s you main job duty??
?I?m to bring every spirit under our jurisdiction to you for judgment. If they?re not under our jurisdiction, we?re to transfer then to their proper area.?
?That?s right. But what if you?re cheated out of a spirit? What?s your duty then??
?To bring them back at any cost, Lady Eiki??
?But what if it conflicts with the greater good??
Komachi paused. She had never thought about that. All she had really concentrated on was bringing back every single spirit she came across to receive their proper judgment. ?Lady Eiki, what are you getting at??
The judge lowers her voice and stares Komachi in the eye. ?One of our own wants to go against the Dragon God himself.?
?Wait?what?? For the second time today, Komachi was wordless.
?Yukari Yakumo wants to change the flow of history and save someone that she couldn?t. I could tell that something was up a while back, but I couldn?t be sure until just now. One of her new friends is someone that she already knows. How she knows what going to happen is way beyond me, but Yukari is manipulating events masterfully. But she isn?t the only one that?s manipulating events for their benefit. Our mysterious enemy has his own agenda and our Dragon God has his. At this very moment, we have three major puppet masters trying to get us to dance to their own tunes.?
?What are we going to do, Lady Eiki,? Komachi was still trying to wrap her head around this.
?Nothing.? Eiki laid the piece of paper on the desk. ?There?s too much going on right now and not enough information to go on. I trust Yukari to do the right thing, but this is too big for me to be comfortable. The Dragon God has always left us alone ever since the creation of Gensokyo. And our enemy is still making their moves from behind the shadow. If I do something now, I?ll tip my hand and everyone will know that I?m on to it. Once they know that I?m watching them, it?ll be even harder for me to see what the end goal is.?
?So it?s nothing like the religious conflict a few months back??
?The one between Remiu, the Buddhists, and the Taoists? There really wasn?t a real conflict. It was just a way to bring some excitement to Gensokyo and pass the time. No, this web of deceit and maneuvering is more dangerous than any incident we have ever seen before. It?s my duty as the Yama to have the well-being of this land in my heart. If I have to, I will move against all three to make sure that not one innocent life is harmed.?
?But, Lady Eiki, the other Yamas are going against you right now. Can you really do all of that by yourself against three other factions??
?I?m hoping it?s only two other factions. If Yukari stays on the right path, then I?ll feel a lot better about this. She?s the only one that can actually stand a chance of countering the Dragon God?s plots if worst comes to worst.?
Eiki sits back and stretches. The Rod of Remorse and the Cleansed Crystal Mirror catch her eye. The symbols of her office and the responsibilities that she holds. She holds the Rod and looks into the Mirror. The judge had always wanted the Mirror to be able to show the future as well as it did the past. But she had never wanted it as bad as she did now.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot was standing ready for the final push. The front row held their riot shields at the ready, creating a safe area for the GDF to stage themselves. Marisa was flying low on her broom, she kept fiddling with her Ruger Blackhawk. Tenshi and Youmu were getting a quick instruction in using the Lunarian riot shields alongside their normal weapons.
Ran and Chen had arrived back on the field with new orders from Yukari. The kitsune was to join up with Momiji and help her thin out some of the officer and senior NCO ranks. Chen was to follow Tenshi around give her support when needed. Ran and Momiji had set up in a tall tree and were scanning the area.
Reisen and Eirin were still going over the plan that they were going to use. They were close to finalizing it and were steeling themselves for the charge. Mokou had gathered the small group of militia that had followed them and had them take up defensive positions. The Hourai immortal kept checking her HK 416 and was rubbing her hands together, the first time anyone had seen her have a nervous tic.
Down the line of infantry, the Buddhists were running all around, helping the Lunarian medical personnel patch up the wounded. The Taoists were readying arrows and plates to use as long range weapons. Miko couldn?t help but smile, it felt familiar to be on the battlefield again. The White Wolf Tengus were hiding in the trees, ready to jump from branch to branch.
Kanako and Suwako were standing behind Sanae. The shrine maiden held a Magpul Masada and had a headset that she had used since before she had moved to Gensokyo. The taller of the shrine?s deities had a vine in her hand while her partner had a short iron sword. The normally cheerful grin on the blonde?s face was replaced by a tight grimace.
At the back end of the formation, Yukari and Yuyuko watched stoically. Both of them were covering the bottom half of their faces with their fans, leaving only their eyes to show expression. Yuyuko?s were filled with sadness while Yukari?s had no emotion. Their hair waved a little in the light breeze that was going through the area.
The ground started to become calm again. The Celestials had paused their barrage in order to lure the NATO forces closer. But the humans were willing to wait and recover. Above the forest, the tengus controlled the skies and were eager to be challenged. Aya was somewhat saddened when she couldn?t find anything else to shoot.
Now with a plan that Eirin had approved, Reisen jumped back on her horse and brought all of the battalion commanders join her. She has her communication specialist bring up a map of the surrounding area. Taking a moment, the moon rabbit gives the map a quick glance.
?With Master Yagokoro?s guidance, we?ve come up with a good order for attack. We?ll keep using the line infantry doctrine along with our riot shields. The Celestials and the Tengus have gotten rid of most of the vehicle and artillery that would inflict massive damage on us, so it?ll be fine. Once everyone?s ready, I?ll give the order for the entire regiment to start to march forward. Make sure you have the company keep ranks, any holes in the formation are a weak spot.? She points at a large FOB. ?This is where the entire NATO offense is being coordinated. We?ll march towards there and surround it. We take that out, and the rest of the humans will scatter like flies. If we come across any that surrender, accept that surrender.?
The battalion commanders trade glances at each other and some look at Eirin. She offers no response and keeps her attention on the map as Reisen goes over contingency plans. ?Should we run across a concentration of enemy vehicles or artillery, break line infantry doctrine and swarm them with light infantry. If there is a massive break in the formation, assume square formations until I give you further orders. Any questions??
None of them say anything, so Reisen releases them and turns her attention back to Eirin. ?I?m not comfortable with staying in line infantry after what happened back there, Master Yagokoro.?
?It?s understandable, little one. And you may be right. But, if you issue an order that?s too out of line with tradition, the battalion commanders may take issue with it. I can tell that some of them have a dislike of your common birth.?
Reisen looked at the ground. ?The princesses probably think about me the same way??
?No, they don?t,? Eirin gave her another pat on the head. ?If they had any doubt in your abilities, they wouldn?t have given you command of a regiment of Royal Foot. Do you remember the time and money that goes into training each and every one of the soldiers in the formation in front of you? Every solider in front of you is one of the best that the Lunarian Defense Corps have to offer. Look at the situation right now, everyone assigned to the 4th is on the battlefield and is in danger of being killed. Losing the entire regiment would be a devastating setback for the LDC. And my two best students would never take a needless risk. Let the battalion commanders think what they will, I?ll take care of them.?
Reisen bows slightly and has her horse walk around the back of the formation. Eirin takes her service cap off and scratches her head. ?All battalion commanders, around me if you will.?
Seeing who was summoning them, they moved faster than before. Realizing the fact that Eirin was going to speak to them while standing on the ground, they all dismounted and formed a half circle around her. The doctor waited until all of them had stopped moving and then began to speak.
?It?s recently come to my attention that some of you have little faith in your commander.? None of the commanders responded. ?Is there any good reason for it? Or is it because she?s not one of your own??
Eirin?s eyes narrowed. ?Back when I served on the frontlines, I served with Lunarian and moon rabbit alike. Both of them were my comrades through the darkest times of the wars I fought. Both of them saved my life numerous times. I have held both of them as they laid dying and all they wanted was someone to be there for them in their last moments. Are you trying to tell me that moon rabbits should only be used to pound mochi and be grunts??
Some of the commanders had the shame to look away while others stared her back. One of them even decided to argue back, ?Lady Yagokoro, moon rabbits should not be in the officer ranks-?
?They shouldn?t be in the officer ranks?!?? Eirin began to see red but forced herself to calm down. ?Moon rabbits have the same abilities and motivation as any of you! In fact, they should be the ones running things because they know how it really works! If I put all of you into a platoon, I doubt there would be anything but orders flying around.?
She throws her hands up in disgust. ?Just get back to your battalions. If I see anything that even smells of insubordination, I?ll take you down myself. Clear??
They all nod and go away. Eirin sighs once more. She had been gone for a long time, and things were still the same at the Lunar Capital. If she retook her commission in the LDC, she could have a chance to change it. But that would mean that she would have to leave Kaguya and Reisen. She decided to leave that decision for after the battle.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The pieces were all in place. Every faction, except for most of Yuyuko?s forces, were formed up behind the main Lunarian single line defense. They all stood at the ready while Eirin readied an arrow with one of her flares attached to it. Looking at Tenshi, the doctor waits until the Celestial gives her a nod. Eirin draws the arrow back until the shaft touches her cheek. She pauses for a second, then she lets it go.
The arrow flies straight, unlike any human arrow, high into the sky. Halfway up, the flare lights up in the same green as the one from the forest. The light was strong enough to overpower the sun and casted a green shade on everything. It continues to shine even through the trees when it lands about half a mile away. Seconds later, the ground begins to shake as the Celestial artillery fires at the light.
Reisen rears her horse up and draws her saber. The battalion and company commanders draw theirs as well and wait. ?4th Regiment of Royal Foot, forward!? As one, the regiment steps off. The scattered GDF stays behind the line and follows. The pounding of the artillery does nothing to get the moon rabbits off step. At about a quarter mile to the closest shell impact, Tenshi calls for a halt to the artillery.
Now without artillery to cover them, the youkai are fired on. But the first row of moon rabbits were stopping all of the bullets with their riot shields. Heavier machine guns open up, forcing some of them to stop as they were almost thrown off balance. Then a large fireball went off as an AT-4 light anti-tank weapon was fired at the middle company. Immediately, the second and third rows stepped forward to help hold the shields while the fourth row took a knee. Reisen yelled out, ?Cover your ears and open your mouths!?
The rocket hits the shield wall and creates a massive explosion. Once the fireball dissipates, the line has no signs of damage. The second and third lines move back to their original positions while the fourth stands back up. Reisen raises her saber again and orders forward as bullets narrowly miss hitting her. Soldiers with M203 grenade launchers open fire, resulting in the last three rows bringing up their riot shields and holding it over their heads as they slung their rifles.
The grenades hit the overhead shields, but do no damage. Reisen?s horse begins to show signs of panic, but she pets his mane and reassures him. As soon as the distance is less than a tenth of a mile between the closest human positions and her troops, she raises her saber and yells out. ?All Royal Foot, run them through!?
The shields stay up as the entire regiment charges forward. Seeing a mass of murderous moon rabbits rushing towards them with fixed bayonets struck pure fear into some of the humans. Seeing that all of their bullets were being deflected by their riot shields, some of the human soldiers began to move back. But it wasn?t enough when the first row of line infantry caught up with them.
The screams of wounded and dying humans were heard all over the forest. In the back of the human line, the remains of their command staff were desperately trying to call in reinforcements and supporting fire. Reisen rears her horse again and charges at them, her General Staff forming up in a diamond formation behind her. One of the NATO officers notices them and tries to shoot her, but is taken down by her supply officer?s sidearm.
The death of their comrade warned them of the charge too late. Reisen was cutting down a major before he could bring his rifle to bear on her. Then the rest of staff arrived. The diamond formation completely enveloped the human commanders, sending many of them into a panic. The painful screams from the dying did nothing to slow down the attack.
Then Reisen?s horse fell sideways onto the ground. She had barely been able to save her leg from being crushed by the falling animal. But she managed to keep a firm grip on her saber when she got a surprise sample of dirt. Instantly getting back on her feet, she saw that a 1st lieutenant had shot her stead. Getting angry at having her horse shot out from under her, she closed the distance then back handed him. He spins around from the force of the blow and the moon rabbit slams her foot into the side of his knee.
A sickening pop can be heard over the sounds of combat as the knee is knocked out of its socket. The officer falls to his other knee while keeping a firm grip on his M4 carbine. Reisen takes advantage of that by grabbing the rifle and pulling it into his neck. He struggles for a second or two as the moon rabbit brings it up and hears a savage crack.
She kicks the body away and runs towards her horse. On the way, a corporal tries to raise his weapon at her, but she calmly shoots him dead with her sidearm. Reaching her partner, she checks the wound on his right rear leg. She can see that there?s a fair amount of bleeding but that the wound wasn?t critical. Grateful for the fact that it wasn?t the end for her stead, she resigns herself to finishing the battle on foot.
With the middle of the formation engaging most of the NATO forces, the sides had been able to cut off the flanks and the back. Now that the humans were trapped, they began to fight even harder. The GDF had reached the line of battle and had jumped into the middle of the fight. Tenshi and Youmu had rushed into the thickest part of the fighting and were cutting down every enemy they could see.
As such close range, Eirin?s bow lost most of its effectiveness. But she had pulled out her old saber and was using an arrow to stab with her off hand. Every strike she made was a one hit kill. Mokou could be heard snapping her fingers, sending small strings of fiery death everywhere. Anyone that got too close was subjected to one of her devastating kicks to the throat.
Flandre and Meiling were just arriving, with the little vampire slinging her Leviathan around and the gatekeeper kicking rainbow colored shards everywhere. Sakuya was near them, protecting them the best she could. A mortar round landed in the middle of one of the Lunarian companies, sending most to them to the ground. Medical personal were instantly responding, along with most of the Buddhist faction members.
Marisa saw the impact and could tell where the round had come from. She jumps back on her broom and gains more altitude. Dodging the stream of bullets that are fired towards her, she speeds towards the mortar team. Once she has a good view of them, she pulls out her mini-Hakkero and unleashes a Master Spark. The mortar team is instantly killed and the witch moves away fast as even more bullets fly towards her.
A good distance away, Ran and Momiji had set up a sniper?s nest and were looking for targets. A lone colonel was the last high ranking officer on the battlefield and was trying to rally the NATO troops together. Momiji calculated the distance at about 1500 meters away. The tengu has her target in her sights and is feeding Ran information.
?He?s about twice the normal range away. I doubt I can hit him.?
?Lady Yukari made sure that the kappas gave your rifle more range. Let me do the math and I?ll make sure that the bullet hits.?
?What all do you need??
?I need you to have a steady hand and give me a second. Let?s see?gravity?drag?barometric pressure?humidity?bullet efficiency?wind?primer?case?powder?barrel?Magnus effect?Coriolis effect and drift?the Eotvos effect?carry the one?borrow the five?divide by zero and hope we don?t break reality?and there.? Ran took a second to double check her calculations. ?Aim about three and a half feet above and half a foot to the left.?
Momiji aims at the ordered point and fires when she?s perfectly still. She has a firm grip on the rifle, which prevents the rifle from moving at all when the bullet flies from the chamber down the barrel. Seconds later, the bullet hits the officer in the face and drops him into a dead heap.
?A little too high?? Momiji says.
?Still did the job, though? Ran nodded. ?Look, they?re starting to waver.?
True enough, the soldiers that saw their leader fall where showing signs of even more panic. And the panic was spreading. Gunshots rang out as more and more Lunarians were shooting the NATO soldiers. Then the moment that the LDC and GDF were waiting for happened.
Most of the humans began to rout, turning their back to the fight and trying to find a way out. Some of the ones that lost hope went into a frenzy, gaining the ability to last more than a few seconds against a moon rabbit. All around the forest, first sergeants and platoon sergeants were trying to organize the rout but to no avail. The entire forest had turned into a giant melee with the occasional gunshot.
Reisen slams her saber so hard into a human?s shoulder that she can?t pull it out after he falls down. Leaving the blade, she pulls out her sidearm once more and unloads the magazine into a trio that had tried to shoot her. One of the rounds hit, but due to her uniform, it only feels like a punch than a gunshot. Then she stands up straight and pulls out a small horn. She takes a deep breath and blows the horn loud.
Back at the staging area, the cavalry troop had already formed up in diamond formations and were ready to charge. Once they heard the horn, they reared up and began to scream and carry on as they galloped into the forest. Seconds later, they arrived at the battle and broke into two parts. The two parts then pass the majority of the battle and turn around. Speeding forward, they hit the flank of the human defense and inflict massive casualties.
The Lunarian cavalry was made up of mostly nobility, but the humans wouldn?t have guessed from the way that they were enjoying the savage fight. Some of the riders were slashing left and right, cutting down human while others were emptying their sidearms on them. One of the nobles had even gotten off his horse to continue beating a dying human with the pommel of their saber.
Ducking her head, Eirin narrowly misses a tomahawk being thrown at her. She turns and sees a staff sergeant dropping his M4 and trying to pull out his M9. Rushing forward, she stabs her saber up to the hilt in his chest and then for good measure, she snaps his neck. Holding him in front of her, Eirin uses him as a shield as two corporals fire at her from behind cover.
Keeping the body in front of her as she moves towards them, she throws the arrow in the air to change her grip on it. She puts her whole weight on it as she throws it forward. The arrow hits the corporal in the chest and lays him out. The other takes a knee and tries to shoot whatever part of Eirin that he can see behind her hostage.
Kicking the body forward, she makes the junior NCO jerk his rifle out of line and gives her a chance to run at him. As he tried to bring the weapon back, he was punched in the nose and then had his arm broken. He?s slung over her shoulder and then has his throat stomped.
To her side, she hears a scream and turns to see that one of Reisen?s General Staff had her horse kick a sergeant that had tried to beat her skull in with his rifle. Knowing that a human couldn?t survived being kicked by a Lunarian bred horse, she gives the officer a nod of gratitude and quickly reloads her sidearm.
Near her, Tenshi had taken a knee to better hold the riot shield as a squad had opened fire on her. Once three of them were busy reloading, she stands up and rushes forward. She spins around and slams the side of the shield into the closest soldier. Continuing the spin, she plants her sword into his chest. Taking cover behind the shield again, she has trouble pulling the blade out. But after she gets it worked free, she stabs the ground and sends keystones flying into the rest of the squad.
The NATO soldiers try to shoot the keystones down but fail. Their lifeless bodies are flung across the clearing, hitting some of their comrades on the way. One of the bodies flew towards Miko, who doesn?t even turn around as she bats it out of the way with her sword. The light that came from the sword blinded the soldiers that she was fighting, letting Futo light them on fire and throw plates at them. Tojiko was electrocuting the humans while laughing manically.
Chen was still hanging around Yuyuko and Yukari, keeping an eye out for any attacks. A stray bullet hits the ground next to her, making her scamper behind a tree to find cover. A lone human had broken through the line of battle and was charge straight at the pair, firing his M16 on burst the whole time.
The nekomata fires a double burst at him and sees him go down. But then he starts to get back up. She fires again and knocks him down. Then she remembered that she wasn?t firing that big of a round, so his body armor was holding. Even with magic boosting it, the 22 caliber round didn?t have enough penetrating power.
The soldier sees her and beings to shoot in her direction. She moves back behind the tree, flinching as bullets graze it. She whistles and pulls out a small bag. She opens it slightly and throws it at him. Chen spins behind the tree and waits. A few seconds later, a large group of cats run out of a thick bush and jump on the soldier. He?s too surprised by the recent turn of events to do anything but fall back.
Running out from behind the tree, she can see that the cats are starting to bite and scratch him. He tries to swat them away but there are too many. Chen gets close enough to finally stare him in the eyes before she brings up her Ruger 10/22 and fires into his face. The cats flinch at the noise but then return to eating the cat food that she had thrown on him.
She stands there for a moment and jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She spins around but relaxes when she sees that it was Yuyuko.
?I told Yukari not to let you be around here,? Yuyuko sighs. ?You?re too young to be having to do things like this.?
?Lady Yuyuko, I have to protect both of you and-? Chen?s cut off by the ghost princess shaking her head.
?Someone your age should be worrying about climbing trees and homework, not about finding cover and returning fire,? She crouches down until she?s at Chen?s eye level. ?I?ve known you ever since you were a little kitten. You were so adorable, rolling around with only one tail and you couldn?t even open your eyes. I was there when you started to take your first steps and when you learned to cast your first spell. I even remember when Ran gave you that tricycle with the horn and you went all around Gensokyo honking it. The point I?m trying to make is that you?re still a child. It?s not your job to watch out for us, it?s ours to watch out for you. Yukari knows this and she?s done her best to keep you out of danger. But now, there?s something serious that she?s having to take care.?
A cat had decided to leave the cat food and had curled up next to Yuyuko?s foot. She picks him up gently and begins to rub his stomach. The feline stretches and begins to mew. ?Look, he?s so peaceful. Wouldn?t everything be better if we were all like this??
?Lady Yuyuko, is Lady Yukari in trouble??
?She?s not in trouble, Chen. She?s trying to help someone that she really cares about.?
?Is it you, Lady Yuyuko??
?No, not this time. But I have to ask you to do something important for me.?
?Yes, Lady Yuyuko.?
?I would like for you to keep an eye on Yukari. Make sure that she doesn?t try to do this all by herself. She?s a smart and strong person, but that means that she has trouble asking for help some when she needs it. If she needs any help at all, tell me. Can you do that, Chen??
?Yes, Lady Yuyuko.?
?Good. Now, stick close to me for the rest of this.?
While all of this was happening, Yukari had been talking to Nitori. The kappa was keeping her informed of the bigger picture on the battlefield.
?Most of them are routing and trying to head back to the closest FOB,? Nitori was saying. ?At this rate, most of them will be killed by the Lunarians before they make it.?
?How willing do you think they are to surrender,? Yukari was running numbers in her head. ?If I?m willing to give them the chance.?
?If you have the Lunarians cut them off, there?s a likely chance. Show them that they gain something by surrendering.?
Yukari looks around for a member of Reisen?s General Staff. Spotting one, she opens a gap and sits on the exit in midair. The Lunarian looks at her surprised but doesn?t say anything.
?Listen, I have to speak to your commander. Know where she is??
?She?s on foot right now. Some human shot her horse out from under her and she went back to being infantry.?
A familiar pair of rabbit ears can be seen surrounded by a group of digital camouflaged helmets. Yukari gaps next to fight and sees Reisen kill all of them in seconds. She turns around to lunge at the newcomer but stops when she sees that it?s Yukari.
?I see that you like the rush of combat,? Yukari said. ?Sorry to ruin your fun but, I heard there?s a chance we can force the humans to surrender.?
?How?s that, Lady Yukari??
?Have your cavalry surround the entire human line and give them the chance to lay down their arms. If you want, I could talk to them instead.?
?I hope you?re right, Lady Yukari.?
Reisen waves at her signal officer frantically. Once she?s close enough, she takes hold of the radio and opens a channel. ?All cavalry, envelope the human line, but do not engage, I say again, do not engage.? Then she hands the radio to Yukari. The gap youkai waits a few minutes and then gives the order to cease fire. She pauses to organize her thoughts and then begins to speak.
?To all NATO and invading troops, I am Yukari Yakumo, the youkai of boundaries. My forces have all of you surrounded. You have seen the skill and bravely of our people, just as we have seen the same of yours. It is in respect to that, that we are giving you the chance to surrender with honor. If you continue this fight, all of you will likely die. There is no need to do this. We do not take pleasure in spilling blood. Please, lay down your arms and I give you my word that you will be permitted to walk away.?
All around, the humans were looking at the youkai and humans in front of them. None of them had ever expected to be this close to death against such a bizarre enemy. There were moon rabbits, people with tails, little girls in frilly dresses, and outdated line infantry. But they had taken a full invasion head on and were turning it back.
The highest ranking soldier still standing, a First Sergeant, was looking at the ground. Yukari sees him and walks towards him. ?First Sergeant, you may gather your troops while we wait for your decision.?
He stares at her and then begins to bring the survivors together under the remaining sergeants. Yukari quickly counts the groups, they can make up a decent sized brigade at 4,500 soldiers. Their shoulder patches show at least 6 different divisions in attendance. They all keep their weapons aimed on the ground, not wanting to restart the fighting without orders.
The First Sergeant had found a group of sergeant first classes and a British staff sergeant. He gathered them up and went to stand in front of Yukari. ?If we surrender, what happens then??
?You?ll lay your weapons down and walk away. We won?t chase you, shoot you in the back, or dishonor in any way. I would suggest that you take this chance, look over there.? Yukari pointed at the Lunarian cavalry. They were fiddling with their sabers, and were visibly eager to charge again. Some of them even had a giddy look on their faces. ?They?re the ones that broke your flank and cornered all of you. They really don?t care about what happens down here as long as they get to fight. First Sergeant, I know that you?re the one that?s responsible for the wellbeing of your troops. We?ll give you some more time to think it over.?
A commotion from behind Yukari grabs the attention of everyone present. A giant crowd is moving forward and calls for Eirin can be heard. The Lunarian doctor strides forward and disappears into the mass. The humans begin to tense up, causing the Lunarians to tighten their grips on their weapons. Reisen glares at her troops, a silent warning to stand down. Eirin comes out of the mass, now she supports Remiu as she tried to walk forward.
Yukari turns back to the First Sergeant. ?Your side isn?t the only one that?s been affected by this battle. All throughout Gensokyo, fires have burned down trees that have stood for centuries, innocent people have been forced to leave their homes, and our youngest have had to face the reality of war far too soon.?
Some of the soldiers trade glances while others stare at the ground. Yukari walks over to Remiu and watches Eirin tend to her. ?You?re still in shock. Why are you even here??
?The barrier?and my shrine?I can?t??
?And what do you plan on doing when you can?t even walk? In this state, you?ll end up getting yourself killed,? Eirin was starting to get angry.
The First Sergeant could be seen watching them from his spot. He turns around and speaks to the small group. A few minutes later, he nods his head and faces Yukari. His eyes are full of sadness and a little bit of fear. His gloves are stained with blood from the numerous soldiers that he tried to treat. A cut ran down the left side of his face, stopping half an inch from his eye.
Yukari could tell that he was struggling to make a decision. She had a gap ready to pull out her katana if it came down to it. But with the way that they were surrounded, it would mean certain death for a majority of the humans if they attacked. With Remiu too close to the front line, Yukari would have to enter the fight in earnest to protect the shrine maiden. The youkai didn?t want her to see her fight, she valued her option too much. Then the First Sergeant spoke.
?If you guarantee still stands, we surrender.?
-
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
A loud cheer could be heard from the clearing. The Lunarian infantry lowered their weapons and riot shields while the cavalry wiped off their sabers with haughty looks on their faces.
Yukari pulls out her cell phone and calls Nitori. After a few seconds, the kappa answers. Loud cheers could be heard in the background and made hearing her somewhat difficult. Once the cheers died down, Yukari spoke.
?Nitori, can you get me a line into the radio transmitter??
?Hang on?there. You?re online.?
The gap youkai turns back to the First Sergeant. ?This phone is connected to our main radio transmitter. It?s broadcasting on an open channel. If you would, we would like for you to announce your surrender.?
He takes it and begins to speak. Yukari doesn?t bother to hear what he was saying as she made her way to Remiu. Eirin had created a quick mixture to help her get over her shock. It was taking effect quickly, the miko could stand up and breathe normally.
Yukari didn?t know what to say to her. She was saved the trouble when she saw Remiu messing with a spellcard.
?You can keep it.?
Remiu looks up, a surprised look on her face.
?This war isn?t over. We?ve won this battle, but the outside world is still out for our blood. But I can give you one piece of good news: we may have an ally out there.?
?Who is it??
?Now, now, I can?t go and ruin the surprise. And we haven?t lost anyone.?
?Really??
?Really. Eirin?s medicine and the Buddhists made sure that everyone was treated. They did have help with the Lunarian medical personnel.?
The shrine maiden was filled with such a sense of relief that she just fell back and landed on her rear. She sat there, causing Yukari to smile for the first time all day. Chen runs up to the gap youkai and has a scared look on her face. Crouching down, Yukari listens to what the nekomata says and freezes.
This doesn?t escape Remiu, who has a chill grip her heart. ?Yukari?what is it??
Running numbers and patterns in her head, Yukari is hesitant to speak. But the look on Remiu?s face forces her mouth to move. ?During the fighting?there was a charge at the shrine?and your donation box was destroyed.?
As soon as those words exited Yukari?s mouth, the entire forest went quiet. Remiu had frozen upon hearing the news. Then her right eye began to twitch. Her right hand began to twitch as well and her teeth were clenched. She stands up, both of her hands are curled into fists.
Suddenly, she rushes forward, yelling at the top of her lungs. ?I?m going to kill every single one of you! I?m going to light you on fire and-? She?s cut off as some of the moon rabbits restrain her. Marisa lands near them and helps grab hold of the rampaging miko.
Yukari stands in front of her and turns to the First Sergeant. ?You must forgive her, she?s very protective of her donation box-?
?I?m going to rip your throat out and-?
?It was the symbol of her shrine and her livelihood-? Yukari?s interrupted by Remiu throwing her gohei at the First Sergeant, who stared in surprise as the rod bounced off his helmet. The youkai steps forward and grabs the rod and shakes her head at the struggling miko. ?I must apologize for that. She?s not in the best frame of mind right now.?
After a while, Remiu tires herself out and begins to calm down. Yukari turns back to the First Sergeant and shrugs, ?So, would you like to go ahead and make this official??
The First Sergeant nods and unloads his M4. Pulling the charging handle to the back to empty the chamber, he puts the rifle on safe. He holds it out to Yukari with both hands. ?I hereby surrender my remaining soldiers to Yukari Yakumo, leader of the Gensokyo Defense Force.?
She takes the weapon and puts it in a gap. ?I accept your surrender. First Sergeant, if you would order your soldiers to lay their weapons on the ground.?
He nods, and all of the soldiers unload and place their weapons on safe. They lay them on the ground and step back.
?Good. First Sergeant, I would for you to get them in formation.?
?All sergeants, I want eight battalion formations centered on me.?
A few minutes later, they were all formed up. Yukari turned to see Reisen planning something. ?Lady Yukari, would it be possible to give them full Lunarian customs and honors??
?That would be up to you and Eirin.?
Reisen looks at the doctor, who gives her a small nod. Turning back to her battalion commanders, she calls out, ?Move to the forest entrance and assume guard formation.?
The regiment moved to the entrance of the forest and split in half. They moved away from each other and stopped when there was enough space for the human soldiers to march between them. Then they each formed a line on both sides of the path. Facing each other, they brought their rifles to the ground and waited.
Reisen mounted her horse and looked at the First Sergeant. ?A guard formation is a Lunarian custom performed after an enemy has fought and surrendered honorably.?
The First Sergeant nods his gratitude and gives the command to march forward. Whenever the first rank reached them, the moon rabbits would bring their rifles up vertically. Above them, the tengu air units were turning around and heading back to Youkai Mountain.
Yukari watched them go, she had a hand on Remiu?s shoulder.
?Should we have really let them go??
The gap youkai looks at the miko. ?You wanted us to finish them all off??
?They?re going to be back, aren?t they??
?Yes, Remiu. I told you that this war isn?t over. They will be back, but since we know what they?re capable of, we should have an advantage.?
?And then what? Are we going to have to be defending ourselves for the rest of our lives??
?Flandre has some ideas about what we can do. But don?t worry about it right now. We have a lot to things to clean up and maybe we can a little celebration. We did successfully defend our homeland against all odds, after all.?
?But at what price, Yukari??
?We did lose some of the villagers, but they betrayed us. It?s of no consequence. There are some fires all around, but I?ll ask Kanako to make it rain. But the biggest problem we have are the bodies of the dead. The First Sergeant was hesitant to ask us about it, but I knew he was concerned about it.?
?What are you planning on doing??
?I?m thinking about gapping a few of their soldiers back here and letting them get the bodies. I?ll gap them back so they won?t know how far they really got in.?
?You think they?ll accept??
?They really have no other choice. We don?t really have the space to bury all of them, so they?re probably end up being tossed into Old Hell?s furnace.?
?That?s harsh, even for you, Yukari.?
?That?s only if it has to be done. I?m sure that they?ll see reason.?
?I suppose.?
?I do have some things I have to take care, so I?ll going to be busy for a bit.?
With that, Yukari created a gap and left the clearing. Remiu stared after her for a few minutes and then began to make her way back to the shrine.
White House Situation Room, Washington, DC, United States
A public relations officer?s worst nightmare had happened. Somehow, a journalist had managed to find their way into the middle of the battle and was transmitting images from the worst part of the recently concluded battle. Every major news network had begun to broadcast the uncut images, which led to horror and surprise around the planet.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff were frozen with horror and amazement as their modern army was being wiped out by old fashioned cavalry. A gasp was heard around the room when one soldier was launched into the air by one of the Lunarian horses. More could be heard when Reisen planted her saber into another one and couldn?t pull it out, even when she put her foot on his body and pulled.
Tears began to flow faster when the Lunarian cavalry collided into the flanks of the NATO formation. Stomachs dropped when they heard the cheers and screams of the Lunarian nobles. All around the nation, eyes were glued to television and computer screens. Pundits were wondering how such a small and outdated force could fight one of the most modern and deadliest forces on the planet.
Then Eirin appeared onscreen in her Lunarian Defense Corps uniform, going on a rampage. The uniform sparked mass speculation about its origin. A pundit had brought up the footage of the failed negotiation at the UN and had begun to identify everyone he could.
The door to the Situation Room opened and Taisui Xingjun walked in. Everyone in the room went silent when they saw him. Then they saw the boxes of Popeye?s that the bodyguards had.
?I?ll admit that I was a little over the line earlier. I want to apologize and I brought all of us something to eat.? He waves his bodyguards forward and they put the food on the table. Then he looks at the screens showing the last few minutes of the battle. ?Is this live??
?No, sir,? one of the technicians was looking at his screen. ?There?s a five second delay just from their end to the United States. The news networks have two more seconds of delay, but they?re showing it uncut.?
?Comms, get me a line to the commander of the closest FOB. We need to get our boys, and girls, out of there now.?
The room went into a frenzy as everyone began to work. None of them missed the complete change of stance of the man standing in front of them, but they didn?t care. All that matter at this very moment was saving everyone they could.
But then the sounds of the battle stopped. Everyone looks up to see a tall blond woman talk to a First Sergeant. Minutes pass and then the camera is placed on the ground. The viewing angle still showed the First Sergeant talking to the blond woman. Then he gave her his unloaded rifle. Gasps could be heard around the room. That was the last thing they saw because the signal was lost.
An uproar could be heard around every screen around the nation. Technicians were trying to get the signal back, but there was no signal to get. The next few minutes were tense as the line to the FOB commander was established.
A message appears on the screen, signifying that a video conference was incoming. Nodding at the technician, Taisui Xingjun adjusts his tie. But what appeared on seen was the last thing he expected. It was a view from a security camera from in front of the FOB. It was pointed directly to the forest in front of the base and a large group of soldiers could be seen marching towards it.
Everyone in the room is silent until they can make out the type of uniform that the soldiers are wearing. Once they were sure that it was digital camouflage, the room erupted in cheers. The best possible outcome had occurred, the survivors had been allowed to leave the battlefield.
As the formation got closer to the FOB, medical personnel and chaplains began to rush out. Taisui Xingjun makes a cutting motion to his throat and has the transmission cut off. He then makes his way to the front of the room and looks at everyone.
?I know that all of you want to keep watching but we have a lot of work to do. Our troops have gone through a lot today. They did their duty, now we must do ours. We can start by understanding what happened today. This is our worst military defeat since the Second World War. We need to figure out what we did wrong and fix it. Joint Chiefs of Staff, what were some of the things we did wrong??
The Chief of Staff of the Army spoke first, ?Mr. President, we have never fought any enemies like that before.?
?That?s correct, to a point. While the United States has never fought youkai before, our ancestors have.?
?Sir, are you suggesting that we try paying attention to superstitions,? the Commandant of the Marie Corps asked.
?All superstitions have a little piece of truth to them somewhere. We thought people flying around like birds was something out of a fairy tale. In the UN, we saw the laws of physics being broken with portals and magic. The reports that we received from the front all said that they have mystical powers. If it was just one or two reports, I wouldn?t really believe them. But with the footage from the planes that were shot down, we have concrete proof. Technician, I?m sorry that I can?t remember your name, could you put it on the screen.?
Seconds later, a recording from one of the F-22s was playing on the screen. So thick that it almost blocked the view, multicolored clouds of flak were everywhere. Another F-22 cut in front and took a solid laser through the left wing. It disappears from view, and the first plane goes into a roll as alarms could be heard in the background. A hail of missiles go past the cockpit, triggering a swerve from the pilot.
Then a black blur rushed in front of the fighter. The technician stops and rewinds the footage. The black blur was a witch on a broom.
?Seems like that?s good enough evidence. Have you ever fought a witch before?? None of the Joint Chiefs of Staff could say they did. ?What I would like for us to do is to send some of best minds to the Library of Congress and other large libraries around the world to research the multiple legends and folklore there. We are fighting a supernatural enemy. The poor souls that have suffered today can attest to that. It?s for them that we have to keep fighting and finish this war. If Gensokyo expands, we could be sent back to the Dark Ages. In order to protect freedom and the American way, we cannot let them win.?
An aide hands him a sheet of paper. ?Interesting, it seems that we are even more at a disadvantage. A report from the lone survivor of an attack from the ?Bamboo Forest? says something about an immortal enemy officer. No matter how many times she was shot, she still took down three battalions of our best troops by herself.?
?If the reports are true, then she?s unstoppable.? The Surgeon General was trying to understand how that could be possible. ?But there?s no way that she can be immortal. Even if the moon?s technology is more advanced than ours, everything has to die at some point.?
?That?s true for almost everyone.? Taisui Xingjun ran his hand across his hair, sweeping it back. ?But if it?s possible to stop death, imagine what that would cause. If wars for oil and water are bad enough, think about what immortality could do! It would be the next worst thing than nuclear energy! It is our responsibility to take that and safeguard it. We are the ones that have to defend the weak of the world, especially from outsiders!?
Grabbing a biscuit from one of the open boxes, he takes a bite. ?Once we have the secret to immortality, we will be able to create a better tomorrow. The lives lost today will be avenged and given closure. The defeat of Gensokyo and the Lunarians will be the triumph of the human race!?
Voile, Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
Maribel and Renko could tell that every set of eyes were on them. Since they were the only two humans from the outside world, they really couldn?t be surprised. But it was more curiosity than suspicion. The pair stuck close to Yukari as the youkai walked from group to group.
Every faction was represented in the giant library. But instead of the festivity of the last gathering, a sense of gloom hung over the group. Everyone had their weapons slung in front of them. It was sad to Maribel that the paradise that she had always visited in her dreams was starting to become a dangerous place.
Patchouli was looking at the map at her desk. The Lunarian 4th Regiment of Royal Foot was in the forest in front of the Hakueri Shrine, arranged in a long line of battle. Eirin had asked Reisen to provide a security force in order to prevent a second attack today.
Holding her saber in its scabbard, Reisen was speaking with Ran and Keine. Eirin had excused herself and Kaguya had taken her place. Remiu was still a little unsteady on her feet, causing Marisa to keep a close eye on her. The miko was unusually quiet due to the destruction of her donation box and the damage to her shrine.
Yukari made her way to the head of the room and waited until everyone turned to face her. She had Maribel and Renko stand behind her and off to the side.
?I have a few things to say about what had happened today. We faced an enemy that far surpassed us in power and numbers. They had more advanced weapons than we did and more experience in using them. But we managed to push them back and make them surrender to us. We had a number of our own get injured, but with the medical care provided by the Buddhists and the Lunarians, we had no one die. There is still one of us that was wounded in the fight, but Reisen Udongein Inaba will make a full recovery quickly.? Yukari nodded at Patchouli. The librarian casts a spell that causes the map to grow larger and float in the air. ?At the start, we had a line of defense that started at the Hakueri Shrine. NATO decided to open up with an artillery barrage that was stopped by the barrier. An air assault was sent in but repelled by the Scarlet Devil Mansion?s air defense artillery. Then the infantry attacks began.?
As Yukari spoke, the map showed what part of the battle she was talking about. ?The attacks came too quickly and combined with our lines, preventing us from using our artillery on the closest waves. With the barrier up at the time, it was a possibility that our artillery wouldn?t had been able to have any effect. Once the humans got past the barrier, they began to attack various targets.?
The map highlighted the Human Village, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Bamboo Forest and the top of Youkai Mountain. ?Above all of this, the Black Crow Tengus were providing air cover. They fought with great skill and inflicted heavy damage to the NATO air forces, but they were being overwhelmed. The air defense grid helped to even the field but it was still an uphill battle. In the Bamboo Forest, Reisen Udongein Inaba held off a multitude of Special Forces troops until she was wounded. Eirin Yagokoro took over and took out even more. It was at this time, that the barrier began to break.?
Then more squares began to appear on the map. ?When the barrier fell, the Lunarian 4th Regiment of Royal Foot was able to land in Gensokyo. Once they arrived, the battle began to swing in our favor.? The blue squares moved into the red squares and made them disappear. ?With their superior training and weapons, the Lunarians were able to throw the humans out of Gensokyo.?
Meteors began to fall towards the map, but they were destroyed before they could impact the battlefield. ?Then NATO decided to crash their satellites into us. They were destroyed before they could do any damage by Flandre Scarlet. After that, the Lunarians began to break off and begin to support our forces as we rally together. ?
A line of blue squares began to form up in front of the Shrine, with multiple smaller squares behind it. ?We all formed up and then charged the remaining human soldiers. With a group of Lunarian cavalry supporting us, we forced them to surrender.?
The red squares disappeared, leaving only the blue squares on the ground. Yukari nodded again and the map disappeared. ?That?s what happened today. Like I said before, we did well in managing to throw the humans out of Gensokyo. But the outside world won?t take this defeat lying down. We have to be prepared for another attack. However, there?s a chance that we could prevent that attack by launching one of our own first.?
The entire room was silent. Yukari let the silence sit for a while and then continued. ?The outside world still outnumbers us by a vast margin. Even with all the damage and casualties, they still have the ability to launch even larger attacks on us.?
?Just one regiment won?t be enough for that,? Yorihime said. ?If what your sources say is right, you?ll need at least two more of our regiments. But what exactly are you planning to do??
?Flandre has another one of her ideas. I should let her explain.?
The younger Scarlet Sister stepped forward. ?Based on some of the units that Patchy identified, we have three major nations that we should be worried about. They?re the United States, Great Britain, and Russia. I would prefer to strike against the United States first, but Tenshi has something that she wants to tell us about.?
The blue haired Celestial nodded. ?Back on the mountaintop, I was jumped by a group of operatives. I did take all of them out, but I?m worried about how they got up there in the first place. Here?s a cap badge that I took off one of them.?
She holds it out to Patchouli, who takes it in her hand and studies it. ?Hmmm?Excalibur in flames, and this writing. It says ?Who Dares Wins?. It looks like the insignia of the British Special Air Service.?
?So the British know more than we thought. I never did understand why they wanted to expand so much,? Remilia sighed. ?First, the Estates General and Parliament decide to have a war that destroys my first mansion, and now the British want to destroy my masterpiece. I can never catch a break with them.?
?Now, now, we?re not beaten yet,? Yukari motioned at Maribel and Renko. ?I want to introduce two new friends of mine that have graciously agreed to help us with the outside world. This is Maribel and Renko, they?re university students from the outside world with a variety of knowledge to share.?
Maribel felt every eye in the library on her. She knew that she had to say something but couldn?t get her mouth to move. Renko could tell and moved closer to her. Yukari gave the pair a smile. ?Don?t worry, you?re among friends.?
The psychologist nodded and took a deep breath. ?Like Lady Yukari said, we?re both university students from the outside world. I?ve studied psychology and Renko?s major is physics.?
Yukari smiles again. ?See, that wasn?t too hard. Don?t let the way we fought today make you think that we?re savage. We did what we had to do, you?ve seen how we were forced into this. Now you?re part of this. But at least it was by choice, unlike the rest of us.? She turns to face the rest of the gathering. ?If it?s the case that the British know how to get so deep into Gensokyo and know who to attack, we need to figure out where they?re getting that information from. An attack on the landmarks and inhabited areas would be normal, but not a surgical strike against the Celestials.?
?So you?re saying that our first offense should be against the British,? Remilia asked. ?I do owe them payback for some incidents a long time ago.?
?Before we can attack, we need to find out how they know so much. We get that information, we?ll be better off. But it?s not like we can just walk in there and ask for their sources. We need to send someone inside, someone that knows how to operate in the outside world.? Yukari turns to Maribel and Renko. ?Someone like you two.?
-
Kappa Communication Relay Post, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
The kappas had begun to put news broadcasts from around the world on the screens in the relay post. The top news story was the battle that the entire world had seen. And when footage surface that showed the defeated humans leaving the battlefield with the Lunarians providing an honor guard, every news outlet exploded.
The majority of the pundits were amazed by how, after the savage fighting, the Lunarians were letting the defeated humans return to their base. Nitori was listening in to the meeting at Voile, trying to figure out where Yukari was going with her plan. Then one of her fellow kappas gave her a thumbs up, causing Nitori to interject into the meeting.
?It?s Nitori, we have something all of you may want to listen to.? The magical map in both sides of the meeting changed to show one of the news channels that they were receiving. This one was from the United States.
?-breaking news. We?ve just received new footage from the attack on the Hakueri Shrine. My editors tell me that the defeated US military forces are being allowed to march off the field with what looks like full military honors. My lord, they appear to have rabbit ears. And it looks like someone important is behind them. I must say, those uniforms are very decorated.?
The news broadcast then showed Reisen on her horse with her saber in its scabbard. Her ears flopped with every step that her steed took, giving her a somewhat comical image. The actual Reisen began to pat her ears down mindlessly.
?Could she be their commander? That cord she?s wearing seems rather ornate. But why are they on horseback? Seems rather old-fashioned to me. Let?s bring in our senior military correspondent.?
?Thank you. From what I?ve seen so far, the United States has been handed its worse defeat since Pearl Harbor. This is the first time I have ever seen so much of a battle live and uncut. This footage is invaluable in analyzing the tactics that were used against the combined NATO and Russian troops. Some reports sent out during the battle claimed that the defenders had started to use magic against them.?
?Magic? As in spells and potions??
?I?m not sure about the potions, but from some of the fighting that was recorded, there?s no other explanation. There were even reports that witches were taking down jet aircraft by themselves!?
?That?s unbelievable!?
Nitori paused the transmission. ?They?re starting to accept the fact that we?re using magic and they haven?t fully started on the Lunarians yet.?
?There?s not really much they can do now. Just hearing about the battle from the survivors will hit the rest?s morale hard,? Flandre was thinking about other factors. ?It does take a while for them to develop and issue out new weapons and equipment.?
?Then we should attack now. We can do a lot more damage when they can?t counter us,? Miko said. ?We?ll taking less damage in return.?
?We wait.? Yukari?s voice was firm. ?We need to get as much information as we can before we launch a return strike. If Maribel and Renko agree to infiltrate the British government, we can do both much faster.?
Nitori was busy watching the rest of the broadcasts. She lowered the volume of the meeting in the library slightly. If there was anything she needed to know, Yukari would fill her in later. The kappa turns back to the map, grey squares were scattered all over Gensokyo. They were the small squads that Yukari had allowed to return to retrieve the bodies of their fallen comrades.
None of them had been allowed to bring their service weapons, but had been allowed to bring their sidearms. Even with Yukari?s guarantee of safety, she had suggested that they arm themselves. A few had begun to flip out when they first stepped into her gap. She had given them a few hours to gather all of them before she would gap them back.
She stands up and goes back to her office. Making herself a cup of tea, she sits back down at her desk and sips. It was difficult for her to stay out of the battle, especially with hearing it on the radio. The kappa was grateful that none on their side had been killed. She had come to know almost everyone in Gensokyo due to her expertise with technology.
She sits back in her chair and closes her eyes. Flashing back to an earlier time, she remembers when her worst worry was being able to sale all of her wares at one of the temples during the last religious incident. Sitting forward, she opens a scroll with a world map on it.
Before all of this had happened, she had wanted to be able to see the world. With the rest of Gensokyo calling for an attack, she would probably get that chance. But before she could go further, she?s interrupted by a knock on the door. A second later, Iku walks in.
?I hope that I?m not interrupting anything,? Iku bows slightly. ?I just wanted to have a nice chat after all of the excitement today.?
Nitori motioned at the chair and rose to pour some tea for the messenger. Once they were both seated and had cups in front of them, the kappa spoke first. ?I?m sure that there?s something on your mind. We?re a little more than a soar away from the Dragon Palace.?
?It?s about something that Lady Yukari spoke with the Eldest Daughter about.?
?Don?t tell me that they got into another fight.?
?No, that?s not the case. But it?s something more serious than that.?
Nitori?s curiosity was perked. ?It?s not like I?m going to be able to relax the rest of the day. I?m all ears.?
The messenger leaned forward and lowered her voice. ?There?s something going on the Dragon Palace that she?s going to move against. I have the feeling that it?s going to involve all of Gensokyo at one point.?
?If it?s the Dragon Palace, Yukari?s going to have a bad time if it goes south.?
?That?s what I would like to prevent. But to do that, I?ll need your help.?
?I doubt that I can make anything that could even damage the Dragon God.?
?That?s the worst possible outcome. What I would like for you to do is to keep doing what you?re doing right now.?
?But there?s more??
?You?re right. The extra is keeping a tab on all communications and stopping those that would put Lady Yukari or the Eldest Daughter in needless risk.?
?Wait, what??
?When the Dragon God finds out about Lady Yukari?s move, he?ll try to get rid of her in battle. He gets rid of an uprising and gains a martyr.?
?I?m in.? Nitori sighs. ?Yukari?s been doing her best to do what?s right for Gensokyo as a whole. She?s the one that did the most work in creating the barrier. She?s the one that?s being maintaining it. I don?t think I?ve seen the Dragon God at all in my life.?
?If this gets out, you?re be in a bad spot.?
?I?ll just have to make sure I do my job and Yukari does her and I?ll be alright.? The kappa shrugged. ?She?s a lot smarter than anyone else I know. I?ve got nothing to worry about.?
?Thank you. I should be on my way, Eldest Daughter might start to look for me if I?m away for too long around here,? she stops at the door and bows again. ?Thank you for the tea.?
Nitori waves and watches her exit and fly towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion. She sits back once more, this time thinking about the mess that she?s gotten herself into. Shaking her head, she smiles sadly and reaches for her tea.
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
It felt strange to be back in the mansion while she still wore her old uniform. The only modification that she made to her uniform was to put on her maid headdress. To Sakuya, it was combining her past and present lives.
She opens a door and looks at her guests. ?This?ll be your room. There?s a second one attached directly through the door over there. Milady has told me to make sure that both of you are comfortable during your stay here. We usually don?t have many guests around here. But I?m sure that everyone will be happy to have both of you around.?
Maribel and Renko were amazed by the luxury that was in front of them. Neither of them had ever seen such comfortable beds and soft carpets before. Sakuya felt a sense of pride at their amazement. ?I do try to keep everything in the mansion in order. I hope you find it acceptable.?
?But?a mansion this big?how do you?? Renko couldn?t form the question she was wanting to ask.
?How do I do all of this by myself?? Sakuya?s eyes began to have a sparkle in them. ?I have fairy assistants that I finally managed to train, but it was all me before then. You see, I have a special ability.?
Before the pair could blink, the maid had disappeared. Then they turned around when they felt a presence behind them. They turn and she Sakuya with a smile still on her face. ?It?s a surprise the first time you see it. I know the feeling. But I can stop time and move around.?
?Stop time?how is that even possible?? Renko was stunned.
?I?m not too sure about the science behind it, I rather think of it as magic,? Sakuya?s smile faded away. ?I hope that you don?t feel uncomfortable around me because of it.?
?Of course not!? Maribel walked forward and took Sakuya?s hands in her own. ?I know how it feels to have a strange power. I?ve had to keep mine a secret for my entire life. It gets a lot easier when there?s someone that accepts you for who you are that always stays next to you.?
Sakuya smiled again. ?Thank you. That does meant a lot to me. I should be on my way, Milady probably has more things she wants me to take care of. If either of you need anything at all, please don?t hesitate to ask us.?
With a bow, she turns and walks back down the hallway. Maribel and Renko sit down on the couch at the end of the room. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow around everything they saw. The sky that was visible through the window was empty, not a plane or person flying about.
For the next few minutes, the pair sat in silence. The events of the day replayed themselves in their minds. Neither of them had expected any of those events to end up like they did. Renko felt something heavy in her pocket. Pulling it out, she realizes that she completely forgot about the Colt Single Action Army revolver that Ran had given her.
Maribel stares at the firearm, a tired look on her face. Seeing it reminded her of what they had to do at the shrine. Even though she hadn?t been able to kill anyone, she still felt regret at having to fire at another living person. But she knew that by agreeing to help Yukari, she would be forced to actually kill someone eventually.
The door opens, interrupting their thoughts. A head with short blonde hair pokes in and looks at them with red eyes. Recognizing her as Flandre, the pair stand up. Even with Flandre?s appearance as a child, Maribel and Renko was still a little uneasy due to her being a vampire.
?Don?t worry, I just had a small snack,? Flandre smiles. ?I was just wondering if both of you would like eat some dinner. It is getting a little late after all.?
The two humans remember that their last meal was before the battle. They nod and Flandre leads them to the dining room. On the table there, a rich and diverse array of food stood prepared for them. The fairy maids immediately have red wine ready for them and serve all three of them.
In front of them, Maribel and Renko have French onion soup, steak frites, baguettes, Comt? and Bleu de Bresse cheeses, mousse au chocolate and mille-feuille. The smells of the food played with Maribel?s nose, making her mouth water and her stomach rumble.
?Go on, you?re welcome to anything on the table. If there?s something that you would like, please ask. You?re our guests, after all.? Flandre took a sip of the water in her glass. ?Unlike my sister, I?m not really into wine. I prefer chocolate milk.?
As the trio ate, they were joined by Remilia and Marisa. Maribel and Renko explained the events that caused them to arrive in Gensokyo when they did, getting an approving nod from the ordinary magician.
?Both of you ran through that artillery barrage and getting shot at without being hit? Sounds like you two got some serious danmaku skills,? Marisa nodded. ?I?m sure that Remiu?s grateful that you protected her shrine from that attack. That might buy you some time from being shaken down for donations.?
Patchouli chose that moment to walk in. She had an exhausted look on her face and downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp. Remilia gave her a sad shake of her head when the librarian took a big bite out of a slice of baguette. ?I?ve never seen you this hungry, Patchy. You might end up eating the entire mansion at this rate.?
Waving the comment away, Patchouli responds. ?That medicine the Lunarian gave me helped my asthma but gave me a big appetite. Even though, it might be my body?s way of telling me to eat better.?
?I wonder, could she give me something to make me immune to the sun,? Remilia muses. ?It would be nice to not have Sakuya carry that parasol everywhere.?
?Milady, I don?t mind carrying it around.?
?Don?t worry, I was just going to have you carry around my rifle instead.?
Sakuya couldn?t think of a response. Remilia looked at Marisa as she began to eat a mousse au chocolate. ?I have a feeling that I should ask you why you?re here.?
Flandre leaned towards Maribel and Renko. ?Marisa doesn?t live here. She just likes to visit a lot. I even asked Sis about giving her a room here, but she refuses.?
?You know that you think of me as another member of the family,? Marisa grinned. ?You still owe me for the time you kicked me into that fight on the moon.?
?I invited you to the beach party when Remiu got back!?
?Beach party? You mean the one with the small pool, two bags of sand and the middle of winter??
?Those two do that all the time. Don?t mind them.? Flandre took a bite of steak. ?How?s the food??
?It?s amazing.? Maribel could hardly explain the tastes that she was experiencing. ?I?ve never tasted anything like it before.?
?The fairy cooks will be happy to hear that.?
?Anyway, I have a favor I want to ask the two of you.? Remilia had stopped her argument with Marisa to talk to Maribel and Renko. ?It?s about the mission that Yukari?s going to send you on.?
?Sis, I hope you?re not asking them to destroy the British all by themselves,? Flandre sighed. ?Anyway, aren?t you always stopping me from destroying in the first place??
?I?m not going to ask them to do something that extreme,? Remilia scoffed. ?I want to be the one to deliver the final strike against them. What I will ask is this: I?m going to write a letter that I would like delivered to the Leader of the House of Lords. Can you do that for me??
?A letter to the Leader of the House of Lords?? Renko blinked in surprise. ?I don?t think that we could do that. We?re not exactly going in as tourists.?
?I know. But Yukari has faith in you, so I will too. How about this: I?ll write the letter and give it to you. Then if you get the chance, you can deliver it. If you can?t, it?s not a major problem.?
?When you put it like that, it seems not so bad.? Maribel nodded. ?We can try.?
?Good. That?s what I wanted to hear.? The Scarlet Devil took a sip from her wine glass. ?You?re probably wondering what the story is behind me and the British. It?s a long story and all of us have had a long day. I?ll be happy to tell you tomorrow.?
-
Clinic, Eientei, Bamboo Forest, Gensokyo
Eirin had read over the service record for the fifth time ever since she had gotten back. She kept reading it even more, wanting every detail she could find. Her patient begins to stir, prompting her to put the file down. She grabs her stethoscope and rolls her chair next to the bed. Noticing that she still had her old uniform under her lab coat, she debates whether she should take off her ribbon rack. She decides against it, it would be hard enough to do this with them anyway.
Reisen Udongein Inaba begins to groan in pain as she regain consciousness. Eirin reaches out and pets her on the reassuringly. ?Don?t move so much, you?re still wounded. The battle?s over.?
?Master?is that you??
?It is. I?m right here next to you.? Eirin rubs the metal disk of the stethoscope to warm it up. ?I?m going to check your vital signs. Don?t lash out.?
Reisen stiffens. ?Master, I??
?Pulse is good, heart rate is good. I know about your condition. The amount of dead bodies that you left in that clearing made it obvious. You shouldn?t have gone into battle if you were this bad.? Eirin was careful to keep her voice and tone firm but gentle. ?There?s no shame in asking for help.?
The moon rabbit stayed silent. Eirin was careful to keep her lab coat from hindering her movement, just in case of worst coming to pass. Tears began to form in Reisen?s eyes. She felt so hurt that her own master was uneasy around her.
?Reisen, you?re in a delicate state right now. I know that you won?t hurt any of us, if you were back to normal. But with this mental state and your powers, I can?t take a chance. This is to protect you more than us.?
?Master, what are you talking about??
?I?m pulling you out.?
Reisen couldn?t understand at first. But once it clicked, she felt even worse than before.
?It was my mistake not having you out of the main part of the battle. I should had you in one our support positions. Even if you weren?t able to use your full skills, it would had been a lot better to ease you in. But it?s too late for that now.?
?Master, I can?t stand back and watch everyone else fight.?
?Then you need to come to terms with what set you off in the first place. I know your service history.? Eirin walks over to the desk and grabs the service file. Sitting down on the chair again, she opens it up and puts on reading glasses. ?You started out in the 2nd Regiment of Foot, then you were transferred to the Royal Special Development Combat Command. There you helped to test out new weapons and equipment being proposed by the research department. Following a few decades there, you were transferred to the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot and made the aid de camp to the Watatsuki sisters. Your unit was the first one to face off against the assassins during the Lunar War. The section that you were in was on the mountain range were we had the worst friendly fire incident in our history. It was at that time when you fled from the field of battle.?
Reisen stayed silent. She had been to enough performance reviews and this was triggering her training. Eirin was done reading the file, so she tosses it on top of the bed next to her. Taking off her reading glasses, the doctor looks her patient straight in the eye.
?You had an exemplary career. Why did you run??
?I treated everything like a game.?
?I need more detail than that.?
The moon rabbit took a deep breath. ?Every time I?ve been in battle, I?ve always treated it like a game. I realized it when I was with the SDC Command. First, I was proud that I was making sure that only the best was getting to my comrades. But then I saw what happened when their equipment failed. After that, I saw firsthand that none of this was a game. So many of my friends died and it didn?t hit me until I was on that mountain. Then that artillery barrage??
?You distanced yourself from the effects of battle. I saw the awards that you have on record. Numerous citations for being the last survivor of many battles, impossible raids, and risks to rescue your comrades when they were pinned down. So many after action reports have the soldiers you rescue wanting you be recognized for your bravely. They even appeared at panels to testify in favor of you being awarded medals.?
?But I left them, I can?t ever look them in the eye again.?
?Running from a situation like that is normal.?
?I couldn?t keep a promise I made back then.?
?A promise to who??
?One of the assassins. I ran into him and killed him over a piece of paper. It turned out to be a picture of his family. He had a letter that was stained with his blood, but I promised to rewrite it and deliver it. Then another assassin appeared but I accidently killed him too. I still have the letter.?
Eirin sits there for a minute. Then she stands up. ?Where is this letter??
?On my desk, Master.?
?I?ll be back.? She walks out of the room, leaving Reisen there. About thirty minutes later, she returns. ?There, you fulfilled your promise.?
?How, Master??
?I gave the letter to one of Reisen?s General Staff. They?re going to give it to one of the soldiers that Yukari let come back into Gensokyo to gather the dead bodies. I gave them strict orders to make sure that it?s delivered.?
?Thank you, Master.?
?It?s been a long day for all of us. I need you to get some rest. Your wounds should be fully healed in the morning.?
?Yes, Master.?
?One more thing, Toyohime and Yorihime wish you well. They miss you and would like for you to think about coming back to the LDC.?
?But, I?m happy being under you, Master.?
?I know. They also offered me the chance to come back as the commander of the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot. If I do accept, I?ll need a good aide de camp and bodyguard.?
?What about the Princess, Master??
?She wants to see the world, even if it?s only on the battlefield. It sometimes slips my mind that she?s trained the same way as every other soldier in the LDC. She doesn?t have as much power as I do, but she?s still a strong woman. It?s time I treated her as one.?
Eirin leaves, letting Reisen sit there with her thoughts. A few minutes pass, then there?s a knock at the door. Reisen looks up and sees a familiar face looking back at her. The commander of the 4th Regiment of Royal Foot herself had come to visit her. She walks in and sits down in the chair that Eirin left.
?How are you feeling??
?I?ve seen better days.?
Reisen II nods. ?I heard about what happened in that clearing.?
?I heard that you?re a Regimental commander.?
?Princesses Toyohime and Yorihime felt that I was the right person for this post.?
?Are they treating you well??
?I like being with them. They talk a lot about how they miss you too.?
?I miss them too.?
?Are you?coming back soon??
?I don?t know??
?If you come back, there?s always a spot on the staff of the 4th.?
?Thank you.?
?I know that you need your rest, so I?ll let you go.? She stands back up. ?The Regiment?s about to head back for the Lunar Capital as soon as the remaining human soldiers get sent out of Gensokyo. Lady Yukari doubts that there?ll be another attack until at least next week. Get well soon.?
Parts Unknown, Time Unknown
The sounds of men running and working filled the air. Officers were walking behind the working men, keeping a watchful eye on everything. Maribel was surprised to see that she was transported to another place and time. But a small part of her had expected it when she had decided to turn in for the night.
She can see a fleet of ships directly in front of them, but at a far distance away. They were arranged in what looked like an uneven crescent. Maribel decides to move to the poop deck to get a better view. On top of the deck, a man in an ornate uniform with a chest full of battle honors was looking through a telescope. Another man stood next to him, tapping his foot nervously.
?Admiral Nelson, I think that you may want to take you decorations off your coat.?
?Nonsense, Hardy. It?s too late to be shifting a coat. They are military orders and I do not fear to them to the enemy.?
?Looks like Captain Blackwood?s inviting you aboard the Euryalus.?
?Mr. Pasco, if you would, tell him that I appreciate the offer but I?ll stay on the Victory.? Admiral Nelson turns back to Flag Officer Hardy. ?I can?t very well run from my ship.?
?What about letting the Temeraire lead the line??
?I rather lead the line myself.? He turns to the signal officer. ?Mr. Pasco, I wish to say to the fleet, ENGLAND CONFIDES THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY. You must be quick, for I have one more to make which is for close action.?
?If your Lordship will permit me to substitute the confides for expects the signal will soon be completed, because the word expects is in the vocabulary, and confides must be spelt.?
?That will do, Pasco, make it directly.?
The lieutenant begins to pull down the flags to change them. Maribel watches the scene, knowing that sometime important was about to happen. A loud noise was heard, and a volley aimed at them passed wide.
?We need more speed! Deploy every sail!? The boatswains began to work the lines. The weak breeze kept the British ships moving at a snail?s pace. Another volley was fired at them, this time it hit closer. More of the Spanish and French ships began to fire, trying to find the perfect range. For the next forty minutes, cannon balls were hitting the water all around them. Then some of them started to hit. Maribel screamed in fear when one slammed into a cannon crew and instantly killed two of them. The psychologist threw herself on the deck when a cannon ball tore off the steering wheel.
?Sir, the wheel?s shot off! We?ll have to steer her from the tiller!? A warrant officer yells.
?See to it that we?re not disabled.? Admiral Nelson watches as more cannon balls hit the ship. A splinter from one of the volleys takes off a buckle of one of Flag Officer Hardy?s shoes. ?This is too warm work Hardy, to last for long.? The rain of projectiles kept coming, adding more dead and wounded to the cabins below.
?We?re in range, sir!? A gunnery petty officer yells out. A cannonball flies into the ship, taking down eight marines instantly.
?Sir, who should be our first opponent?? Flag Officer Hardy asks.
?Take your pick, Hardy.?
?That looks like the Bucentaure.?
?A wise choice.? As the HMS Victory moves across the stern of the French Flagship, she was engaged by the French Redoutable and the Spanish Santisima Trinidad. Maribel stood up, only to throw herself back down when a cannonball flew so close to her that her hair waved in its wake. Marines all around were climbing the lines to try and get a better shot. Some were hit and fell onto the deck or in the sea.
Maribel looked up and then the ship began to shake as it unleased a raking broadside. It devastated the Bucentaure, sending massive splinters flying in her gun decks. The volley was made even more effective as it was fired from only a few yards away. She looks around and is astonished to see Nelson and Hardy walk around the ship, calmly guiding the sailors. Musketfire rained down on the ship, as snipers on the opposing ship opened fire.
?Fire on the Redoutable, lads! Don?t let her get too comfortable!? A petty officer calls out. But the French ship was too close, deck hands began to throw lines, locking the two ships together. On the French ship, infantry began to gather on the deck.
?All gunners, get ready for boarding!? Flag Officer Hardy yells out. The gunners stopped firing and ran to grab muskets. Grenades began to hit the deck, thrown from the other ship.
Maribel couldn?t stand due to the amount of lead flying through the air. Then she looks at the mizzentop of the French ship. Her eyes widen at what she sees.
On top of the mast, Yukari Yakumo sat with a musket. She opens the pan and pulls a cartridge from a gap. The youkai tears off one end and spits it out. Then she pulls the hammer back halfway and pours a little of the powder into the pan. Closing the pan, she brings the musket?s muzzle closer to herself. Pouring the rest of powder into the barrel, she reverses the cartridge and stuffs it in. Drawing the ramrod from under the barrel, she rams down the cartridge until it bottoms out. Giving it one final slam, she returns the rod to its holder.
Bring it up to her right shoulder, she looks around for her target. Maribel instantly knows who she?s looking for. Admiral Nelson is busy speaking with a warrant officer and pointing to the main mast, with no regard to the lead flying all around him. Yukari sees him and brings the musket into line. She stays like this for a few seconds and then pulls the trigger.
In slow motion, Maribel could almost see the musketball as it leaves the barrel and goes into his left shoulder. The admiral stumbles and falls to a knee. Flag Officer Hardy turns around and watches as he falls to his side. Rushing to him, he calls out to the nearest marines and sailors.
Yukari has a tired look on her as she disappears into a gap. The Victory erupts in chaos as sailors and marines begin to surround their fallen admiral. The crew of the Redoutable are forming up to board when another British ship, the HMS Temeraire, comes up to their starboard side and unleashes a devastating volley that hits many of the French crew.
Maribel scrambles up on her feet and runs towards the gathering. A marine and two sailors gently lift Nelson up and begin to carry him to the lower decks. She stops short when a piece of paper glides in front of her. Picking it up, her eyes widen for the second time in less than five minutes. The paper was a dispatch, detailing how Admiral Nelson was planning to continue his push and completely decimate the combined Franco-Spanish navy and then land an army that would use the scorched earth doctrine.
She couldn?t believe what she had just read. They psychologist had always felt that the British were justified in bring down Napoleon, but if they were going to destroy everything to do so, she wasn?t sure anymore. To add even more confusion, she could tell that the entire crew was devastated when they saw Admiral Nelson fall. It was as if their father had been shot in front of them. She turns the paper around but sees nothing on the back.
Running after the small group carrying the wounded man downstairs, Maribel stops and watches him advise a sailor on the operation of the tiller. Even with a fatal wound, he?s calm and knowledgeable. She follows the procession as it reaches the surgeon. They place him on a bunk and bring him lemonade and watered wine. The surgeon is called away to tend to more wounded and the chaplain leaves to fetch towels.
By himself, Nelson closes his eyes. In a voice that barely reaches Maribel?s ears, he speaks. ?You?lengthen this war?by doing this?Lady Yakumo.?
?It had to be done, Admiral.? Yukari steps forward from the shadows. ?The course of history is kind to few, even if they are good.?
?Even if?I save lives??
?Some are meant to end their lives today. Others are given more time. It?s my responsibility to keep history on its rightful course. Even if I must become the necessary evil. For all that it means, I am truly sorry that it had to end like this. I am sorry both to you and Lady Hamilton.?
?I just?have one?final question?is there anything?after this??
This made Yukari pause. A pained look appears on her face. ?I?m not sure.? She looks away. ?For some, there?s something. For others, I don?t know. Personally, I believe there?s something waiting for us across the river. For someone that I still care about, I want to believe that she?s in the never ending grassy plain where she can watch the stars in peace for the rest of time. I don?t care where I go, as long as she?s in peace.?
?I hope...that when?the time comes?both of you?can enjoy that?grassy plain?together.?
?Thank you, Admiral. Your caregivers are about to return, I should take my leave. A little bit of consolation: history remembers you as one of the best admirals to have ever lived. Hundreds of years after today, your actions are studied at elite military schools everywhere. Godspeed, Admiral Nelson.? Yukari turns and disappears into the shadows.
Maribel hears the footsteps of a large group. She runs above deck and can barely see anything due to the amount of smoke everywhere. The ship shook once more as both a volley slammed into the side of the Victory. Maribel stumbles and almost falls down the stairs onto the middle deck. Grabbing hold of the rail, she steadies herself.
A cheer erupts as the Redoutable strikes her colors. More British ships reach the giant melee, sending cannonballs in every direction. The return fire forces Maribel to drop to the deck again. A cannonball hits the deck a few feet from her and goes straight through the weaken wood. Another cannonball lands next to a cannon crew. One of the crew members grabs it and reloads it into the closest cannon.
A lieutenant begins to grab marines and sailors to compose a prize crew. Once he has enough, he grabs a line and swings onto the surrendered ship. The price crew follow him, once they land, they beat the French crew into submission. On the other side of the Victory, the gunners were firing close range broadsides. A return volley slams into the ship. One cannonball bounces and heads straight towards Maribel. She closes her eyes and waits for the impact.
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
It was early in the morning, but Tenshi and Meiling had been training for hours. The gatekeeper was helping her to develop her unarmed fighting style. Sakuya was back in her normal maid uniform, keeping a close eye on the pair. Remilia was sipping a cup of tea and watching them. After a particularly exhaustive session, Meiling had called for a break.
Tenshi had taken a seat in the shade created by the gatehouse, discussing her training with Meiling. The chief maid had brought out a pitcher of ice cold water and was impressed with Tenshi?s quick progress. She elbows Meiling, ?If she keeps on like this, we might hire her to help you out.?
?Who knows, she might even challenge you for head maid.?
?I can?t do that,? Tenshi felt a little uncomfortable. ?I can barely handle my studies, much less handle so many under me.?
?Don?t worry about it.? Sakuya laughed. ?I doubt that Milady would accept such a change. She?s come to think of all of us as family. She would take on Van Helsing to protect us.?
?Anyway, Tenshi, you?ve picked up hand to hand fighting really fast.? Meiling nodded. ?It does help that you have a good teacher. But, I want you to try sometime for me.?
?Am I going to have to stand still while Sakuya tries to hit an apple on my head??
?Not this time. I want to see how good you are at reflecting projectiles.? She stands back up. ?I?ll start off slow and if you do good, we?re see if you can come close to my record. It?ll be harder for you though, since you don?t know how to handle chi yet.?
Tenshi wipes the sweat off of her forehead and gets on her feet. Walking to the middle of the garden, she assumes a ready stance. Meiling assumes her own and takes a deep breath.
She unleashes a lighting fast crescent kick that transitions into a reverse round and finishes in a butterfly kick. Rainbow colored danmaku flies from her kicks towards Tenshi. The Celestial focuses on bringing her magic into her hands and begins to destroy the projectiles with strong punches. Every other punch requires her to spin so that she build up enough momentum. She builds a rhythm that starts out slow but speeds up as more projectiles come closer.
Once they get too numerous for her hands, the Celestial begins to use her feet to kick them away. The pair keep this up for the next ten minutes. Tired out, they both let themselves fall back into a sitting position. Sakuya gives each one a small tower to wipe their sweat. ?That was impressive, Tenshi. But I?m not sure how much it might help against bullets.?
?That wasn?t designed to go against bullets,? Meiling explains. ?It?s supposed to simulate going against a tough and slow opponent and to emphasize the power of each strike. You really did good, Tenshi.?
?Thank you. It does make me feel better knowing how to fight like this.? Tenshi rotated her wrist. ?I did have a few close calls with my sword getting stuck in the middle of a fight.?
?Well, with what you learned today, that should be less of a problem.? Sakuya nods again. ?Have you ever thought about carrying a backup, like a knife or a tomahawk??
?I feel a lot better with the Sword of Hisou. It?s been with me ever since I first got into Heaven and I feel weaker without it.?
?I understand.? Sakuya patted the pocket watch she always kept on her. ?But if you do decide to use knives, I?ll be happy to show some of my techniques.?
?It?s nice to see how much effort you?re putting into this,? Yukari laughed as everyone jumped. She had opened a gap behind Sakuya and had her parasol at the ready to defect any knives. ?Don?t mind me, I?m just going around the neighborhood.? She accepts a glass of water from Sakuya. ?The aftermath of the battle?s still not clear. I?ve been going around talking to everyone.?
?Is it as bad as the Dragon Palace??
?No, everyone seems really impressed at how you rushed to the line without any evidence of self-interest. Eirin?s also talked to me about that scroll you gave her yesterday. That?s something I would have expected from the outside world, but never His Lordship.? Yukari forces a dry laugh. ?I?ll have to keep my eye on all of this myself. Ran will be disappointed.?
?Milady would like to know when you?re sending Maribel and Renko off on their assignment.? Sakuya asks.
?Soon. I have to have the kappas give them some tools and I might have Keine give them a quick history of Gensokyo. But rest assured that I won?t send them out ill prepared. It?s my responsibility to make sure everyone in Gensokyo makes it through this war.?
?Have you found any leads on who?s pulling the strings in the outside?? Tenshi took a bite out of a peach she always carried.
?There?s one. The United States has recently gone through a change in leadership.? The gap youkai pulls out a picture. ?This man is the one in charge right now.?
Tenshi, Sakuya and Meiling look at the picture. The gatekeeper takes a sharp breath that nobody misses.
?Meiling, is something wrong?? Sakuya studies her with a close eye.
?I?ve seen that catfish before??
?Catfish?? Tenshi stares at the picture and then notices the pin on his lapel.
?It?s the same catfish from my dream.? Meiling gives Sakuya a sideways glance. ?Remember when you dragged me into the library when I fell asleep after those earthquakes??
?It was Lady Patchouli that threw a book at your head.?
?Anyway, I had this dream where a disaster god kept sending assassins that shape shifted after me. He finally came out and said that he wanted to take over Gensokyo. It was Taisui Xingjun.?
?He?s back!?!? Tenshi had to sit down for this. ?My father made me study some of the reports about him. All of the worst disasters on the planet were caused by him to achieve world domination. There were also some records about an invasion of the moon that almost succeeded.?
?How did he manage to take over an entire country without anyone noticing?? Sakuya asked. ?Everyone knew what was happening before World War II but thought that giving in would stop it. Is the same thing happening now??
?He operates by having his minions infiltrate the higher levels of governments and militaries.? Tenshi shook her head. ?That would explain a lot if he?s doing the same thing this time. And if he?s had a head start, we could get overwhelmed extremely quickly.?
?We?re always going to be outnumbered.? Yukari motioned at everything around her. ?Gensokyo?s a small place to start with. The only nation that we?re bigger than is the Vatican, but they would never fight in any wars.?
?Isn?t Switzerland thinking about becoming our ally??
?I?m going to give their Federal Council a call later on. Hopefully they join us, but at the very least, they?re stay neutral.? Yukari shrugged.
?Switzerland, hmmm. They?re not someone that NATO would mess with.? Sakuya said. ?They stayed out of both World Wars just by having their entire population ready to fight. I trained with a few of their units back in my day, they could give the Lunarians a run for their money.?
?Even then, we?re still outnumbered.? Tenshi looked at the ground.
?But we?re not outclassed.? Yukari gently raised Tenshi?s head. ?Didn?t you see how well we did yesterday? That was the first time many of us had ever been in actual combat against anyone. We were using weapons that we weren?t fully familiar with, but we still held the line. I?ll admit that the Lunarians did save us at the worst part. But that still doesn?t make what we did any less impressive.?
?But it?s going to be worst next time, isn?t it??
?It is. They know what to expect now and won?t be fooled as easily. But we?re getting more regiments of Royal Foot from the Lunarians and we have your artillery. Don?t be so pessimistic, you?re doing great. Just keep it up.?
Moriya Shrine, Gensokyo
Even though she was in the thick of the battle yesterday, what Marisa was about to do scared her more than anything she?s done before. Sanae had sensed that something was up with the magician and had been waiting in front of the shrine when she arrived. The shrine maiden had her traditional purification rod with her, but also had her Magpul Masada slung on her shoulder. She could tell that Marisa was looking at it.
?I know. But I just can?t walk around without it. What if something happens?? Sanae gestured at the small huts that were behind the shrine. ?Everyone from the Human Village is back there. If there?s another attack, it?s my responsibility as the Moriya miko to protect my visitors.?
?How does it feel, having to carry around a gun?? Marisa patted one of her Blackhawks.
?Back in the outside world, we couldn?t have any guns. The only time I ever saw a gun was on television, or in some of the manga I read during lunch at school.? The shrine maiden shakes her head. ?I wish we just go back to using the spellcard rules. It made life so much easier.?
?Hey, Sanae, I was wondering if?.? Marisa trailed off.
?You?re looking for someone, aren?t you?? Sanae gave her a reassuring smile a comforting squeeze. ?Follow me, I show you where he is.?
She led Marisa into the makeshift village. The villagers poked their heads out of the huts, curious to see who was visiting. They saw some of the bruises and cuts that Marisa had gotten in the battle yesterday. Instead of looking at her with a faint amount of distrust, they looked at her with gratitude. It didn?t matter that she knew how to use magic and flew around. Nor did it matter that she was on friendly terms with youkai and humans. What mattered was the fact that she had risked her life to protect the land she loved.
They stop in front of a hut near the back of the village. ?Well, here?s his place. I know that you?re about to do something important, so I?ll leave you here. I just want you to know, if you need me, I?m here. Good luck, Marisa.?
Marisa nods and listens to Sanae walk off. She holds the medallion that?s still around her neck. Taking a deep breath, she knocks on the door. A few seconds later, a voice that she hadn?t heard in years makes her jump.
?Come in.?
She hesitates for a second and then opens the door. Walking in, she stops to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. A middle aged man is busy pouring himself a cup of tea and doesn?t look up for a few seconds. When he does loop up, he freezes when their eyes meet.
?Is?that really you, Marisa??
Her mouth couldn?t form any words and her throat had gone dry. Then he sees the cuts and bruises on her face.
?You?re hurt.? He stands up and grabs some bandages. He points at the only other seat in the room. ?Sit. I?ll patch you up.?
Sitting down, she watches him as he grabs a towel and a cup of water. He pours the water on the towel and begins to wipe her face off. ?I know about what you did yesterday. Word travels fast around the village. To think, my daughter was in the middle of that battle??
?Dad, I?? It felt strange to say that again, especially after so long. ?I wanted to ask you about something.?
He pauses. ?Hmm, what?s on your mind??
?It?s about this.? She pulls out the medallion and holds it out to him. ?I wanted to know the story behind it.?
Taking the medallion, he feels every crevice and stares at it. ?I knew that this day would come eventually.?
?You sound like Kourin.?
?How is he, by the way??
?He saved me from a fighter plane that was about to ram me.? She felt weird talking to her father like this. It was like it was only a few days since they had last seen each other. She almost felt comfortable.
?So it looks like everyone had some part in that mess yesterday??
?Dad, about the medallion??
Her father takes a deep breath. ?Your mother was the one with the idea. I?ve never liked magic, you of all people should know that. Those spellcard rules came too late for your mother??
?Did she?die from a danmaku attack??
?It was during the vampire incident, the rampage. The Human Village was hit hard and?the house was set on fire. All of us managed to escape and we ran to the schoolhouse. I left to join all the other men in trying to defend what was left when that youkai woman and the Hakueri miko showed up.?
?Do you mean?Remiu?s mother??
?Yes, that was the first time I had ever seen her so angry. She was covered in blood as well. From what I heard from some of the others, she had beaten some of the vampire?s followers to death with her bare hands on the way to help us. Her name was Remiu, just like her daughter. She called out the vampire and they began to fight. It was the most salvage battle I?ve ever seen. During the fight, some of the magic that missed them started to hit the buildings around us. Then something hit the schoolhouse and caused a massive explosion?? He trails off as he tries to control his tears. Marisa hangs on his every word. She had never been told what had happened to her mother. Rinnosuke had refused to tell her, promising only to tell when she was older.
?She had covered you with her own body. She took a giant splinter in the back that stopped about an inch from your face. Remiu saw what had happened and was trying to stop the bleeding when the vampire reached her?? He pauses once more. ?Remiu killed the vampire but got stabbed in the chest by one of its spells. Even as she was bleeding out, she tried to stop your mother?s bleeding. The youkai woman had evacuated the rest of us, but I managed to run all the way to the schoolhouse. I still don?t know how she got there before I did??
Marisa felt tears forming in her eyes. Then she felt guilt for running away now that she knew the reason he hated magic.
?I found both of them dead. The youkai woman had picked you up and was trying to get you to stop crying. She turned you away from?the bodies and handed you to me. She made me follow her and we ended up getting Remiu?s daughter too. I won?t ever forget holding the two of you in the middle of the fight?? He paused to take a deep breath. ?The woman disappeared and I took both of you back to that schoolteacher. I grabbed a spear to help do something, but the vampire?s group had already been rounded up. They were fighting back hard, until another vampire showed up.?
?Dad, was it Remilia??
?I think so. She had light blue hair and had a maid with her. She took control of the mob and had them leave. From what I heard, the youkai woman and the vampire were negotiating for days after that. Then we heard that the Hakueri miko had made a deal with the vampire and had created the spellcard rules. We wondered how she could, but we were told that Remiu?s daughter would take over being the miko. I wanted to take vengeance for your mother?s death, but since the vampire had been killed??
?Remiu never told me??
?She didn?t know either. We buried both of them in the cherry blossom garden behind the shrine, but the headstones became too weathered for it to be readable. I wanted to tell you earlier but you had left??
?I can?t give up magic.? Marisa clenched her fists. She felt a familiar anger rise up in her. ?I left because you wouldn?t let me work on my natural ability! I?m second only to Remiu! If anything tries to destroy the village, I can stop it! Are you still going to tell me to give up magic after what happened yesterday!?!?
Her father just sat there holding the medallion and looked at the floor. ?I don?t want to lose you??
Hearing that, Marisa felt sadness grip her heart. ?You still haven?t told me about the medallion yet, Dad.?
?Your mother had a spirit she knew make it for you. She was going to teach you how to use magic so you could protect the village. But I objected to it. I saw how dangerous magic was first hand even before the attack. That?s why I don?t sell any magical items in my store. But?? He trailed off again.
For a good five minutes they sat there in silence. Marisa didn?t prompt him, she could see that he was in deep thought. She heard the birds chirping outside and the wind rustling the trees.
?I might have to accept that my daughter is a magician in mind and heart.?
Marisa couldn?t believe her ears. For almost all of her life, she had always been at odds with him over it. But now, it could mean that they could close the gap.
?I?ve spent too much time running away from magic. This is Gensokyo after all, magic is everywhere. I don?t have any magical ability at all, so I?m useless. I?ve lost my wife and I?ve distanced myself from my only daughter. I don?t want to die an old, lonely man.?
?Dad, are you sure about this??
?I?ve made my share of mistakes in my life. One of the biggest was not being able to spend time with you and raise you like a father should. And I made it worse by blaming your stubbornness. But you had to get that from somewhere, right? You?re out there fighting to protect Gensokyo while I?m here hiding. Yesterday, you could?ve been killed and I would?ve had still been here hiding.? He shakes his head. ?Don?t you see anything wrong with that? I basically abandoned you. When you were trying to learn how to fly, I punished you for following your heart. When I saw you fly around at 6 years old, I felt pride in my heart because I knew how hard you worked for it. Then I took the broom away and locked you in your room. I was a fool to think that I would turn you away from what you heart wanted. Even though we were living in the same home, I locked you away to run from magic. I?m sorry, I?m so sorry.?
The Ordinary Magician accepted his embrace and returned it with tears in her eyes. ?Dad, I?m sorry too. I should have came earlier but I just couldn?t.?
?I understand. Rinnosuke had talked to me about you, but I was too scared to do anything. I was so afraid during the battle yesterday that something would have to you that I locked myself I here and didn?t come out until it was dark out.? He let go of her. ?You are just like your mother, so I won?t ask you to stop fighting in the war. But promise me that you?ll come back to me. I want to be able to start to make up for all the time I missed.?
-
United Nations General Assembly Chamber, International Territory, New York City, New York, United States
Yukari, Eirin, Eiki, Toyohime, Remilia, and Tenshi were sitting at the front right of the UN General Assembly Chamber stage. Behind them, Ran, Reisen, Komachi, Reisen II, Sakuya and Iku were standing behind them, keeping an eye on the chamber. Both Reisens and Sakuya wore their service uniforms, and received more attention than the others that were standing. Some of the European representatives had expressed reservations about Sakuya?s uniform, but Remilia had firmly announced that they would have to get over it.
The chamber was in a low murmur, with the various diplomats whispering to each other in various languages. Yukari?s eyes sweep around the room, it was almost as if she could tell where the alliances were. The American delegate, the same one from her last visit, glared back at her, causing her to give him a smirk. Eirin sat in her old uniform, with a chest full of medals and her two shoulder cords
The Secretary General began to hit his gavel on the desk. ?I hereby call this emergency special session to order. This meeting was called to facilitate nonbinding negotiations between Gensokyo, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation. I would to thank everyone that has agreed to take part in this, either by being a participant or by observing the proceedings.?
As he kept speaking, Eirin leaned towards Toyohime. ?It brings back old memories?? she whispered.
The Lunarian princess laughed silently. ?Yes, Lady Yagokoro. But hopefully we won?t have to worry about court assassins here.?
Yukari brought her fan up and made it stand on the table. Behind it, she had pulled out an Ipod and was playing games on it. She kept looking up to give the impression that she was paying attention. Ran saw this and wished that she had brought something to distract her from the dry and boring speech. The only one that really paid attention was Eiki, who decided against poking her fellows with the Rod of Remorse.
Once the Secretary General ended his introductory speech, he released the floor to the representatives. Tenshi looked at Yukari and asked, ?Why are we even doing this? These people can?t make any binding decisions.?
?We still have to behave on the world stage. Having the entire planet come after us at the same time won?t help us at all. And, our potential ally still needs to see what we?re about,? Yukari stands up. ?I would like to thank everyone for allowing us to have this emergency session. I, for one, would like to find a quick and fair solution to end this war that was started against us for no legitimate reason.?
The American representative stands up. ?No legitimate reason? Your very existence is dangerous to the stability of the world and even the human race! You are a rouge state with nuclear power and a powerful army! The United States has a duty to police the world and bring freedom and equality for all! We-?
?Let me tell you why that?s bull sh-? Tenshi?s prevented from finishing her sentence by a small whack on the head from Yukari?s fan. The Celestial pauses to reorganize her thoughts and continues. ?You claim to bring freedom and equality for all men. That?s a respectable and honorable goal. But what about us? We?re not all humans, so are we automatically excluded? From what I?ve seen so far, it seems so. Some of us are ghosts, some are animals with intelligence, some of us are not even from this planet. I am a Celestial, the closest thing that you may understand would be an angel. I have learned to fight the shikigami that comes to take our souls at the end of our lives. I have powers that no normal human has ever thought of, even though I was born as a normal human. I will be the first to admit that it because of my family that I was given them. But there are others that earned every scrap of power they had with sweat, blood and tears. Some of the people that live in Gensokyo came there because they were being hunted and almost killed by humans. This is our last home. And now you want to come in and destroy it? On what grounds do you have the right to??
"You are a rouge power. You just can?t be trusted with such powerful technology. Especially after that terrorist attack that your little plot of land launched.?
?I?ve said it before, but I?ll say it again.? Yukari glared at the diplomat. ?We had nothing to do with that. We are a small group. How could we plant a bomb at every embassy on the planet, especially after the heightened level of security caused by the current climate of war and terrorism??
Before the American could respond, the Swiss representative stood up. He held a file in his hands. ?Our Nachrichtendienst des Bundes, or the Federal Intelligence Service, has intercepted transmissions coming from the American Central Intelligence Agency?s highest levels of command. These transmissions detail planting something in multiple locations around the planet. With this transmission, we were able to find the bomb at our embassies before they exploded.? He turns to face the American representative. ?This is too much, even for your nation. First, we have all the things that happened during the Cold War, then the things that happened during the War on Terror, and now this. Are you really trying to start another World War? Don?t try to lie to us about these false flag operations.?
"Those operations are none of your concern.? The American sneered. ?And intercepting our transmission like that can be considered an act of war around these parts.?
?And your attempted bombing of our embassies aren?t??
Yukari cut in again. ?I find it extremely suspect that the President of the United States was replaced by the same person that reported finding Gensokyo and advocated for military action before even reaching out to us in friendship first.?
The room went silent and it was obvious that the American representative didn?t have an answer. Eirin leans towards Toyohime. ?It?s starting to all fit now.?
The moon princess beckons Reisen II forward. ?Would you like a carrot??
?Princess??
?I?m in the mood for a peach myself.?
?If you insist, Princess.? The moon rabbit hands her a peach and takes a small bit out of a carrot. She gives Reisen a carrot as well.
Hearing the sounds of chewing behind her, Yukari opens a gap and withdraws a bottle of sake and multiple glasses. She pours some for herself and passes the bottle and glasses around. ?Based on what we all know, it would be reasonable to assume that you were setting up for a war in the first place. Is the Bush Doctrine still in effect??
?There is nothing wrong with the Bush Doctrine,? sneered the American representative. ?We have the right to strike first at any nation that can pose a threat to us. You are monsters! Vampires and werewolves, foxes that walk on their hind legs, undead walking around like normal people! Is there anything normal about that? I would assume that you eat humans as well! That makes you a threat to the entire human race.?
Remilia leaned forward. ?I would eat you but you would probably give me some bad indigestion due to you having a British mentality.? She leans back in her chair and shrugs. ?But what should I?ve expected after all of this? Even though, raining satellites down on us was new. We French are always having to put you British in line.?
Yukari leaned sideways towards Tenshi, ?Watch at how the trolling starts.? Eirin heard her and shook her head with a small smile. Eiki stayed silent, she was only going to jump in if something major happened. Toyohime was interested to see what Yukari would do while Remilia just wanted to humiliate the delegates opposing them.
?You insult me when I?m trying to give you the chance to end this war-? the man is interrupted by Yukari saying out loud, ?You won?t hit him!?
Everyone in the room stares at Yukari as she goes on. ?Bet you won?t hit him!?
Tenshi blinked in surprise at the sudden change in Yukari. The gap youkai began to heckle the American representative with various pieces of internet slang and flame bait. But it was just to him, everyone else got polite and dignified responses. Whenever he tried to speak, Yukari would make snide remarks and devastate his arguments. It got to the point that the other delegates would laugh loudly whenever the youkai landed a hit. The meeting continued for an hour longer, but with no achievements that the Celestial could see except for Yukari?s continued amusement.
Once the meeting had concluded, everyone began to leave the chamber. The Gensokyo group stood up and began to stretch, or at least the ones that were sitting down. The Swiss representative walked up to the group and gave Yukari a sealed envelope. With a nod, he turns and leaves.
Yukari opens it and reads. When she looks up, she has a smile on her face. ?It?s official. The Swiss are our allies now.?
Voile, Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
Maribel was reading the notes that she had taken of the dream she had the night before. At Renko?s urging, she had written down every single detail she had remembered. Now the pair was in the library, conducting research. It wasn?t long before Patchouli became curious about them and approached them.
With the librarian?s help, they had narrowed the search down to a few sections of the collection. The pair had explained the two dreams that Maribel had to Patchouli and she had agreed to do research into it herself. The first set of books that they had gathered were about the American Civil War and a second stack was about the Napoleonic Wars. Renko was taking notes about some of the more important parts while Maribel tried to remember more and organize them in some sort of order. The pair worked until lunch, when Sakuya had brought them a light lunch and some cold drinks. The maid had seen how they were starting to work themselves ragged and had made them promise that they would take breaks more often. Maribel was touched by how much the head maid had begun to care about them and made sure to keep that promise.
Finally getting the motivation to stand up, the pair decide to take a short walk around the grounds of the mansion. For the first few seconds, they?re blinded by the sun since they hadn?t left the mansion all day. The damage from the battle days ago is still there, contrasting sharply with the peaceful surroundings. The empty bullet casings reflect the sunlight, creating a field of sparkles as far as the eye could see.
Around the mansion, the air defense artillery sat still. Fairy maids ignored the cannons as they floated around doing their usual things. Maribel and Renko walk around the weapons, trying to figure out how they might work before they start to head to the garden. On the way, they run into the head of security, Meiling.
The gatekeeper is stretching to wake herself up after a midday nap. Her straight sword was propped against the wall, along with a Type 56 assault rifle. As she finishes stretching, she waves at the pair and invites them to seat with her at a nearby table. Accepting her invitation, the pair begin to shoot the breeze with her.
?So, how are both of you liking it here??
?It?s great.? Renko looks over at the destroyed section of the wall that surrounded the mansion. ?I just wish that we could?ve have visited at a better time.?
Nodding her head, Meiling gives the surrounding area a quick glance. ?I understand. Just a few months ago, we were starting to enjoy spring, and then all of this happened. I haven?t had to fight like that in a long time. No matter how much time passes, it never gets easier.?
?Where are you from, Meiling?? Maribel asks. ?You do wear a different style of clothes than everyone else.?
?I?m from a small village in China. It?s probably not there anymore, it?s been a long time since I left.? The Chinese girl smiles a little. ?It was in the mountains near a river. Every morning, the sun would come up and make everything have an orange shade. I always like how it reminded me of my hair.? She laughs. ?A little bit from the village, there was a small dragon that lived in the forest. She had little ones that would play with us near the river. They also taught me how to control chi.?
?Why did you leave?? Renko asked.
?The dragon told us to leave because there were two opposing armies heading towards us. Since we had enough time, we were able to pack all of our stuff up and run. I got separated from the rest of them and decided to make my own way. A few years later, I meet Lady Remilia and she takes me in after a spot of trouble. And I?ve been working for her ever since.?
?I?m sorry, I didn?t mean to-? Maribel starts.
?Don?t worry about it. Both of you seem to be people I can trust.? Meiling smiles again. ?After what both of you done so far, I would be proud to have you as friends.?
?Thank you,? Maribel was happy to have another friend. Aside from Renko, she really didn?t have that many other people to talk to. Now, she had a large number that would be happy to have her over for tea. Meiling?s openness also made the pair more comfortable around her. Renko felt the same way.
?It almost feels like we have an older sister.? The physic laughs. ?Did you have any siblings, Meiling??
Shaking her head, she responds. ?No, I was an only child. But since I was the first to help Flandre learn how to control herself, I might as well had been an older sister. I also did look out for Sakuya when she first arrived.? She looks around and then leans in. ?You seen her in her uniform, right??
Renko nods.
?Back when Sakuya first arrived, she had a little bit of shell shock. From what I heard, she was in some of the worst battles during the Second World War and saw so many of her soldiers get killed. She told me that the worst part was keeping her ability secret. Could you imagine, having the power to save someone, but you couldn?t use it? After a while, somehow she ended up coming after Lady Remilia. I wasn?t there since I had to run into town to get supplies, so I don?t know what exactly happened. But, I come back and we have a new head maid.? She shrugged. ?For the first couple of nights, she didn?t sleep a wink. She would stand at the gate and stand guard. I almost got cut when I asked her what she was doing the first night. She eventually started to warm up to me. Once she did that, she started to relax.?
?Is she?dangerous?? Maribel hesitated.
?To anyone that wants to hurt someone she cares about, yes. But to a friend, of course not!? Meiling?s voice is firm. ?Sakuya is one of the nicest humans I know! She carried me all the way to the library once when I fell asleep out here to keep me from getting a heat stroke. She doesn?t care if you?re a human or youkai. I would say she?s like Remiu in a way. The reason I want you two to know this is so that you can understand some of the things Sakuya does. And she?ll tell you all of this herself when she finally feels really comfortable with you two.?
Before any of them could respond, they heard footsteps moving closer to them. They turn to see Ran walking towards them with her hands hidden in her sleeves just like always.
The kitsune greets them with a quick bow. ?Good afternoon. Lady Yukari sent me to begin your training for your trip.?
?I should get back to watching the gate.? Meiling stands up. ?If you need some help with hand to hand, I?ll be happy to do what I can.? She gives Ran a friendly nod before she leaves.
?So, what do we have to learn?? Renko asked.
?A fair amount of things. Lady Yukari wants you know how to fight before she sends you to London. You know a lot about how the outside operates, so all you really have to know is how to shoot and how to counteract MI5.?
?MI5?? Maribel tilted her head in thought. ?Are they like MI6? I?ve only heard about MI6 because of James Bond.?
?MI5 concentrates on counterintelligence.? Ran nodded at the pair. ?Which makes them your number one enemy when your there. But don?t let that worry you too much. We?ll be in touch to pull you out as soon as it gets too rough. And I doubt that you?ll have to worry about handsome spies charming secrets out of you.?
?What would we have to do?? Renko was starting to become unsure about their decision.
?Lady Yukari?s getting a few vacant civilian positions ready in the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, London. But it?s going to take some time, at least two months. So in the meantime, we?ll take it easy and train both of you at your own pace. We should start by teaching you the history of Gensokyo.?
Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
In front of the reviewing stand at the Lunar Palace, three line infantry regiments stood in formation. The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot was joined by the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of Royal Foot. Only the 4th had a commander in front of them. Reisen II had a hand gripping her saber tightly, she knew that the change of command she was about to witness would affect her deeply. But she was proud to be able to take part, since everyone on the reviewing stand had helped her go from a normal peasant moon rabbit pounding mochi to a Regimental commander in charge of the fourth most elite group in the Lunar Defense Corps. The fact that she had lead them into battle and had suffered no permanent casualties proved that they had made the right choice.
On the reviewing stand, Princesses Toyohime and Yorihime stood with Eirin and Reisen Udongein Inaba. Behind the sisters, Kaguya stood with a stoic look on her face. The doctor had her LDC uniform on, along with a generous amount of her awards and decorations and her command saber. Reisen?s was simpler, but she still took a measure of pride in it and the service pistol she now had hung from a belt. She still didn?t wear any headgear or ribbons on her uniform, a holdover from the days she had to fight in that same uniform. Eirin had decided to let her, she saw it as the beginning of a slow recovery to her past life. Her normal jacket had been modified to have shoulder straps, so that the shoulder cord she would be receiving would be secured in a neat fashion.
Toyohime looks at the 2nd and 3rd Regiments. ?Both of you have been recalled to undergo a change of command.? Their respective commanders step forward with their chiefs of staff and their battle standards. Toyohime accepts the standard from the 2nd and Yorihime takes the one from the 3rd. They hand them back to the respective chiefs of staff and turn to face all the regiments. ?With this change of command, my sister and I will begin to personally take part in combat operations, as members of the Royal Family have a duty to do.? Toyohime had a saber hanging from her belt with Yorihime had her katana. As backup, they both had service pistols hanging from the belts on the opposite side of the bladed weapons.
?The 1st Regiment of Royal Foot has been on stand down status ever since the conclusion of the 1st Genso-Lunar War. Now, it gives me great pride to announce that Lady Eirin Yagokoro has returned to take command and with her as commander, the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot is now on active status.? Toyohime takes the heavily adorned standard and hands it to Eirin. She takes it and hands it to Reisen. ?With this, Lady Yagokoro has also accepted the return of her commission. She?s a Lunarian Royal Officer again. This shoulder cord represents the responsibilities and privileges of her office.? The princess then steps to be in front of Reisen. ?Lady Yagokoro has also brought Reisen to serve as her chief of staff.? Pulling another shoulder cord out, Toyohime pins it on her right shoulder. She gives the moon rabbit a small smile and a quick pat on the shoulder. She lowers her voice, ?We?re happy to have you back, even if it?s only for a little bit. We missed you so much??
As one, the regiments bowed their heads as a show of respect. Eirin returns the gesture and goes to stand in front of her regiment with Reisen beside her. Once Toyohime and Yorihime get in front of their own regiments, Eirin gives her own a command to march forward, shortly after, every other regiment begins to follow while keeping the same distance. The four Royal Foot regiments march pass the reviewing stand, with Kaguya and Tewi watching them silently amid a small group of members of the royal family and other high ranking military officials. The four regiments, totaling 20,000 Lunarians but no horses, kept a steady and unified march, with each foot striking the ground at the same exact time, every time. The formations were perfect, not one of the officers or enlisted were even an inch out of position. Eirin was starting to feel the resurgence of the pride and protectiveness that she had always had when she first become a Royal Lunarian officer and kept until she left.
Raising her command saber in salute, Eirin can see that the Lunarian has a resigned look on her face. It hurts Eirin to see the princess like this, but they both know that their return was necessary. And they made it clear that as soon as the current conflict was over, that they were going back to Eientei. At least Reisen had managed to make some progress getting over her shell shock. Once they were past the reviewing stand, Eirin lead them to their barracks area and gave them the rest of the day off. Eirin and Reisen went back to the reviewing stand to meet up with Kaguya and Tewi. The pair didn?t say a word on the way back, both of them felt the shoulder cords? weight on more than their shoulders.
-
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
It was a week after the battle that had changed Gensokyo forever. Marisa had begun to spend more and more time with her father. But when she received a call from Nitori, she had to go to the workshop. The kappa had promised her something big, so Marisa?s natural curiosity was had. If it wasn?t anything good, she could just pick up anything that wasn?t bolted down.
But it turned out that she didn?t need to worry. In front of Marisa, another AH-64 Apache was sitting. Nitori sticks her head out from behind it and waves. ?Hey, you made it! What do you think??
?It is just like the one that I let get shot down?? Marisa was somewhat skeptical of her skill with helicopters. ?It was great to have so much firepower, but I don?t think that you would want to be replacing helicopters after every time I fly one.?
?Don?t worry about that.? Nitori was in a better mood for the first time in days. ?Yukari said that there won?t be another battle for a while. That gives us time to modify this one for your exact fighting style and for you to learn how to fly it at full efficiency. So, what did you think of the first one??
?It was fun to fly. I like the firepower it had,? Marisa was always trying to get more firepower for herself. ?I wish that there was something that would protect me from those anti air missiles.?
?You didn?t use the flares?? Nitori?s shocked. ?That?s what they were there for.?
?I had flares??
?What else do you what for it??
?Maybe a way for me to use Master Spark.?
?We can work on that.?
?And some better armor for it.?
?That?s doable. What do you say about going up right now with me so I can see how you fly for myself??
A few minutes later, the pair were in the helicopter flying around Youkai Mountain. Marisa took the aircraft through its paces, paying attention to what she wanted differently. Then she remembered the last maneuver she had done before she bailed out. Slamming the left pedal down and jerked the joystick to the left. The helicopter does a tight barrel roll that lets her turn around instantly. Doing the same with the right side, she performs another one.
?Whoa! That?s new,? Nitori exclaims. ?How did you figure out how to do that??
?I don?t know, it?s something that just happened.? Marisa said. ?I just reacted when it started to warn me about missiles locking on to me.?
?Guess I was right about letting you fly.?
?Didn?t Yukari ask you to in the first place??
?But I was the one with the idea to give you a helicopter instead of a plane.?
?Can I get a plane??
?Even if I told you no, you would probably steal one when I wasn?t looking. Let me be sure that you can handle a helicopter first, then I?ll get Aya to teach you sometime. She?s the fastest in Gensokyo after all.?
Marisa scowled. ?I?ve beat her a few times.?
?Anyway,? Nitori decided to steer the conversation into safer waters. ?Since you probably made a new maneuver for helicopters, you should give it a name and teach it to the rest of the helicopter pilots.?
?A name for that? Hmm?how about the ?Magician?s Sidestep???
?Modest as always. So, have you figured out what you want to change??
?I think I got everything.?
?I hope so, I might even have you test this helicopter by making you go to Old Hell.?
?In that small cave? Is that even possible??
Nitori nods. ?I took a lot of measurements when you went down there the last time. It?ll be a good test for you. What about your rifle and revolvers??
?They were great. That rifle you gave me took down a helicopter at the start of the battle.?
?The Mosin Nagant? I know that the base bullet was powerful, but I didn?t expect it to be able to kill a helicopter.?
?It kicked a lot though.?
?I?ll take a look at it. Go ahead and bring us in to land.? As Marisa started to land, Nitori was deep in thought. Once they hit the ground and the magician starts to shut everything down, the kappa makes her decision. ?Marisa, don?t go outside just yet.?
She could see that Marisa was turning her head back to stare at her. ?There?s something I want you to know.? Nitori takes a deep breath. ?Iku came to talk to me right after the battle ended.?
Marisa could sense something amiss.
?She told me some things that might affect everyone in Gensokyo. It?s about Yukari.?
?Doesn?t Yukari always affect everyone in Gensokyo??
?This time is different. She wants to?go against the Dragon Palace.?
A stunned silence meant that Marisa knew exactly what that entailed. ?But?Yukari can?t go against the Dragon God?she just can?t. I know that she?s smart and strong, but she can?t really expect to win against him in a straight fight.?
?She knows. That?s why she?s been playing this war the way she has. If she can get her supporters strong enough, she could have a chance to overthrow him.?
?But, since Iku knows, won?t she just turn her in??
?No, Iku knows that Yukari won?t do something like this without a good reason. That?s why she and Tenshi have already promised to help her. And I?m in it too. Now, I want to ask you to help us.?
?If I do agree to help, won?t that mean that there might be a civil war soon??
?Not if we can help it.? Nitori gestured out of the window. ?There?s something out there that?s making all of this happen. Yukari wants to stop it so that we can live in peace again.?
?Alright, I?m in, too.? Marisa sighed. ?I hope that Remiu doesn?t kill me for this.?
?I?m sure that Yukari can explain all this to her. Who knows, she might even convince her to join us too.?
?Only if she?s promised donations.?
Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
Remiu sighed as she surveyed the damage to her shrine. What made her the angriest was the amount of damage that her donation box had taken. Half of the box was still there but the rest was simply gone. The main shrine had taken almost the same amount of damage from bullets and shrapnel. Even the storage building had been almost destroyed.
Since the shrine was in no condition to live in, Yukari had arranged to let Remiu stay at her place for the time being. But even then the miko still felt a sense of emptiness. She still remembered every single kill she had made during the battle. The looks on her victims? faces as spellcards and bullets hit them with lethal power always came back when she closed her eyes. Their screams echoed in her mind and had kept her awake.
Looking over to the side, she can see the wreckage of an A-10 Thunderbolt II in the middle of a carter. As she walks around the main shrine to inspect the damage from the back, she?s in deep thought. About halfway around, she stops when she feels a presence following her.
Floating behind her was someone that she hadn?t seen in years. She had long green hair, a tall blue hat with a sun on it, and a white and blue dress. On her back, she had two black wings coming out from under her cape and she carried a staff with a crescent on the end. She had no feet, instead she had a ghost tail.
Reacting instantly, Remiu jumps away from her and pulls out her gohei and some spellcards. She throws a few seals at the ghost, but they?re batted away easily. Wasting no time, the miko summons her yin yang orbs and kicks them hard.
Spinning her staff, the ghost deflects the projectiles but keeps her distance. ?I decide to go out for a walk and I get attacked by a jumpy little kid.? She shakes her head. ?I swear, you?re just like your mother.?
Remiu still had her spellcards and gohei at the ready, but eases a little when she doesn?t get attacked. ?How many times are you going to break out of the hokora? Anyway, it?s not the best time for me right now.?
Mima shrugged. ?Is it the best time for anybody? I know what?s going on. It?s not that easy to hide.?
?Why are you here??
?I?m just taking a walk. I need to keep myself in shape, after all.?
?I wish you wouldn?t lie so much.? Remiu and Mima jump when they hear Yukari?s voice. ?It makes dealing with you so much of a headache.?
?Hello to you too, Yukari.? Mima gave her a curt nod. ?I see that you haven?t stopped surprising people with your gaps.?
?It?s a hard habit to break,? Yukari hid behind her fan. ?It?s almost as hard to break as your lying streak.?
?A lie?s never hurt anyone before.?
?If you say so,? Before Yukari could continue, Remiu gave both of them a sharp glare.
?Can we get back to why Mima decided to show up?? The miko pauses for a moment. ?You?re here because of the war, aren?t you??
?No, I?m just looking to adopt a dog so I can teach it to cook for me.? Mima had a condensing smile on her face. ?I can?t rely on you to cook for me when you don?t ever get any donations.?
Remiu was having a great amount of trouble stopping herself from slamming her gohei into the ghost?s head. ?Are you telling me that you?re the one that?s been taking my food??
?I wouldn?t call it taking. But we have more pressing matters to talk about.? Mima adjusted her hat and crossed her arms. ?I saw what happened last week. Your little Gensokyo Defense Force did well to repeal that attack. But what about the next attack or the one after that??
?I don?t know?? Remiu had to look away.
?We?re planning an attack on the surrounding FOBs and patrol bases.? Yukari stared down Mima. ?Once we push them out, we can take the fight to them.?
?I want in.?
Both Remiu and Yukari could only stare at her.
?What? I?m living in Gensokyo, too. And I want to get my revenge on humans. Isn?t this the perfect chance for me to do it??
Remiu gave Yukari a sideways glance. The gap youkai was in deep thought and was looking at Mima. After a few moments she sighs. ?I can?t refuse an offer for help. But, it?s not just my decision alone. Since you do have a colorful history, I think it would be better if we ask some of the others if they wouldn?t mind letting you join us.? The gap youkai focuses on the miko. ?What about you, Remiu? Do you think we should let her join us??
?We should.? It was Remiu?s turn to stare Mima down. ?But only if she promises to listen to us. I don?t want anybody dying needlessly.?
?Fair enough.? The ghost shrugged. ?Who else should I send flowers and candy to??
Ignoring the continuing urge to slam her gohei into someone?s head, Remiu turned and went to finish her inspection of the shrine. Yukari and Mima were left with a tense and awkward atmosphere between them.
?I?would like to ask you a favor,? Yukari?s voice was barely audible.
Mima adjusted the ribbon hanging from her capelet. ?I?m not going away, if that?s what you?re going to ask.?
?We?re some of the few people that know what happened in the village all those years ago.? The gap youkai had to grab her fan to hide the trembling of her right hand. ?Remiu and Marisa don?t remember anything that happened that night. Even the youkai that were there aren?t willing to tell them anything about it.?
?They?re going to have to find out eventually.?
?But it won?t be good for them if we just blurt it out.?
?They?re already old enough to kill, so why not just let them know what happened??
?Because they already have enough to worry about. Remiu was almost killed during the battle because the barrier I was responsible for was destroyed and she felt the effect. I don?t what to have to bury her. It should be the other way around.?
Tilting her head in thought,, the ghost chose her next words carefully. ?You?can?t always be there for her. Eventually, she?s going to have to make her own decisions.?
?I promised her mother that I would take care of her.? Yukari?s knuckles became white due to how tight she was gripping her fan. ?We may not be blood, but I still see her as the daughter I will never have. I was the one that taught her how to walk, how to speak, and how to cast her spells. Every night, I would hold her and sing to her until she fell asleep. I didn?t even do that to my own shikigami when they were growing up.?
?What about Marisa??
?She still has her father. And she has you.?
?And do you watch out for her??
Yukari nodded. ?Those two have always been under my watch. They?re what keeps Gensokyo in its proper balance. And even though I don?t give Marisa as much attention as I do Remiu, I still think of her as daughter as well.?
?You?ve gone through a lot of trouble for all of this.?
Yukari?s face darkened. ?Don?t we all go through a lot of trouble in life??
?But to be able to get close with someone after what happened to the ghost princess,? Mima bowed her head slightly. ?That takes a great amount of bravery. Being willing to risk going through that pain again??
?I rather not have either of them go through the same pain I went through. That?s why I?m asking that you wait a little while before you tell either of them about what happened.?
?Since you put like that, I can?t refuse. You have my word.?
?Good. I?ll talk to the rest of the faction heads about letting you join us. I?m sure that there shouldn?t be any problems.?
Mima nods and turns to leave. ?Try not to mess up too bad.?
-
Kappa Workshop, Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo
One month after Yukari?s meeting with Mima, the gap youkai was looking over a set of drawings that Nitori had given her. They were of the uniform that Nitori had been inspired to make when she saw Ran?s stolen Russian Army one. The sketches were a little rough around the edges but Yukari was impressed.
They resembled Sakuya?s old service uniform with a little bit of Lunarian Defense Corps influence. The entire uniform was a dark blue, the same shade as Sakuya?s but instead of the coat reaching to below the knees, it stopped at the upper thigh. The coat was single breasted instead of Sakuya?s double breasted coat. It came with a belt that had a shoulder strap. On the shoulder, it had a flap to secure the strap or to hang shoulder boards. The trousers were the same color and tucked into a pair of tall, black boots. On the sides of the trousers, there was a stripe that would denote what faction the wearer was from. The peaked cap that completed the uniform lacked a wire stiffener, so it had a crumpled appearance.
The magical properties that Nitori had suggested included resistance to bullets, and fragmentation, the ability to repair itself, and being able to keep the wearer comfortable in any type of weather. A list of colors denoted what color belonged to each faction along with a rough sketch of patches. Yukari liked the amount of effort that went into almost every detail.
Picking up a pencil, she makes a few quick adjustments and changes. She adds a stripe to the sleeves and a hook for a scabbard on the back of the belt. Yukari pulls out a set of books from a gap and begins to flip through them. Glancing between the books and the designs, she nods her head and waits for Nitori to come back from a short walk.
Her phone vibrates with an urgent text. Reading it, she shakes her head sadly and looks out of the window. It wasn?t long before she heard footsteps getting closer. A few seconds later, the door opens and Nitori walks in with a half-eaten cucumber.
Yukari raises the drawings and gives Nitori a smile. ?I like what you did. I made a few changes here and there, but, overall, it?s a great design. How long will it take before we have the first set??
?Hmm, if I can get the supplies from some of the other kappas and Rinnosuke, I can have it done in a week.?
Nodding, Yukari turns to the magical map that sat in the middle of the office. ?We may be having visitors soon.?
Nitori turns to look at the map but can?t see what Yukari?s talking about. ?Are you sure-never mind. I thought that the humans would wait more.?
?They?re about to launch another full scale invasion. And their first strike will be aimed at me.? She smiles again. ?At least they thought highly enough of me to send in their best.?
?What do you mean, Yukari??
?I?ve received word that the Americans are planning to send SEALs after me.?
?You mean the animal? The ones that clap and balance balls on their noses? Won?t we just need to beat them with baseball bats??
?No, the other kind.? Yukari pulled out a piece of paper from a gap. ?From what some of my sources on the other side of the barrier tell me, they want to get me out of the way before they launch another attack.?
?Then shouldn?t we speed things up before they can do that??
?We will, and I have an idea for them.? Yukari put the paper back in the gap after a quick glance. ?At least this means that we know that another attack is being planned.?
?How long do you think we have??
?About three more weeks at the most.?
Nitori had to sit down for this. ?Three weeks?three weeks and another battle will happen??
Typing up a quick text, Yukari sits down and waits for all the faction heads to arrive. It takes a fair amount of time, but eventually they are all there. Eirin, Kaguya and Reisen were the last to arrive but had brought a basket full of snacks.
Once they were all there, the atmosphere became somber. Everyone was looking at the map and was wondering what Yukari was going to say.
?I?ve called all of you here because I want to go ahead and make a plan for the next battle.? Yukari points at the area around the Hakueri Shrine. ?From what Flandre has been talking to me about, the shrine will be the main target. They were keen on getting it the first time, so it would make sense that they would go for it again. My sources say we should expect an attack in the next three weeks.?
?Our three Royal Regiments will be ready before then,? Eirin said.
?Good. Our main points of attack should be the three Forward Operating Bases set up a little ways from the front line.? Yukari pointed at three large squares. ?We take them out, we won?t have to worry about another land attack on our homes for a while and we start to take the fight to them.?
Flandre tapped her foot, signaling the appearance of multiple blue squares, Xs, and triangles. The little vampire pointed at the first three squares. ?These are the Royal Regiments of Foot. Each one will take a separate FOB, along with a few units of GDF. The tengus will fly over us and take care of enemy air units. The Celestials will provide artillery support, but I have a feeling that Tenshi will be their spotter.?
The Celestial nodded in agreement. Yukari pulled out her fan and used it to point at the densest area of the tree line around the barrier. ?I have information from my sources that say we?re going to have some early visitors coming through here.?
A small square appeared at the entrance of the smallest path to the shrine. ?From what we can see, this is where they?re most likely to try to sneak in. So we decided to put together a welcome for our new guests.? She looks at Sakuya. ?I would like for you to take a small group with you and meet them in the forest.?
?Who should I take?? Sakuya asked.
?I?m sure that Reisen Udongein Inaba, Youmu Konpaku, Tenshi Hinanawi, and Momiji Inubashiri would be good choices.? Yukari nodded. ?Spend the rest of this week teaching them what you know about the blitz and we should be fine. Patchouli, how is that Copper spell coming along??
?I hit a wall with that.? Patchouli shrugged. ?At the moment, it works well, but there?s something missing. I need more time.?
?What about our air units, Aya??
?We?re good to go.? The tengu had her reporter?s notebook out.
?Are both princesses going to take part, Eirin??
?They will. They took their posts as Royal Commanders.? Eirin took a bite out of a roll from a basket. ?I?ll be leading the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot, so I want the most well defended target.?
?We can do that.? Yukari pointed at the center FOB. ?This one is where the orders originate from, so it would make sense that that?s where the commander would be. From what my source says, they?re bringing in more armor, artillery, infantry, and air units. So, we?re going to have a lot more to fight this time. They know what to expect, and I doubt that we may be able to force a surrender from them this time. Flandre?what?s the?estimated injuries and deaths??
?About?40 percent of our total number, Lady Yukari.?
?You all know how serious this is. Some of us may not come back. But we have to make sure that Gensokyo is protected from the wrath of the outside world. We have to do this for our families and friends. For those that we love and for those that we don?t even know. We were forced into this war, now we must fight it on our terms.?
CIA New Headquarters, George Bush Center for Intelligence, Langley, Virginia, United States
A small crew of the most trusted agents were working the computers and phones in the command center. Taisui Xingjun stood behind the rearmost row of computers and was watching all of them work. The large screen was showing an aerial, thermal view of the forest in front of the Hakueri Shrine. A group of dots were standing in front of the shrine. On the screen to the right side, a radar showed a lone RQ-9 Predator flying in the storm.
Taisui Xingjun answers his ringing cell phone. ?I?m here?deployment authorized.? More dots appear, but this time, they?re from the bottom of the screen. At least thirty dots move towards the shrine at a fast pace. He aims his laser pointer at the dots in front of the shrine. ?Those should be our first targets. Once they?re out, we?ll hunt down Yukari Yakumo and eliminate her. Make sure they know about their magic and abilities.?
?Sir, the drone?s reporting extremely high winds and rain.?
?We?ll have to be quick about this, then. Bring me up a weather map.?
One appears on the screen to the left. At the moment, a monsoon was starting to hit the area. The heaviest part of the storm was about to hit in about twenty minutes.
?This storm should give us some cover from their anti-air units.? Taisui Xingjun picked up the telephone next to him. ?You are authorized to proceed. Godspeed.?
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The severe thunderstorm that was hitting the area didn?t help Sakuya?s night vision at all. At least she wasn?t like Remiu, fighting a special operations team while night blind would be almost impossible. The maid smiled, she remembered all the times that the miko had blown up on any unlucky soul that brought up her night blindness.
Reisen leaned against a tree with her service rifle and H&K 416 slung on her back, not caring about the heavy gusts and rain that saturated the ground. Youmu and Tenshi stood next to each other, both had their blades drawn and where looking around. Momiji had climbed on top of a tree and was watching for their enemies to arrive.
Sakuya was grateful for the spells that Nitori had cast on her uniform. Not having to worry about being soaked and cold would help her a lot. She checked her ammo and knives, making sure that she doesn?t run out anytime soon. Her Karabiner 98K was somewhat antiquated by some of the weapons that they would be facing, but she still had confidence in her old service rifle. If that didn?t work, she still had the H&K G36 and the knives she always carried.
Tenshi had her Sword of Hisou, Walther P38, and a newly acquired UMP. She kept her P-38 in her hostler with a round in the chamber, but with the double action de-cocked. Fidgeting a little, she, jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Sakuya had put her hand on Tenshi?s shoulder to calm her down. ?Don?t worry too much. It?s natural to feel this before an operation like this. Just remember what I?ve taught you and pay attention out there and you?ll be fine.?
The Celestial nodded and looked towards the front of the forest. Visibility was extremely poor, not even the heavy lightning helped. Sakuya?s cellphone began to beep, she answers it and then puts it on conference call.
?Is everybody ready?? Nitori was the one that would be coordinating everyone. Yukari was close by to drop support whenever it was possible.
?I?m good.? Sakuya brought her Karabiner 98K up to the low ready. She had a few stripper clips and magazines on her.
?I?m set.? Tenshi pulled the bolt back on the UMP. Her hat had started to sag with all the rain it was catching.
?Ready.? Youmu had both of her blades out. She was more concerned with having left Yuyuko enough to eat while she was gone.
?Bring it.? Momiji loaded a magazine into her H&K PSG1. The White Wolf Tengu?s sight was diminished slightly by the rain, but she still felt confident in her ability.
?I?m ready.? Reisen closed the bolt on her service rifle. Familiar training began to return, along with the early signs of adrenaline.
?From what the map tells us,? Nitori could be heard moving about. ?The SEALs have already started to move in your direction. Flandre and Yukari were right about everything so far, but be careful.? The kappa pauses for a second. ?Looks like they have an eye in the sky. The map?s showing an RQ-1 Predator flying overhead. That thing?s running communications and reconnaissance for them. I?m going to see about getting Aya to take it out as soon as she can.?
?How far are they from us, Nitori?? Sakuya was getting in her business mindset.
?About 300 meters and moving fast. Expect them to be packing heavier weapons.?
?Momiji, stay back and cover us. Everybody else, follow me.? Sakuya didn?t wait for a response before she ran. She didn?t need to, as she could sense her orders being carried out. Stopping about 100 meters from their starting point, the maid takes a knee and waves her left arm. Tenshi moves to her left while Youmu and Reisen move to her right.
The sounds of thunder and rain mask every sound made in the forest. The wind began to pick up, they all knew that their bullets would be off because of it. If they could hold out until Aya destroyed that UAV, they would have the advantage. Sakuya froze when she began to see green dots in the distance. At least thirty pairs of green dots were slowing moving towards them.
Sakuya brought her Karabiner up and aimed for the centermost pair of green dots. She squeezes the trigger and sees every pair of dots scatter. The forest is suddenly filled with the sounds and flashes of gunfire. Taking cover behind a tree, the maid starts to fire as fast as she can cycle her bolt. Youmu and Tenshi are forced to switch to their firearms since going in close would be suicidal. They still keep moving, pouring out bullets as fast as they can.
?Youmu and Reisen, stay close to each other. Tenshi, you?re with me.? Sakuya grabs Tenshi by the shoulder and guides her to the left while the half ghost and moon rabbit run to the right. With the amount of fire being sent towards them, the maid decides to sling her bolt action rifle and brings her G36 up.
?Damn, I can?t hit anything in this weather,? Reisen could be heard grinding her teeth.
?Momiji, any luck from where you?re at?? Sakuya blinked as a bullet almost grazed her nose.
?They?re too fast. It?s almost like they?re flash stepping.? Her rifle goes off. ?It?s like something?s deflecting my shots.?
?The wind?s too strong.? Tenshi almost dropped her magazine in her frenzy to reload. ?We might have to end up in melee.?
?Nitori, how?s that sky looking right now?? Sakuya swore that the pair of green dots disappeared then reappeared twenty feet away instantly.
?The worst part of the storm?s about to hit you. Looks like a monsoon level storm from the forecasts Patchouli is showing me.? Nitori paused. ?Aya?s in the air but she?s having trouble getting to you. The gusts are just too strong.?
?What about artillery support?? Sakuya knew the answer wouldn?t had changed since Yukari?s meeting with them.
?Can?t. With the weather like that, we might end up hitting the shrine instead.?
Tenshi lets out a startled yelp when a bullet hits one of the peaches on her hat. Then a bolt of lightning hits close by, disorientating everyone. Sakuya grabs Tenshi and throws her to the ground. The maid follows quickly, barely dodging a scattered hail of gunfire. Propping herself up with her elbows, Sakuya fires her entire magazine to buy time for them to run.
About twenty miles away, Aya?s still fighting the wind gusts but she?s making progress. Even with her natural ability to control the wind, it still took some excretion to get her SU-47 through. Then she found a small tunnel that would lead her close to the target area. Once she entered the tunnel, it wasn?t long before she could see the UAV. Going wide, she circles around and comes behind the Predator. She gets a lock and lets a pair of missiles loose.
The two hit their target dead center and explode. Aya dips her plane?s nose a little and flies under the explosion. She performs a barrel roll in celebration then turns to return to Youkai Mountain. With the heavy rain and wind, she couldn?t risk an airstrike. She knew that the two sides were too close to each other.
On the ground, the Navy SEALs slow down as their communications and GPS stop working. Reisen takes advantage of the pause to pin down where the fire came from. She fires controlled pairs, but still misses due to the weather. The SEALs link up to GPS and communication satellites instead. They have a weak signal, but it?s enough to get them back in the fight.
The operatives start shooting more than ever, forcing Sakuya to high crawl from bush to bush. Tenshi?s close behind her, breathing heavily. She?s randomly grateful for the spells on her uniform when she sees the mud coat her rifles but not her. Going back to what Nitori had told her, the humans had to be using night vision googles to be able to fight them this well at night. If only she used light and heat magic like Marisa did.
Youmu and Reisen were having similar luck in their attack. Youmu?s SPAS-12 was more useless than the rifles due to the pellets her shotgun used. Reisen kept switching between her service rifle and her H&K 416, neither of them had hit any of the SEALs yet.
?Sakuya, change of plans. Can you lure them in towards the shrine through the east side?? Nitori asked her.
?We can try.? Grabbing Tenshi with one hand, she fires her G36 with the other to cover them as they fall back. ?Youmu and Reisen, fall back about 100 meters. Momiji, cover us as best you can.?
The SEALS aren?t too eager to let them escape. They start to fire on the move. Sakuya looks back and is somewhat mesmerized by the way the green lights bobble as the operators sprint towards them. A faint trail shows the path of the pairs of green lights. The maid makes a mental note to ask Yukari to get her some for herself. Remiu would be jealous.
Dropping to the prone, Reisen and Youmu shoot back to cover Sakuya and Tenshi. Youmu?s reloading when she hears Reisen grunt in pain and stop firing. Scared, the half ghost crawls to her. But Reisen?s still alive and clearly very angry.
?Shit! They shot me in the ass!? Reisen?s covering her rabbit tail as Youmu resists the urge to burst out laughing. The urge is cut short when an operator jumps them. The half ghost quickly pulls out Hakurouken and stabs him through the gut. Pushing his body off to the side, Youmu quickly wipes her blade off. She helps Reisen get up and they both run towards a tree near Tenshi and Sakuya.
The maid is instantly pulling out her medical kit and applying bandages to the wound. She hadn?t been able to get any of Eirin?s medicines, but the moon rabbit?s wound wasn?t life threatening. But it would slow them down, probably enough to get caught.
?Lure them towards the shrine, but don?t be between it and them,? Nitori said. ?We have some Napoleonic era artillery that Yukari set up in front of the shrine that might be able to give you some close cover. Damn this weather, makes misfires a certainty.?
Sakuya has her doubts about the plan but doesn?t see any other alternative. The wind and rain start to pick up even more as the weaker branches fly off of the trees. One of the wayward branches almost takes off Sakuya?s service cap. ?Keep moving back!? She throws a knife that explodes and shoots out even more knives. It buys them some time, but doesn?t hit anything.
On top of the stairs in front of the shrine, three 24 lb. Napoleonic era cannons were being loaded by Marisa and Alice. The puppeteer?s dolls were helping as well. Finishing a spell on the canister shot, Marisa carefully slides it down the cannon. The spell that Marisa had infused into the canister would unleash a full power Earthlight Ray that would have a shotgun effect. Since the spell was made of light, the storm would have no effect on it. Shaking her head to try to get some of the water off of her hat, the witch tries to see the green dots that would be their targets. She grips her medallion tightly, the realization that she was going up against highly trained soldiers heavy on her mind.
Momiji fires off another shot, it misses her target just like all of the ones before. She could barely keep focused on a single target due to them moving so fast. Some of them even covered their night vision goggles to confuse the youkai. The SEALs were extremely close to being in melee range of Reisen and Youmu, Sakuya and Tenshi had barely been able to force the humans to move back. With the moon rabbit?s pace slowed down by her wound, Sakuya had been getting more and more concerned about being able to reach the shrine before getting overrun.
Quickly going through her memories, Sakuya can?t ever remember ever being outclassed on the battlefield. Even with her battle against Remilia a long time ago, she had instantly recognized that she wasn?t meant to win, so being outclassed didn?t matter. She had taken a chance and surrendered after a long fight, praying that her fate wouldn?t be something worse than death. She never expected to find herself being part of another family.
The closest thing she could compare the current situation with would her brief stint at the Battle of Moscow. Even though the Soviets were vastly underequipped, Sakuya had almost been overwhelmed by the sheer number of conscripts that had to be dispatched with her knives. The commissars were no better, anytime a conscript backed away, they would shoot him in the back. She had made it a priority to kill them in any painful way she could think of.
A bullet almost knocks her Karabiner 98K out of her grip when it hits the stock right behind the sling hole. She lets the momentum start to spin her around and quickly slings the rifle. Bringing up her G36, she fires more shots as she runs to the hill that the shrine sits on. The look of concern on Tenshi?s face didn?t escape Sakuya. Youmu had thought about having Reisen fly, but the heavy winds would quickly slam them into a tree. Instead, she slings her weapon and picks the moon rabbit up in a bridal carry. She sprints while Reisen fires reactive fire with her assault rifle one handed, both of them have a faint blush on their faces.
Sakuya rolls behind a small group of trees near the top of the hill and pokes her head towards the shrine. Seeing Marisa and Alice, the maid gives Tenshi a quick shoulder tap and runs to get behind the cannons. The SEALs are still firing at Youmu and Reisen, who are struggling to make their way up the hill. Momiji switches to using tracer rounds to divert attention to herself and then sprints to the cannons. Marisa and Alice begin to push the cannons forward. The muddy ground made it difficult, but they managed to position all three cannons on the downward slope aiming at the forest.
Putting in a new magazine, Sakuya fires bursts to force the humans to slow down. Once Youmu and Reisen collapse behind the cannons, Marisa grabs all three of the strings and quickly uses her mini Hakkero to light them. Everyone faces away and covers their ears. Two seconds later, two of the three cannons are pushed back due to the amount of recoil from their fired canisters. Each canister fires about twenty feet before they explode. From that explosion, multiple lasers fly towards the forest at the bottom of the hill. The last cannon fires when Marisa slams the butt of her rifle on the back of it.
The lasers cut through anything they touch. Almost all the night vision goggles blink out of existence during the barrage. For a while after the last explosion, the only sounds came from the storm. Sakuya stood back up and surveyed the area in front of her. The damage from the two battles had left giant clearings in the once dense forest. The most devastated trees were the cherry blossoms, a tree that she had come to love.
Before she could wipe the mud off of her face, another volley of gunfire came towards them. Everyone on top of the hill threw themselves on the ground while reaching for their weapons. Some of the bullets were hitting the cannons and bouncing everywhere. One hits the ground where Tenshi had her hand just a few seconds ago.
?How long until you can get that thing reloaded?? Sakuya shouts over the gunfire.
?I can?t risk it with all this bullets coming at us! But the dolls can!? Marisa took her hat off and put it on Alice?s head. ?This is for putting those funny hats on those stone statues! Don?t lose my hat!? Mud began to fly as the SEALs started to use M203 grenade launchers.
?Marisa, don?t-,? Alice was cut off by more bullets flying towards them. The witch crawled to be on line with everyone else as Alice had her dolls start the reloading process. Seeing Marisa without her trademark hat felt weird to her, but it was overshadowed by the hope that she would be able to give it back to her after all of this.
Sakuya raised her Karabiner and fired off a round. She cycles the bolt but finds that she needs to reload. Reaching in her pocket, she stops when she can?t feel any more rounds. Checking the G36 magazines yields the same result. Looking at the others, it was clear that everyone but Marisa was about to run out of ammo.
Quickly counting the pairs of green dots remaining, the maid can say that there?s twelve SEALs that survived the first volley. Before she can try to figure out how two revolvers and a bolt action rifle would hold off at least a dozen assault rifles, a gunshot rings out behind them. Sakuya?s caught off guard when sees a long red bullet fly over their heads, curve in flight and hit one of the SEALs dead center.
Another gunshot and another human gets hit. Looking behind her, Sakuya is surprised to see Remilia and Meiling on top of the shrine. The gatekeeper is holding an enhanced umbrella over the vampire, who is cycling the bolt on her Springfield 1903. She has an angry look on her face, obviously from having someone wanting to hurt her chief maid. The vampire loads another round and closes the bolt. She brings it up, spots a pair of green dots and fires.
The rain and wind have no effect on the accuracy of Gungnir, more and more bullets fly true. Alice?s dolls finally finish reloading the second volley of canister shot and light the fuses. Only three SEALs were left to take the attack, but they were quickly dispatched by Remilia. Once the final shot leaves the barrel of the Springfield, the forest returns to its empty state.
?The map doesn?t show anymore humans around,? Nitori says. ?Looks like you beat back one of the most elite military units in the world.?
?Who where they exactly?? Sakuya asked. ?I?ve never seen anyone fight like that before.?
?They?re part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group,? Yukari?s voice comes over the line. ?They?re the ones that develop and test out new tactics for the US Navy. Since they see me has a very high value target, it makes sense that they would send them.?
?Even though they were the best, we still beat them with obsolete weapons,? Tenshi said.
?It?s because they weren?t expecting it.? Yukari replied. ?They were confused by their UAV getting shot down and who would expect a three hundred year old relic to show up on the battlefield??
?You showed up?? Remilia said under her breath.
Yukari opened a gap and dropped a cat on the vampire?s head. The feline latched on instinctively and held on as Remilia flailed. ?Anyone else??
Everyone shook their heads.
?Good. All of you did well. I?m sure Eirin has something for your wound, Reisen. But that would meant that Youmu won?t have to carry you around anymore.? She smiles as the pair looks away from each other. ?But know that the coming battle will be worse than this. I have a feeling that they?re getting ready to throw everything at us.?
-
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
The morning after the failed assassination attempt on her life, Yukari was sitting in the dining room at the SDM. Maribel and Renko were finishing the last meal that they would have in Gensokyo. The gap youkai was taking a sip of tea while she was looking out of the window. In just a few hours, another battle would take place. This time, they expected the fighting to be much worse.
The door to the den opened, and Reisen II walked in. She had her service cap under her left arm and a map in the right. The moon rabbit sat down next to the gap youkai and looked to be deep in thought. The next few people that came through the door were Eirin, Remilia, Yuyuko, Eiki, Aya, Kanako, Byakuren, Satori, Miko, Marisa, Keine, Tenshi, and Mima.
Everyone took a seat and waited until Maribel and Renko were done. No one talked, the upcoming battle on their minds. Once the pair were done, Yukari pulled a map out of a gap and laid it across the table. It sprung to life, Patchouli?s spell causing it to create a three dimensional diagram.
?Today?s the day that we will fight another battle,? Yukari started. ?The assassination attempt on my life last night is the first part of the attack that they?re planning to launch. That means that we have to move quickly if we want to lessen damage to us.? She points to the three red squares a distance away from the Hakueri Shrine. ?The three FOBs are still our primary targets. The Lunarian Royal Regiments of Foot will be providing most of the personnel that will be taking them. The GDF will be providing support in any way we can. The Celestial House Artillery will provide their services for us. The Human Village militia will stay near the village, should anything go wrong, that will be our rallying point. Eirin, how do you plan on taking those FOBs??
?The 1st Regiment will take the center FOB, the 2nd will take the northern one, and the 3rd will take the southern one. The 4Th will stay a little behind the line to provide reinforcement when needed. We should avoid using the line infantry doctrine for this battle. With the open field between us and the FOBs, our causalities would be high. We should also use our ability to fly a lot more, at least until we can be sure that we won?t trigger mines.? Eirin rubbed her eye. ?Are we going for a complete kill, or are we taking prisoners??
?I don?t think we have the ability to take prisoners, but I don?t want to have them killed.? Yukari sighed. ?It?ll make it harder to get more allies that way.? She could tell that Reisen II and Byakuren were against it, but she couldn?t think of any alternatives. ?Tenshi, do you know what you should be aiming for??
?All I know is the FOBs.?
Yukari tapped her fan on the table, causing one of the red squares to enlarge and become more detailed. ?Each FOB has been reinforced with more artillery since the battle. We think that they have multiple howitzers, rocket, and missile launchers. One thing we don?t have to worry about are nuclear weapons, at least for now. A coordinated and precise attack will take most of them out before they can be brought to bear. The most dangerous part of the battle will be the initial rush. I have no doubt that the air units that they have will already be airborne. Aya, it?ll be your job to keep the skies as clear as possible.? The tengu nodded.
?What about the rest of the military forces that might show up?? Kanako asked. ?Even with four regiments of Lunarians, we can?t handle every member of NATO at the same time.?
?I?m not worried about that,? Yukari looked out of the window. ?North Korea and China are at odds with the United States, and one little incident might divert their attention. Pakistan and India are at each other?s throats, which might lead to nuclear war. Israel and every single one of their neighbors are about to throw down on each other. Russia is trying to establish itself as a world power again, but socialist parties are trying to gain power. That would probably lead to another cold war. If we can win this battle, then a little bit of time is all we need to see the rest of the world turn against each other.?
?Is that what you want us to do?? Renko asked.
?Not if it interferes with your primary mission,? Yukari said. ?We want you to figure out how the British knew so much about Gensokyo. The Russians are our next target, but we?ll get to it when the time comes. Make sure that you don?t attract attention to yourselves. And be careful.?
Eirin was studying the pair intently. She could tell that something was off, but decided to keep it to herself. Reisen was completely focused on the map, looking for any sources of cover. Tenshi tapped the table to cause the sectors of fire to appear. The Celestial artillery covered the entire map, but the rest of the squares fell short of reaching the FOBs. The humans had overlapping lanes of fire, and plenty of traps and defenses set up.
?What about a tunnel?? Tenshi asked.
?Go on.? Yukari had a small sign of a frown at the edges of her lips.
?I can try to create a tunnel that reaches all the FOBs. That way, we won?t have to expose ourselves to the humans until we?re right on top of them.? The Celestial nodded. ?I doubt that humans are used to fighting underground.?
?You?re right,? Yukari said. ?The humans don?t have a subterranean doctrine yet, but they?re working on it. A tunnel would give us excellent cover, but can you make it big enough for everyone to get through??
?It?ll take multiple tunnels, but I?m sure we can do it.?
?We should still leave a token force above ground, the humans will get suspicious if they don?t meet any resistance.? Eirin added. ?But with this turn, it might turn into an artillery battle.?
?And I know how you feel about Lunarian artillery,? Yukari replied. ?But with a vast majority of our people underground, the chance of friendly fire goes down dramatically.?
?If you really want Lunarian artillery, I can request it. But I still don?t have much faith in it.?
?Good. I?ve also made a deal with some arms dealers beyond the barrier to purchase anti-tank guns. They should come in handy for our front line defense at the shrine. Rinnosuke has agreed to become our go between to the various arms dealers that I?ve begun to establish working relationships with.?
?Kourin as an arms dealer?never saw that coming.? Marisa said.
?That?s not the only part. Rinnosuke also would like for you to enter the arms trade as well.? The gap youkai smiled. ?He says that you have the merchant family trait and would make your father proud. After all, you run a magic shop, so weapons infused with magic isn?t that big of a jump.?
?But I never sold anything intended to kill.?
?Times change, Marisa. You?ve seen what we have to do. I rather have Gensokyo go back to being an isolated paradise, but someone out there wants us gone. Rinnosuke sees an ability in you that would help all of us out a lot.?
?I?ll give it a try.? Marisa still didn?t like it, but couldn?t see any other alternative.
?Don?t worry, I?ll be there to make sure you?re not taken advantage of.? Yukari looks at Reisen and Eirin. ?With the tunnels, how much is your strategy going to change??
?I say we should have two regiments use the tunnels and the other two should fly in quickly. With the Celestial artillery supporting us, we should have plenty of cover.? Eirin looked at the map. ?The tanks and armored vehicles might give us some trouble if we don?t have those anti-tank guns. Our cavalry won?t be much use in the FOBs though, but if we can get them in the field, we have the advantage.?
?I can take care of their tanks,? Mima spoke for the first time. ?Just give me a clear line of sight, and my Twilight Spark will take care of the rest.?
?We don?t need you to completely destroy the countryside.? Yukari looked at the spirit. ?We want them to be able to surrender or run away not to be lifeless bodies outside the shrine.?
?I?ll give them one warning shot. After that, it?s fair game.?
?Just don?t overdo it.? Eirin piped in.
?Why isn?t Lord Tenma here?? Yukari asked Aya.
?He wants to leave this to someone younger, either to me or Momiji. But we can?t get along, so they just sent me.? The tengu shrugged. ?I rather have her do this, my newspaper is suffering right now.?
?I might have both of you pair up sometime.? The gap youkai laughed. ?But we?re going to need the White Wolf Tengus to enter the battle first. They should be able to spot targets for the Celestials, take out some of the higher officers and counter some of the Special Forces they have there.?
?I?ll pass it on.?
?Now for you two,? Yukari directed her words to Maribel and Renko. ?Are you ready to go??
?We?re good.? Renko nodded.
?Meet me at the front hallway in ten minutes.?
With that as a dismissal, everyone stood up and began to leave the dining room. Maribel was the last one to leave the room and heard Yukari whisper quietly, ?Why is it changing??
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The three Napoleonic era cannons from the night before were hidden in the brush. A team of fairies were nearby, stacking cannonballs and canisters under a small bush. Bags of measured and magically enhanced gunpowder were protected and hidden in a small ditch nearby. The T12 antitank guns that Yukari had bought off of some outside arms dealers were being pushed near the shrine.
Up on Youkai Mountain, the Kappa Workshop was a hive of activity. Kappas were finishing last minute repairs and arming while Black Crow Tengus were getting last minute instructions and rushing to their aircrafts. The only helicopter that wasn?t being prepped was Marisa?s, the witch had chosen to stick close to Remiu and keep an eye on her.
Alice had been modifying the Goliath doll with firearms and explosives. She had also been adding armor to the doll, hopefully enough to deflect bullets and some artillery shells. The rest of her dolls had been refilled with gunpowder and armed with an assortment of weapons ranging from pistols to knives. Each doll was fitted with protective armor and a small charm that the puppeteer hoped would bring them luck.
Hidden in the bush around the location of the boundary, the four regiments of Lunarian Royal Foot were taking a knee and inspecting their rifles. Reisen II was riding around the formations of her regiment, giving last minute orders to the battalion commanders. Eirin and Reisen were in front of their regiment, waiting for the order to advance. Yorihime and Toyohime were studying a map and had drawn their blades.
On top of the torii in front of the shrine, Yukari was getting ready to cast one of her most powerful spells. Remiu was standing on the ground near the gate, looking in the direction of the FOBs. She had her gohei and was waiting for the gap youkai to begin her incantation. As Yukari was preparing her spell, the sky began to darken with storm clouds and the wind began to pick up.
Calculations began to spin around in the gap youkai?s head. But it was too late to have second thoughts about what she was doing. They needed a replacement barrier to stop artillery and other long range attacks. Even with her power, the barrier still needed one more thing. And she had to ask the strongest being in all of Gensokyo to help her.
Movement in the clouds caught her eye, it was the underbelly of a large dragon. Yukari could sense Remiu tensing up as more and more of the dragon became visible amid the storm clouds. The young miko had only seen the statue in the village, so she hadn?t been prepared for seeing him herself. She could feel the power radiating from the god and decided to keep her mouth shut.
?Great Dragon, I?m calling upon you in our time of need. I want to ask you to help us to erect a replacement barrier to protect the land that you rule over. I can give no reason for the destruction of the first barrier, but there is reason to believe that an outside enemy will be striking against you. We stand here before you to prevent that enemy from attacking you. All we ask is for your help.?
Even after all you?ve done, you still want to do this? The Dragon God?s voice was only in Yukari?s mind. Remiu was still waiting for a response that she wasn?t going to hear. I know what you?re doing. Is she really worth all of this?
?Yes, she?s worth all of this.? Yukari?s voice was no louder than a whisper.
I have no reason to refuse to help the land under my care, even if I leave a majority of the administration to someone else. But I cannot guarantee that it will replace the Great Hakueri Barrier, even with me placing the keystone on the Hakueri miko.
?We can?t afford to lose Remiu??
We or you?
Yukari had no response. She bit her lip and averted her gaze.
You are attached to that miko, perhaps too attached. What if she is killed in the upcoming battle?
?She won?t be.?
You sound confident. Do you know something that I do not?
?I have only my intuition to trust.?
There is more than intuition at play here. But I will allow it for now, if you can answer me this: will your end result be better than the present outcome?
?Yes, it will be better for everyone.?
Very well. But what about the temporal effects? If you do not heed the ripples of time, the boundary between reality and fantasy will weaken. Should that happen, unspeakable horrors will walk among us. Are you prepared to have to battle paradoxes in human form?
?Taisui Xingjun is worse than any paradox.?
He is only a god, not a paradox. If a paradox says in our reality too long, even I would not be able to stop or reverse the damage they would inflict.
?What are they??
They are the deepest fears, the most ingrained packets of illogical thought ever conceived. They are concepts that even I cannot comprehend. Their place is not in this reality. The fabric of time is a beautiful part of the universe, but it imprisons the worst things to ever exist.
?Why are you telling me this??
Perhaps it will give you a better chance to achieve your goals, and to avoid bringing those paradoxes into our world. As I told you before, I already know what you are doing. I do not like it, but I cannot stop you when you have such pure intentions. I will ask that you save that revolution that you are planning to use against me for another target.
?I apologize for that.?
Back on the ground, Remiu was still watching what looked like a single sided conversation. She wasn?t carrying any weapons other than her gohei. A feeling in her gut told her that some of the conversation had been about her. The miko jumped when she heard footsteps behind her. Marisa had silently joined her, along with Sakuya and Sanae.
Remiu could feel the support from them and was comforted by it.
?Don?t worry about watching your back,? Marisa whispered. ?We?ll always be beside you.?
Sakuya nodded. ?I won?t ever leave a friend on the battlefield.?
Sanae smiled. ?We?re both mikos, we have to watch out for each other.?
The red-white miko had to wipe a tear out of her eye. With those three behind her, she felt as if she could take the Dragon God on by herself. Yukari could sense the change and felt better, now she was able to concentrate on dealing with the barrier.
Tell me, young human, what is the point of this war? Remiu jumped when she heard the Dragon God talking directly into her mind.
?Great Dragon, as the Hakueri miko, it is my job to help preserve the balance in Gensokyo,? the shrine maiden bowed. ?I must be prepared to do whatever it takes.?
At what price? Would you be willing to change what Gensokyo is to preserve it? Are you willing to give away liberties for safety?
?Gensokyo was founded to be a safe haven for youkai and humans. The Great Hakueri Barrier was meant to keep magic alive, but with its destruction, we are in danger.?
Danger from humans, or from the fear of the unknown?
?From fear of the unknown??
Very well. Sage Yakumo, you may prepare the incantation. Yukari bowed. I will lend you my power. The barrier will hold against virtually all human weapons. But I cannot speak to how long it can hold. You must move quickly to utilize its protection.
Yukari began to draw a number of symbols and numbers in the air in front of her. The Hakueri Shrine began to be enveloped in a large spell circle while the wind picked up more. Remiu turned to face away from the shrine and raised her gohei.
Marisa and Sakuya both took off their hats as they watched the ritual. As the gap youkai continued the spell, a boundary of light appeared and spread from the shrine. Magical energy was being radiated by both human and youkai, combining into a sphere in front of the stairs. Once it reached a decent size, it sunk into the ground and created a barrier around the shrine.
Lightning started to hit the slowly building barrier. Yukari was adjusting the output power of the spell, careful to not put undue stress on the miko. Remiu was channeling the power, using herself as a support for the barrier. Each passing second made the barrier stronger.
The witch was amazed by the amount of power that was being manipulated in front of her. She couldn?t tell who was contributing the most power, but she knew that the miko wasn?t going to be a slouch with power this time. Yukari finished casting the spell and paid close attention to Remiu. The clouds were getting darker and darker with the lighting increasing in intensity and frequency.
Remiu threw her gohei and watched it stick itself into the ground where the barrier was. The barrier became transparent, signifying the completion of the creation of the Second Great Hakueri Barrier.
I have done what you have asked for. This time, the Dragon God spoke to both Yukari and Remiu. You must do whatever it takes to prevent the paradoxes from entering this reality. For if they set foot in this dimension, unspeakable horrors will strike us. Be aware of what the effects of your actions are on the fabric.
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
Tenshi stomped on the ground and stabbed her sword into a rock close to her. A giant hole appeared in the ground, large enough for the two Lunarian regiments to fit. Once she was satisfied with her handiwork, she flew to the top of the tree line and pulled out a pair of binoculars. The distant FOBs were barely visible in the distance, but it was enough for the Celestial to know where the tunnels would go.
She landed on a branch and pulled out her cellphone. Dialing into the same network that the rest of the faction heads used, she waited for the signal to begin her artillery strike. Once Tenshi got Nitori?s go ahead, the Celestial covered one of her ears, raised a flare gun and fired into the air. The green flare flew high and landed in the middle of a tank platoon.
Mountain top, Bhava-Agra, Gensokyo
Once the Celestials on the mountain saw the flare flying above the forest, every cannon on the mountainside fired their rounds. The shells passed through the barrier due to their magical properties, and hit their targets. The spotters were aiming for MIM-104 Patriots, AN/TWQ-1 Avengers, FIM-92 Stingers, and M6 Linebackers. Every shot destroyed a vehicle and cleared the area for the tengu air units to move in.
Human artillery began to fire back, hoping to stop the barrage. M119s, M777s, M109s and M110s were firing towards the shrine, but the barrier was blocking the shells. M270s and M142s were being destroyed by the incoming artillery, preventing many from launching their rockets. Infantry and support troops were running towards cover and scattering.
The airfields near the rearmost FOBs instantly sprung to life as news of the attack spread. A-10s, F-15s, F-16s, F-18s, F-22s, AV-8s and AC-130s were being rushed through preflight checklists and out onto airfields. M1 Abrams, Strykers, and Bradley IFVs, and CFVs, AH-1s, and AH-64s were charging forward. Communication vehicles were packing their equipment and starting to move to the rear, resulting in somewhat degraded signals.
Medics and corpsmen were moving about, tending to the wounded with no regard to their own safety. Chaplains were close to the medical personnel, doing their best to reassure the casualties. Their assistants were dragging the wounded to casualty collection points. Then the artillery stopped falling, leaving an eerie silence in its wake, punctuated by the screams and moans of the wounded.
Back near the shrine, Tenshi had jumped into the tunnel she had created for the Lunarians and was expanding it towards the FOBs. Once they were far enough, she branched the tunnels into two and went with Eirin?s regiment. The Celestial made sure to keep the tunnel going for the other one. With only a few feet of dirt blocking the entrances of the tunnels, the moon rabbits stopped and waited.
The moon rabbits took a knee and checked their weapons. Tenshi did the same, keeping an eye on Eirin as she adjusted her service cap. Reisen was close to her teacher, steeling herself for the upcoming battle. Five thousand of the moon?s most lethal rabbits made up the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot, and they were ready to draw blood. But even they paled in comparison to their commander.
Eirin drew her saber and kept her sidearm at the ready. Reisen had her service rifle with a Mauser C96 as a backup. Tenshi had her Walther P38 and the Sword of Hsiao. Even with everyone around her using modern firearms, she would never leave her sword behind. The moon rabbits had the same idea when they attached their bayonets.
Toyohime had her command saber out and she had her chief of staff behind her. The 2nd Regiment of Royal Foot were all ready to break through the last few feet. She had never really lead troops into a serious and live battle. The closest thing would be the training battles that she had against her sister. She wouldn?t admit it, but she was a little nervous.
Dirt was falling from the ceiling of the tunnel, but it was built steady and had no sign of instability. The shaking of the ground let everyone know that the Celestial artillery was still falling. The longer it went, the more damage that would be done before the first moon rabbit fired. Once it stopped, Toyohime and Eirin began their countdown. Their troops could sense their commanders? readiness and began to stand up.
The last few feet to the surface would take only seconds to cross. With the humans still reeling from the barrage, they wouldn?t expect an entire regiment to pop out of the ground in the middle of their ?secure? FOB. And even if they somehow expected it, they would be more focused on the two regiments rushing towards them at this very second. Tenshi raised her sword and waited for Eirin?s signal.
The Lunarian Royal Officer nodded, causing Tenshi?s blade to hit the ground. The tunnel in front of them opened up and allowed light to shine through. The sounds of gunfire and artillery could already be heard above them. Eirin raised her blade and ran forward. She would the first one to rush out of the tunnel, followed by the entire regiment. Tenshi took a deep breath and raised her sword.
-
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Gensokyo
The 3rd and 4th Regiments of Royal Foot formed up just behind the tree line as artillery began to hit the barrier and field in front of them. The first ranks held their riot shields at the ready while the General Staff rode behind the formations. Reisen II and Yorihime had their blades out and were looking at the explosions in the distance. The barrage continued long enough to instill a familiar nervousness in the moon rabbit.
GDF SU-47s, FA-18s, and F-16s were flying high above the battlefield, getting ready to launch bombing runs against the FOBs. Slower Tengu piloted AH-64s were barely flying above the trees, in position for close air support. The anti-tank guns were being pushed by Suika and Yuugi, they were supported by more oni dragging carts full of shells behind them.
Many of the fairies had been armed by Rinnosuke with FN P90s. They also wore the uniforms that Nitori and Yukari had made. Remiu, Marisa and Alice were in the middle of the spaced out group of various fairies and other youkai. Since the trio had more experience dealing with them, they were the natural choice to lead them. Sakuya had rounded up the fairy maids and was hidden right behind the Lunarian line of battle.
Iku had joined the main ground force and was adjusting one of the anti-tank guns. She looks through the spotting scope, aiming towards a M1 Abrams in the far distance. She pokes her head up to avoid tiring her eyes out. The Celestials? artillery was hitting the area around the FOBs, leaving the units closer to the barrier untouched.
One of the IFVs had spotted a GDF helicopter and was opening fire. More and more vehicles were spotting the helicopters and turned around. Iku moves the cannon a little more, pointing it at the closest tank. She pulls the lever while keeping her mouth open. Yukari had warned her to do so to prevent her lungs from being burst by the pressure created by the shell. She jumped a little when the gun jumped backwards due to its recoil.
The shell shot forward and slammed into the front of the Abrams. Patchouli had infused her Royal Flare spell in each artillery shell being fired by the GDF. The shell left almost nothing left of its target, except for a large carter. The rest of the T12 antitank guns opened fire, devastating more and more vehicles. The sounds of shell cases hitting the ground was unnaturally loud to Remiu.
As one, the two regiments stood up and began to march forward. Ten thousand moon rabbits and Lunarian officers moved in unison while holding riot shields at the ready. They cleared the tree line and was able to be seen by all in their complete strength. But they didn?t travel far before they stopped and took a knee. The last two ranks pulled out stick grenades and threw them onto the field in front of them.
The explosions were bigger than normal, showing that the grenades had triggered hidden landmines. The regiments moved forward more and repeated the process. Bullets from the NATO troops bounced off the shields, but the units themselves refused to move closer. This gave Reisen a general idea about how big the minefield was. All she needed to do was to make sure that they didn?t run out of grenades.
Reisen and Yorihime were riding up and down the line of battle, keeping a close eye on the vehicles moving to block their path. An M1 Abrams had moved out of a hiding spot behind a tall hill and was turning its cannon to face them. A gap opened near the 4th Regiment and Mima, Momiji and a small group of other White Wolf Tengus jumped out.
Mima instantly charged up a Twilight Spark and turned it loose. It obliterated the tank and left a large cut in the ground for half a mile. Momiji unslung the M72 LAW she had on her back and took a knee. The other tengus scatter to take advantage of the small hills around them. The tube fires a large fireball out of the rear as it shoots the rocket forward. It hits the side of a M113 APC and leaves a gaping hole in its side.
Throwing the tube down, she switches to her H&K PSG1 and loads a magazine. Mima snaps her finger and summons orbs that hit the ground in front of them, trigging the mines hidden there. She stops when she sees another group of tanks heading towards them. They?re Abrams M1s with American markings on them.
Reisen sees them and points them out to Yorihime. The moon princess points at them and shouts out, ?Regiments, halt! Prepare to fire!? With one resounding stomp audible over the sounds of battle, the mass formation stopped. The riot shields are dug into the ground to provide more support.
The first rank adjusts their riot shields to allow their weapons to aim past them. Reisen raises her saber and watches the tanks get closer. ?Ready!?
The tanks stop and turn their turrets to face the Lunarians. ?Aim!? The first rank brings their rifles up and chooses their targets.
The tanks? cannons erupt to life as they fire their shells towards them. All of them overshoot both regiments, but still fall close. None of the Lunarians flinch at the resulting explosions. ?Fire!?
The first rank fires their volley. Medium sized holes are punched into the front of the Abrams bearing down on them and some have their treads shot through. In one fluid motion, the first rank takes a knee and the second brings their rifles up. Reisen repeats the commands for the second and third ranks. Once the third rank finishes firing, about a quarter of the tanks were disabled or on fire.
In response to the volley, the human tankers decide to push forward and try to run them over. One of the Lunarian senior sergeants gets spooked and causes a panic by shouting. ?FALL BACK!? Seeing a senior sergeant break caused other sergeants and officers to falter and finally break when a shell hits the ground only a few dozen feet in front of them.
The Lunarians turn around and break formation. Emboldened by this display, the human armor, light vehicles and infantry rush forward through the cleared minefield. Reisen and Yorihime gallop ahead of the routing mass, trying to rally their troops and restore order. A few of the moon rabbits fall out and hit the ground. The explosions from missed rounds shower dirt over everyone in the area.
The panic spreads to the GDF forces, with the tengu turning tail and flying back towards the safety of the trees. Without artillery hampering their progress, the humans were closing the gap. The fallen moon rabbits were left where they fell by the humans, they were more interested in the ones that were about to get away. Some of them get a few shots that hit their targets, most of them fail to penetrate the Lunarian uniforms.
Turning around as her horse gallops, Reisen shoots a few hastily aimed shots at their pursers. Now the humans were closing in even faster, they had tasted blood. But even with all the explosions and bullets everywhere, the moon rabbit still cracked a small smile. Even Yorihime had a small smile on her face.
The tree line is only about a hundred meters away when the disorganized mass stops and turns back around. They all line up and take a knee as all the oni hiding behind the trees step out. Armed with modified Panzerschrecks, they fired at all the humans. Shocked by sudden turn, the tanks screeched to a halt as the rockets hit the infantry and the light vehicles. The Onis had also brought the anti-tank guns and were firing them as fast as they could.
Once they were reloading, the Lunarians switched to their light infantry doctrine and charged forward. From the far left, the Lunarian cavalry sped out of the forest, heading toward the FOBs. With the infantry moving forward and overwhelming the humans, the cavalry was able to pass the main line of battle without taking too much damage.
Remiu, Marisa and Alice rally the fairies and move to support the Lunarians. Celestial artillery opens fire again, cutting off reinforcements from the FOBs. The tengu air units engage the combined NATO and Russian fighters for air dominance. NATO C-130s try to gain altitude to buy time for their airborne troops to jump. Rockets fired by both sides collide with unlucky units or even other rockets in midair.
On the right side, Sakuya leads the fairy maids into the battle, a Walther P38 in one hand and her service knife in the other. Meiling was with Remilia and Flandre, struggling to keep up with the vampire siblings. Sanae and Youmu were covering the Buddhists and Lunarian doctors as they tended to the wounded. Patchouli and Koakuma were throwing Royal Flares and spell bullets at the retreating light vehicles.
The reinforcements from the FOBs started to show up and opened fired as fast as they could. The remaining mines were destroyed by the sheer density of bullets and explosives flying around. Instead of running towards the enemy, the Lunarians had taken flight and had switched from single shot to burst fire. Reisen and Yorihime were the only ones left on the ground, they were relying on their subordinates to cover them as they charged the closest APC.
From the forest, a stream of plasma flew in a high arc and landed on a M6 Linebacker. The vehicle melted like butter and exploded when the fuel tank was hit. Another stream flies up and lights a section of the field on fire. More and more streams are shot, the smoke adds to the confusion of the battle. Utsuho keeps up the barrage, adjusting her aim as Rin directs.
The human artillery finally gets themselves together and returns fire. But the Celestial barrage had managed to confuse them, their return fire was spread out to different targets. Some shells were landing near the Hakueri Shrine, others were getting closer to the Human village, while some were hitting the Forest of Magic. None of the human shells were even close to hitting the Lunarians.
A human piloted FA-18 gets hit by a stray missile fired by his comrades and crashes into a retreating Bradley. Humans and Lunarians alike were knocked off of their feet by the explosion, but still continued to fight. Fairy maids had reached the center of the fight and were darting around firing at full auto and casting spell bullets. To continue covering the mass advance, the oni were pushing the antitank guns forward and firing at the same time.
NATO UH-60 Black Hawks flew low, trying to provide close air support, but were shot out of the air. The flaming wreckage fell on a group of M1 Abrams and Humvees. Reisen and Yorihime almost got hit by one of the chopper blades but kept moving towards the human line. The Lunarian cavalry splits into two groups and falls in behind the regimental commanders. The moon rabbit looked around and saw that it wasn?t a battle, but a full out brawl.
FOB George, Near the Hakueri Shrine, Japan
A giant hole appeared in the middle of the motor pool and the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot began to rush forward, firing as they moved. One of the first moon rabbits to exit raises her rifle one handed and yells out, ?Good morning, humans!? A pair of corporals ran out from behind a Humvee and froze when they saw the sheer magnitude of moon rabbits climbing out from the ground. Before they could recover, the pair were shot and fell on the ground.
The gunshots did not go unnoticed. The mechanics that had been repairing vehicles on the other end of the motor pool ran to get behind cover and grab their weapons. Reisen pulls out her sidearm and picks off a few of them while the rest of the moon rabbits began to spread out and secure the tunnel. One of the lower enlisted rabbits chunks a grenade that sends a generator flying into the air in pieces.
One of the quick reaction forces stationed near the motor pool grabs their weapons and begin to maneuver to investigate the explosion. They run right into one of the advance units and get caught in melee combat with a pair of Lunarian engineers that dispatch them in a blink of an eye. The rest of the quick reaction forces fall back and begin to call in reinforcements. The alarm system in the FOB begins to blare, alerting the humans to the fact that they were under attack.
The personnel in the guard towers turn around and begin to fire at the fast moving Lunarians. They turned their M240s towards the inside of the base and tried to stop the moon rabbits from reaching the rest of the FOB. But the immense fire being laid down still didn?t slow the attack down. One of the machine gunners spots Eirin and starts to fire his entire belt at her. With a look of annoyance on her face, the doctor raises her side arm and shoots the soldier in the throat.
Eirin looks around and directs her moon rabbits to attack the guard towers. As they start to fire, the remaining humans in the FOB finally spot them and begin to shoot. Without any regard to the bullets flying all around, Eirin calmly walks around, pointing out targets. Reisen is right behind her, ducking her head every time she hears a bullet fly by.
Tenshi climbs out of the hole and looks around. Seeing a guard tower still up, she summons a keystone and hurls it towards the tower. It hits the tower and leaves nothing but the supports. Moving to take cover behind a disabled Bradley, she empties the magazine in her P38 and flinches when return fire ricochets just a few inches from her face.
Above them, the tengus were in the middle of a savage dogfight. The sky was full of missiles, tracer rounds, and flares. The anti-air artillery was firing as fast as they could, but were falling silent as the Lunarians reached and destroyed them. Eirin pulled out a flare gun and fired it into the air, signaling the beginning of their attack. Almost as in response, another flare flew into the air from another FOB.
A M119 Howitzer was left in the motor pool and was quickly commandeered by Tenshi and a small group of moon rabbits. Grabbing a wheelbarrow, they loaded it up with shells and rolled it behind the artillery piece. Quickly leading a shell and aiming it towards a Stryker that was turning to fire at them, they knock it out of commission and let other moon rabbits open the hatch and kill the surviving crew.
More gunfire erupts as the 1st Regiment spreads out all over the base. Military police units attempt to erect barricades and lay mines, but are overwhelmed quickly and killed in melee combat. A small group had managed to hold off a few Lunarians by coaxing a broken M1 Abrams into blocking a side street leading to the communications area.
The humans had opened fire with an LSAT light machine gun and a M249, buying themselves a little time to continue to regroup. But the Lunarians wouldn?t be stopped with such a simple tactic, they just jumped on top of the tank and shot the police. A pair of rabbits jump into the tank and begin to cut and splice wires together. Within seconds of their entrance, they have the turret moving again.
Loading a shell into the cannon, they destroy a gym that had a few infantry and security forces hiding in it. One of the rabbits rips the M2 Browning off the turret, braces herself and opens fire. She was somewhat surprised on how little recoil she felt from the machine gun and was able to control it at full auto. Other moon rabbits pulled out grenades and threw them all over the FOB. Buildings were being destroyed by a combination of bullets and explosions.
Eirin?s communications officer ran up to her and handed her an updated map. On it, a mass formation of infantry, mechanized infantry, armor and artillery were moving towards the FOBs. Around them, more air units were engaging the tengus. It was clear that they had to capture the base before the enemy reinforcements arrived or they would be surrounded. From the east, the two Lunarian regiments were quickly devastating the retreating forces while the GDF were providing support.
Eirin has her operations officer jump on top of the mess hall and give her updates of the fighting. Once the nearby area was clear, she had groups of engineers break into the remaining tanks and open them up for the GDF to use. On the head engineer?s signal, the communications officer sent off a quick message through her phone. Seconds later, a group consisting of Nazrin, Shou, Suwako, and other fairies and youkai jumped out of the hole and began to climb into the tanks.
Patchouli and Koakuma had exited the hole as well, and were casting strengthening spells on the tanks? armor. The purple haired librarian was still trying to catch her breath, even with Eirin?s medicine, having to double back from the main battle to the tunnel was still taxing her body. As soon as they were done with that, they began to modify the shells and bullets that they would be carrying. A squad of humans had managed to break through the Lunarian line and were firing at the magicians. Eirin appeared behind the humans and killed all of them with a single slash from her command saber.
Bullets flew towards her from an alleyway to her right. Her staff open fire, forcing the Americans and British back behind the corner. Sheathing her saber, she charges forward while pulling out her knife. Since the Lunarian kept her gaze low, all the humans could see was their reflection on the crest on her service cap when she slid in front of them. Instantly executing a punch to the throat of the first soldier, Eirin cut the second?s throat. The rest tried to bring their M4s and L85s into line, but the doctor was moving too fast.
Spinning around to plant her knife in the collapsing first soldier, she takes care to keep the second in front of the survivors. Once she pulled the knife out of the dead man?s back, she grabs the second?s still falling body and shoves it into the closest two survivors. They lose their balance and bearing, giving Eirin the chance she needed to kill both of them. With only three more left alive, she leaves the knife in her most recent kill and kills two of them with a single smooth draw of her command saber. The last one starts to step back but Eirin takes a long step forward and stabs through his front armor.
As the pair of librarians finished their modifications, they etched spell circles on the sides of the turret for identification. The Lunarians moved to use the newly acquired tanks as cover as they moved throughout the FOB. Reisen took one of her grenades, stuck it on the end of her rifle and fired it into the command post while sprinting from the cover of the nearby buildings and barriers.
With the Lunarians pushing the humans back so fast, all the defenders could do was to fall back to defend the medical building. The amount of fire being exchanged by both sides in that area was staggering. The remaining humans had set up their M240Bs, M249 SAWs, L7A1s and other smaller weapons and were firing as fast as they could. They were doing their best to keep the pressure with grenades but were slowly being killed.
The various companies that had splint up from the motor pool had swarmed the rest of the FOB and were clearing out the last packets of resistance. Grabbing the map from her communications officer, she sees that the last building is the medical facility. She raises her hand and the Lunarian regiment ceases fire. When the humans see this, they slowly stop firing.
Walking forward, she has only Reisen accompany her. Stopping about halfway to the medical facility, she looks at all of the soldiers in front of her. ?Under Lunarian customs of war, I request a meeting with the highest ranking officer of my equal branch.?
Moments passed as the humans looked at each other. Then a Major with blood stains all over his uniform walks forward, a Sergeant First Class next to him. Both of them had the hard and weary look of veterans of medicine, something that Eirin respected. They held their hands slightly off, to show that they weren?t armed.
?You?re done.? Eirin motioned towards the FOB around them. ?Your field hospital is the last area of dispute in this base. All of your armor and vehicles are either destroyed or under our control. The FOB defenses are knocked out and most of the personnel on this post are unable to fight. As a fellow member of the medical profession, you see the result of fighting firsthand.?
?Are you giving us the chance to surrender?? The Major looked her in the eye with a cold, hard stare. ?Is it just this FOB or the entire force you?re giving this chance to??
?Just this FOB.? The royal officer glanced at the dogfight in the sky. ?The rest of your comrades are still in fighting condition at the other FOBs and more reinforcements are incoming. But this base is done fighting, there?s no way you can fight off an entire Lunarian regiment of Royal Foot, especially the 1st. If you continue, we would be bound by the Lunarian law of war to wipe all of you out, even those unable to fight.? Eirin returned the cold glare she was receiving. ?I rather not have to do that. If you surrender, I will give you my word as a Royal Lunarian Officer that your men will be treated well. It?ll be just like the last battle. We will take you primary offensive weapons, but will you leave sidearms. If you decide to fight after we accept you surrender, we?ll wipe you out. ?
-
Near the Hakueri Shrine, Japan
Aya pulled back on the joystick, gaining more altitude. Her SU-47 narrowly dodged a string of machine gun fire from a pursing F-22. She begins to zigzag, dodging more machine gun fire from the American?s wingmates. One of her fellow tengus zips past her, taking down two of the Raptors. Anti-air fire from the retreating humans flies dangerously close to Aya?s wing, so she pulls up even more.
?All tengu air units, be advised: two FOBs are under our control and a massive wave of reinforcements are incoming. I say again: a massive wave of reinforcements is incoming.? Nitori?s voice came over the radio channel. ?It looks like the rest of NATO and their allies have decided to join the battle.?
?Attention all GDF and LDC forces,? Yukari took over from the kappa. ?French, Italian, Canadian, German, Spanish, Australian, Polish, Greek, Danish, Belgian, New Zealander, South Korean, and Japanese units have been confirmed to be en route to support retreating American, British and Russian forces. Chinese forces have withdrawn before they had even landed. From what we can tell, we have an equivalent of an army group of ground forces bearing down on us. The number of air units incoming has also increased to numbers comparable to a major command. The Lunarians have fielded six more regiments: three infantry, one cavalry and two artillery. They have just landed near the Hakueri Shrine and are moving towards the front line. Do not stand anywhere near the Lunarian artillery if you value your life.?
A quick glance around her lets her see two blue flares coming from the FOBs on either side of her. That was the agreed upon signal for capture. Her map showed the rearmost FOB had a small group of enemies around it but a large mass of red was moving towards them. From what Nitori was saying on the radio, they had about ten minutes before all hell would break loose.
?Aya, we?re hearing from the 3th and 4th Regiments that the humans have fallen back to the last FOB. They?re being held off by heavy vehicles and need your support. The other tengus can hold off the air units while you do your attack run. Give us some more time and we can get you the best path, in the meanwhile, you can shoot down the fighters.? The sounds of Nitori writing furiously came over the channel. ?You should be getting the path now. Your missiles have a charm that locks on to any decent heat sources, so don?t just use you cannon. With those reinforcements coming in, you only have time for one pass.?
A line appeared on the map. It went straight through the heaviest concentration of enemies, with plenty of anti-air units, mobile artillery, and armor. The anti-air units spot her turning to attack and open fire on her. Out of reflex, Aya releases a volley of flares that saves her from a hail of missiles. A tengu flying an F-15 near her wasn?t as lucky and was forced to bail out.
The past few minutes were a mass of chaos. Both tengu and human aircraft had been shot down, leaving burning wrecks all over the battlefield. Aya and Hatate had been watching each other?s backs, their squadrons had become prime targets for the combined NATO and Russian air forces and had converged in the small area around the FOBs. The tengus that had bailed out of their fighters had taken to the sky under their own power and returned to fight after picking up modified NSV machine guns.
Working in organized pairs, those tengus were finishing off damaged aircraft and provided air cover for the Lunarians. They were too small to be recognized by the targeting systems in the human aircraft, forcing the pilots to fire at them with their machine guns in the split second that they spotted them. The humans were taking hard hits in morale, leading to even more of them being shot down.
Aya?s plane begins to buckle and shake as the anti-air fire gets closer and closer. Switching to her KH-29 missiles, she waits until she hears a tone and fires. Four of the missiles drop from the aircraft?s wings and shoot forward. A tank squadron is devastated by two of the missiles hitting next to another. The third missile hits a bunker that housed multiple heavy machine guns and H&K GMGs.
The last missile destroys a retreating trio of M1128 Mobile Gun Systems that were engaging in direct fire against a Lunarian company. The volume of return fire that was aimed at Aya escalated quickly when the ground troops realized that she was on an attack run. An Apache with US Army markings turned and opened fire with their Hydra 70mm rockets. In response, Aya dipped even lower to the ground, dodging most of the return fire.
With one quick jerk, she was able to bring her cannon into line and hit the enemy helicopter in its avionics bay. With flames coming out of the fatally wounded aircraft, it began to spin out of control. An armored column of M1 Abrams were scattering when Aya fired off another volley. All six of them were instantly victims of a catastrophic kill.
A trio of NATO F-16s come from Aya?s left, trying to shoot her down before she finishes her run. A duo of GDF F-18s fly past them, forcing the humans to break off their attack due to being locked on by their missiles. The pair of tengus could tell that their missiles wouldn?t had been able to hit, but still made the humans switch to chase them. The youkai broke apart and led their pursers away from the reporter.
Aya executes a canopy roll, letting her regain her bearings. Tilting her fighter forward, she opens up with her cannon. A line of bullets hits the ground in front of a M270 multiple rocket launcher. Adjusting her aim, she sweeps across a group of M113s. The bullets punch straight through their armor and leave devastating damage in their wake. She keeps pressing on the trigger until the all the stragglers are destroyed.
Pulling up a small bit, Aya changes weapons and releases a BLU-82 unguided bomb. She breaks off the attack run and slams the thrust forward to escape the blast. Waiting until she was at a good altitude, she levels off and flips the plane over. Looking down, she can see the massive destruction that she had inflicted on the enemy forces. Many of the combined Russian and NATO units were falling back, bypassing the last FOB.
Without the heavy resistance that was keeping them from advancing, the 3rd and 4th Regiments were able to swarm the last FOB. Aya was forced to switch her focus to the Sukhoi PAK FA that had just sent a pair of R-37 missiles towards her. Pulling up and deploying flares, the missile barely misses her. She was grateful that Patchouli?s copper spell had disabled proximity fuzes on air to air missiles, even if she didn?t have an explanation.
The Russian fighter cuts to the left and matches Aya?s ascent. Another PAK FA joins the first in trying to shoot the tengu down. Hatate and the rest of the tengus were jumped by a low flying squadron of MiG 1.44s, they were unable to come to Aya?s aid. Losing sight of the two Russian planes, Aya flips her fighter and quickly scans the air around her. A volley of tracer rounds barely misses her cockpit, alerting her to their position.
She pulls away from the stream, starting a downward spiral. Her pursers follow her, opening up their cannons. Rolling her aircraft to the side, she cuts her thrust and watches as the MiGs overshoot her. The pair instantly recognize their mistake and break their formation. Forced to choose one, the tengu focuses on the one that has a lower number on its body.
The PAK FA is moving too much for Aya to get a lock for her missile and a bead for her machine gun. She tries to cut the distance, but the erratic movement threatens to throw her off if she gets too close. The other PAK FA maneuvers behind her and starts to fire on her. Now locked between two fellow fifth generation fighters, the tengu was forced to weave a precarious dance between bullets and aiming.
An unguided missile flies past her, causing Aya to jerk away from it. But the Russian in front of her doesn?t see the missile and turns his fighter into it. It hits the cockpit and causes the fighter to lose control and go into a dive. Reacting instantly to the sudden turn of events, she cuts the thrust, jerks the joystick to the left and slams on the left pedal.
The remaining PAK FA overshoots her and dives towards the ground. The tengu refused to be intimidated by the prospect of a low altitude chase and follows. Leveling off at about 250 feet off the ground, the pair dodge the various streams of anti-air fire that are aimed at them. At that height, even the infantry and light vehicles were taking shots at them.
A lucky shot hits one of the engines of the Russian fighter and lights it on fire. The plane wags wildly, but the pilot manages to keep dodging. The smoke from the fire obscures her view, forcing her to decide between breaking off or following the smoke. Pulling up, she escapes the smoke and sees the PAK FA struggling to keep airborne. Another burst of gunfire from her cannon finishes off the fighter and forces the pilot to eject.
Pulling up to make herself a smaller target to the ground forces, Aya takes a quick look at her radar. The other tengus have almost finished off the remaining humans and were heading back to Youkai Mountain to quickly rearm and refuel. Looking down at her weapon readout, she notices that her cannon was low and that all of her missiles were gone.
A loud ringing began to echo in her cockpit, alerting her to a missile that had locked on to her. Going into a spin, she deploys her last set of flares. The missile stubbornly stays on her heat signature and follows her through the maneuvers. She heads back over the Hakueri Shrine, hoping that some of the antiair artillery stationed near there could get rid of her tail.
Looking behind to see the missile, she?s relived when she sees a short and narrow red bolt fly up from the ground and hit the missile. Aya looks down and sees multiple artillery units on the ground, but they weren?t any that she recognized from the GDF. Then her radio buzzes to life.
?Black Crow 1, this is the Lunarian 3rd Ground Artillery Regiment. You don?t have to worry about your tail anymore.? The voice spoke with a clear sense of calm and authority. ?We?re not the same artillery corps that hit our comrades as much as our enemies.?
?Thank you for your help.? Aya heads towards the mountain. ?How about sitting down for a news interview later then??
?I doubt that the princesses? would like for me to divulge military secrets.? The Lunarian laughed. ?But you can buy me a drink if we both get through this.?
?I suppose that?s fair.? Aya could see some of the tengus already leaving the Kappa Workshop. ?Nitori, is there enough room for me to pop in??
?There?s one more spot left, it should be on your right. Slow down and you should be able to see it.? The kappa began to talk with someone in the background.
Bringing her plane in slowly, Aya makes the landing and turns it around so she can takeoff as soon as she?s done. Kappas immediately rush forward with carts and tools and begin to work on the craft. Aya climbs out of the cockpit and makes her way to a glass of water on a nearby table. Looking back, she sees a kappa adding a fighter silhouette under the canopy. The tengu hopes that she wouldn?t be the cause for someone else getting one.
Near FOB Gabriel, Japan
With the second FOB secured, the 2nd Regiment of Royal Foot had confiscated all of the survivors? rifles and heavy weapons. Once they were destroyed, the humans were allowed to tend to their wounded under the guarantee that they would not rejoin the battle. With the ferocity that the Lunarians had shown, the humans had no choice but to comply.
A group of kappas and other members of the GDF had exited the tunnel and were modifying and driving the tanks off to meet the incoming reinforcements. Some of the surviving infantry and military police were obliviously running odds on how successful a surprise attack would be but stopped when Toyohime and her General Staff glared at them.
Toyohime jumped back on her steed and had her go through a tight turn giving her a good look at everything around her. Once all of her forces were back at full strength, she had them spilt off into their respective battalions and begin to head out to meet the human reinforcements. Before they were out of her sight, a gap opened up near them and a loud and powerful rumbling shook the area.
Everyone turned around and froze when they saw a giant tank slowly move forward. It was covered in green, brown, and tan, arranged in a Splittertarnmuster camouflage pattern. Poking her head out of the top hatch, Nazrin wore a grey peaked hat and was taking in the battlefield. She ducked back into the tank when she saw an approaching Abrams turn to aim towards her.
It fired a round that bounced off the front armor and flew past its firer. The Lunarians moved to scatter and return fire, but Toyohime had them hold their fire. She was interested by the new tank in front of them and wanted to see what it could do. The turret turned slowly, bringing the 128mm cannon to aim at the tank. It pauses, then fires its round, creating a large dust cloud and a powerful shock wave.
The Abrams was hit in its front armor and was flipped into the air. It landed upside down and began to burn as the fire spread to the fuel tanks. The Lunarian princess was impressed by the power and armor of the tank and was considering trying to get some for the LDC. Nazrin opens the hatch once more and takes a look at the burning husk in front of her.
?I could get used to this,? the mouse youkai nods and adjusts the peaked cap on her head. ?If high school girls can fight with tanks and win, we can too. Panzer vor!?
The Panzer VIII Maus starts to move forward at a good rate of speed. The gap behind it stays open as old fashion trucks with rails mounted on their beds enter the battlefield. Riding on the roof of the first?s truck?s cab, Yukari held a pair of opera glasses while she listen to her cell phone.
?Princess Toyohime, I hope you don?t mind me coming to watch on the front lines. I do get bored rather easily.? The gap youkai giggled. ?How do you like our new toys??
?What is that?? The princess motioned at the other similar trucks driving out of the gap. She notices that the rails had multiple rockets attached to them.
?This little beauty is known as the BM-13, or as Katyusha. She?s one of the first truly mobile rocket artillery weapons. She might not be able to pinpoint a target, but she?ll destroy an entire grid while she sings the song of her people.? She smiles. ?Have you ever heard the song Katyusha??
?I can?t say I have.?
?It?s a beautiful song. The story is about a woman waiting for her love to return from the front.? Yukari trails off, a sad look in her eyes. ?It was a ray of motivation for the common Soviet conscript during the Second World War, something to help them move forward to defend their homeland and everyone else that they cared for in spite of the ordeal of the war and the face of hopelessness.?
?Do I sense something deeper?? Toyohime squinted behind her fan.
?Just some rumblings from an old sage,? Yukari almost physically winced when she let a hint about her age out. ?But you?ll see what I?m talking about in a little bit.? She turns towards the driver. ?Move over towards that ridge and point at that tree over there.?
With that, she easily floated off of the truck?s cab and gained some height. She brings up her cell phone again. ?There?s a group of American and British tanks starting to regroup about five miles from here. Katyusha launchers, raise you rails a little and wait for my signal.?
As one, the rails on the launchers raised themselves and waited. Yukari counted probabilities of success, factoring in every variable she could. Then she begin to sing under her breathe and slowly became louder.
?Rastsvetali yabloni i grushi, Poplyli tumany nad rekoy. Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha, Na vysoky bereg na krutoy.?
(Blooming pears and apples all around her, with the morning mists beneath her feet, walked Katyusha slowly by the river, on the rocky riverbank so steep.)
Yukari puts away the opera glasses and takes out her fan. But it wasn?t her regular fan, it had a different design that only one other person had. A traditional cart adored a field of blue that gracefully changed to a reddish pink at the opposite end. This fan had seen death, a perfect tool to order the rain of death that she had assembled on the field in front of her.
?Vykhodila, pesnyu zavodila, Pro stepnogo, sizogo orla, Pro togo, kotorogo lyubila, Pro togo, chyi pisma beregla.?
(As she walked, she began to sing a song, of a gray steppe eagle, of the one whom she loved, of the one whose letters she was keeping.)
The song began to trigger an emotional response in Toyohime. She remembers the stories that Eirin would tell her about how the LDC would sing marches on the final approach into battle. The 1st Regiment of Royal Foot was famous for having the most moving marches, a sharp contrast to their brutal fighting skills. Since there hadn?t been any real need for the entire Regiment to march into a mass engagement during her time in the LDC, she hadn?t been able to hear it for herself. But she imagined it as being really close to what Yukari was doing.
?Oy ty, pesnya, pesenka devichya, Ty leti za yasnym solntsem vsled. I boytsu na dalnem pogranichye, Ot Katyushi pereday privet.?
(O you song! Little song of a young girl, fly away and follow the bright sun. And to the warrior on the distant border, From Katyusha pass on my hello.)
Yukari sang in perfect Russian with no sign of awkwardness, almost as if it was her first language. The amount of feeling that the gap youkai was projecting into her singing had caused some of the Lunarians to pause. Some of them had been present when the 1st Regiment had arrived to reinforce them at their darkest hour. Many had resigned themselves to their fate when they heard the voices of angels announce their arrival.
?Pust on vspomnit devushku prostuyu, Pust uslyshit, kak ona poyot, Pust on zemlyu berezhyot rodnuyu, a lyubov Katyusha sberezhyot.?
(May he remember this plain young girl, may he hear how she sings, may he protect our motherland, and Katyusha will protect their love.)
Yukari raises her fan and then drops it. As one, the rockets on the rails blaze to life and shoot forward. All eight of the launchers fired their entire payloads. The ground shook even more than with the Maus. Nazrin almost jumped out of the turret when she saw the mass of rockets fly over them. The exhaust from the vast number of rockets hid the surrounding area, letting Yukari slip from sight.
The trucks are turned back on and begin to move to another area. Toyohime was even more impressed by the tools that the GDF had managed to get their hands on. With that display, the humans that had been building up the resolve to try something backed down for good. The princess?s communications officer moves up to her and hands her a map.
?Princess, our artillery doesn?t have the range to keep attacking from their current position. They?re requesting permission to redeploy at another location.?
?If they do that, how long will we be without fire support??
?They estimate about five minutes. But they?ll be in position to cover the regiments when both lines crash into each other.?
Toyohime takes a peach out of one of the pouches on her saddle and takes a bite. ?Have them do it. This next action will decide how the battle turns. But why was this relayed to me instead of Master Yagokoro??
?Colonel Yagokoro has linked up with elements of the Special Developmental Group. She has left orders to leave you in charge of the order of battle for the rest of this attack.?
?Then that means she?s planning something big.? Toyohime took another look at the scroll with the map on it. ?Three minutes until the main battle begins. All battalion commanders, form up in the two rank line of battle with our riot shields at the front. Be prepared to change doctrines quickly.?
-
FOB Michael, Japan
With Aya?s attack run knocking out the heavy defenses, Yorihime?s and Reisen?s combined regiments were able to take the last FOB. Working quickly, they had forced a surrender and were in the process of destroying the heavy weapons that the humans had laid down. Their motorpool was almost empty due to the GDF capturing their vehicles and moving to regroup with the main line.
Iku had joined up with the Lunarians before they had launched their attack and led one of the companies in their charge. Her electrical attacks had devastated the expensive and vital communications systems, some of which included satellite terminals. While the rest of the attacking force had been busy engaging and wiping out the human defenders, she was on the hunt for information.
Before she could find what she was looking for, the FOB had surrendered. She was starting to worry about not being able to find what she was looking for when she ran into some of Yorihime?s General Staff. Before she could ask them where their commander was, the messenger could hear the faint sounds of tense negotiations. Stepping into the prefabricated building, she was treated to the sight of both Lunarian Regimental commanders about to beat some answers out of an American full bird colonel.
Discreetly calling a certain number on her cell phone, Iku took a quick glance around the office. Other than the colonel, a sergeant major and a Christian chaplain were off to the side. A folder with some interesting diagrams caught her attention and she decided to take a look at it. The sergeant major looked like he was about to say something, but a sharp glare and the feelers on her hat stiffening made him reconsider.
The design that had attracted her was of two HEMTT cargo trucks trailers loaded with cargo containers with a smaller truck between them. On that smaller truck, a cannon stood at the ready. The bottom of the design had ?Blizter Railgun.?
?A rail?gun?? Iku could only guess that it shot rails. ?You, human with the lines on his chest, what is a railgun??
The sergeant major could only stare at her with his mouth agape.
Yorihime turned to look at the design and titled her head. ?So, you humans have finally advanced to the point where you can think of real weapons. That?s an incredibly bulky design, I doubt that this can harness the full potential of electricity.?
?Is this one of the weapons that are going to be used against us?? Iku began to drill the colonel. ?Do you honestly believe that you can use a power that I control against my homeland and my allies? Even if you try to shock our forces, it won?t change the outcome.?
?It?s not about shocking the opponent,? Reisen spoke up. ?It launches a projectile using magnetic force, relying on kinetic energy to inflict damage. It?s a lot stronger than most propellants of projectiles of the same size. It might be able to break through our riot shields.?
?A projectile through magnetic force?does it matter what kind of projectile it is?? Iku asked.
?As long as it?s metal, it should be useable.? Reisen replied.
Wordlessly, Iku picked up a coin on the colonel?s desk. She thought about how to launch it but decided to try it at another time. There was a more pressing issue she had to take care of and Yukari would not appreciate having to waste time waiting.
?The name of this FOB, what is its significance?? Iku glared.
?There?s no major significance.? The sergeant major spoke up. ?It?s named after the archangel Michael, the patron saint of the military.?
?I doubt that it was just meant for morale.? Iku brought out the hidden cell phone and switched to speakerphone. ?Lady Yukari agrees with me on that.?
?So we have the Church going against us,? Yukari?s voice had a bit of amusement in it. ?So a mixture of science and religion are their answer to our magic. How will that even work, will there be automated prayers and sermons??
The chaplain was about to say something when Reisen shook her head at him in warning. She turns to look at the cell phone on the desk. ?Lady Yukari, can what happen with that rocket happen here??
?Rocket? You must mean Sumiyoshi. If someone knew what they were doing, then by naming this base after a religious figure would grant it some of its power. It was Michael, right? If I remember right, he is the archangel that serves as the leader of the army of the Christian God. A Shinto equivalent would be Hachiman. From what I can tell, there are no angel feathers floating around and you took the FOB with minimal damage. If the Archangel Michael had been summoned, only a Celestial would have a ghost of a chance of surviving long enough to escape. Is there a man of the cloth around??
Stepping forward, the chaplain fixed his gaze on the cell phone. ?I am the Christian chaplain for this battalion.?
?About my information of Christianity, is my information correct??
?Everything except the summoning of the Archangel Michael.?
?I knew you would say that. What denomination are you??
?I am a Baptist, but I have knowledge of other denominations and religions to better serve and guide all of the soldiers that come to me.?
?I see,? Yukari paused. ?Forgive me if this seems to cross a line for you, but do you believe, that as an ordained priest, that you have been told about every aspect of the Christian religion, or at least the denomination you practice??
Without hesitation, the chaplain placed his hand over the cross that was attached to the Velcro of his ACU. ?I have absolute faith that the seminary taught me the basics and gave me the tools necessary to help me find and spread the faith.?
?That?s not the straight answer I was looking for, Reverend. But perhaps it?s my fault for not asking a Roman Catholic priest, they would be the ones that have the knowledge to try this. After all, no one really knows what all is stored in the Vatican Library.?
"You can't be seriously saying that the Roman Catholic Church uses magic. I know that they have had some low points in their history but that is too much! Magic doesn?t even exist-? He stopped when he remembered who he was talking to.
?So you are familiar with their militant phase,? Yukari nodded, even though no one on the other end could see. ?I have good reason to believe that a militant faction still exists in the Church. They are not as powerful as they were during the Crusades, but they still have some pull. It would be obvious that they have been gathering and developing new weapons and doctrines. They wouldn?t let an opportunity like this to go to waste, especially since they could use this to test them out and gain more influence. I would also ask why they are training more clergy in exorcism, but you need some time to let this sink in. Since you have nothing to do with this, I will you a word of warning. Do not get involved with this mixture of religion, science and magic.?
One of Yorihime?s assistants poked her head inside of the tent and handed the royal a scroll. Yukari could be heard talking to someone on her end of the line and was silent for a bit.
?Looks like the human reinforcements are about to arrive. Princess Yorihime and Reisen, you may want to go ahead and deploy your troops. The 1st and 2nd Regiments of Royal Foot, 125th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Ground Artillery Regiment, 147th and 501st Calvary Regiment, and the 2nd, 4th, and 8th Regiments of Foot are already in place. From what I can tell, your sister has the infantry formed up 2-deep, she might be trying to pull off the Thin Red Line. Some of the tengus have already engaged air units, so it?s getting somewhat messy outside. Be ready for anything.? With that Yukari hung up the line.
Lunarian and GDF Line of Battle, Japan
With two Royal Foot and three Foot Regiments lined up two-deep, the Lunarian line of battle stretched out for a good distance. The first rank had their riot shields directly in front while the second held them over their heads, provide good cover from opportunistic shots from the approaching forces. The two Calvary Regiments had formed up in diamonds and were further back since they did not anything to block bullets.
The 125th Artillery Regiment had set up in the forest and were loading their rounds. They were tasked with creating a hail of iron rain that would cover the advance while the 3rd Ground Artillery would deliver precision fire that would destroy vital points like a surgeon removing tumors. The 3rd Ground?s commander was famous for picking an area to deploy, getting everything ready, then moving to another right before they would fire the round, leading to the 125th having to carry most of the slack.
Toyohime inspects her command saber to make sure that there wasn?t any leftover blood on it. Looking to her right, she can spot the 3rd and 4th Royal Foot marching into position. Both commanders lead their steads to stand next to the eldest royal. The only Lunarian element missing now was Eirin and the Special Developmental Group. If Toyohime remembered her teacher?s style from the reports she read, Eirin would be leading the group straight to the enemy command post with no regard to who was in the way.
?Battalion commanders, prepare to switch rounds.? Toyohime pauses as the commanders repeat her orders and lower officers and sergeant echo them. ?Open actions, prepare smoke rounds.? One single click was made as all the actions on the Lunarian rifles were pulled to the back. The smoke rounds that they were switching to were more powerful than their regular rounds but came at the expense of creating vast amounts of thick white smoke. With sustained firing, the entire battlefield would be covered with a thick cloud. ?Insert smoke rounds, release.?
The GDF had formed up behind the main line of battle and were waiting for the first charge. The heavy Maus was slowly making its way to join them, but would probably get there after the charge had started. Yukari?s Katyusha launchers were loading up their next round of rockets and keeping out of sight of human air units. Remiu and Marisa were crouched behind a small hill, the miko was preparing spell cards while the witch was messing with her mini-hakkero.
Sakuya had caught up with Remilia, Flandre, and Meiling and was positioning the fairy maids around them. Patchouli and Koakuma were creating a large spell circle that would grant them more artillery cover. Remilia wouldn?t admit, but she was more worried about the librarian getting hurt than anything else. The various vehicles that the kappas had taken from the humans had arrived and were spreading out to present less of a target.
Tenshi had a riot shield with her as she had a conversation with Iku. The Celestial kept glancing at the horizon, waiting for the coming attack. Momiji and the rest of the White Wolf tengus were mixed in with the Lunarians, hoping to be able to bypass the main engagement and provide Eirin with support. Sanae and Alice had taken a knee behind a large tree stump and were nervously fiddling with their weapons. The puppeteer kept throwing a worried glance towards Marisa.
?Sister, are you sure we should use the smoke rounds?? Yorihime had a look of concern on her face. ?The risk of friendly fire goes up so much when we use them with more than a regiment.?
?We?re outnumbered at a staggering amount.? Toyohime glanced at the map her operations officer was holding. ?They have an entire army group heading towards us. The smoke should give us an advantage, but it?ll be Master Eirin that can turn this battle around.?
Yorihime brings a spy scope to her eye. ?They should have been here minutes ago. Why haven?t they charged us yet??
?Looks like Lady Yukari?s Katyusha trucks spooked them,? Reisen II gave her horse a pat on the head. ?They probably never expected that much firepower to land right in front of them. Even though we threw them out of Gensokyo the last time, they still don?t take us a serious threat.?
?Humans have always been arrogant in that aspect,? Toyohime nodded. ?But it does serve an important purpose for us. This way, at least the noble families will get their fill of warfare. They?re still angry about the last war we had. If it were me, I would have been happier staying out of conflicts, but those nobles want to spend all their time on the battlefield. Even with the Royal Foot regiments, we can?t force all of the noble families to our will. Perhaps this is our royal system?s most glaring weakness.?
?So that?s how it is,? Yukari had snuck herself into the conversation, but none of them were very surprised. ?To make sure I understand, even with the power of the crown, you still have to let the noble families fight wars or they?ll turn their blades on you? Seems to me that it?s not the crown running the moon.?
?That was the case during our earlier days,? the elder princess replied. ?But our family came up with a counter for that.?
?Would that counter be the Lunarian Royal Officer??
?Yes. Just like every other military in existence, we have the enlisted and the officer corps. The officer corps gain their commissions from our parliamentary body, made up of the heads of the noble families. But in order to make sure that the LDC can?t be used against the crown, we created a new class. The Lunarian Royal Officer starts out as a regular officer with a normal commission. But after they have proven themselves on the battlefield and have shown complete and undying loyalty to the crown, the Royal Family can grant them a Royal Commission. That commission grants them authority that surpasses all regular officers, even generals. Since the Royal Family grants them their authority and our constitution places that authority higher than any other, a Royal Officer can do whatever they want, as long as it doesn?t go against the wishes of a member of the Royal Family. Master Eirin holds the rank of Royal Colonel, basically putting her on equal footing with my sister and me.? Toyohime paused to organize her thoughts. ?She?s the only officer in the history of the LDC to ever hold that rank. All other Royal Officers have reached Royal Major before retiring and there have only been twenty five officers to ever be granted a Royal Commission in the history of the LDC. When she left to live down here, it shook the Lunar Capital so much, that we were on the brink of civil war. It was during that time that most of the technology and doctrine that we?re using right now was developed. Master Eirin holds the same amount of fighting power as all of our Royal Foot Regiments combined, so her departure left a severe power vacuum.?
?Hmm, that is interesting, to say the least.? Yukari took a moment to let all of that sink in. ?But where is the Colonel??
?She?s transferred command to Reisen and has linked up with our Special Development Group. If I remember her style, she?s only comfortable when she?s spearheading a charge through the enemy?s headquarters. And it?s worse for her target if she has the Special Development with her.? Toyohime lowered her voice. ?They were the ones that were Master Eirin?s first test subjects for her medicines and supplements. As such, they are our equivalent of special forces. They exist outside of the regular chain of command, answerable only to Royal Officers.?
?Is that another counter to protect the crown??
?It wasn?t intended to be, but it grew into that.? Yorihime spoke up. ?But even with both of those, it still doesn?t completely deter the noble families from going against the crown. Since they are naturally aggressive, we have to let them fight. But without an actual war for so long, the best we could do was to let them fight in mock battles. That?s why we were eager to have this alliance with you.?
?It doesn?t matter to me what the reasons for your alliance with us are,? Yukari replied with no sense of malice or rudeness. ?As long as the humans leave us alone when we?re done, I?ll be happy.?
?This battle may end up deciding the war, even though that?s said about every battle.? Toyohime shrugged. ?From what I?ve been seeing, we have a massive variety of units heading towards us. The ones that I?m more worried about are the American 10th Mountain Division, the remains of their 75th Ranger Regiment, Princess Patricia?s Canadian Light Infantry, the French Chasseurs Alpins, the British Royal Marines, the Greek 1st Raider Brigade, the Spanish Brigada de Cazadores de Monta?a I, the Polish 21 Podhale Rifles Brigade, the Italian Bersaglieri, the German Gebirgsj?gerbataillon 231, the South Korean 707th Special Mission Battalion, and the Japanese Special Forces Group.?
?That?s quite a list you have there,? Yukari opened her fan to move some air. ?But they shouldn?t be a match for the Royal Foot Regiment, right??
?Even with our superior training and doctrine, we won?t be able to crush an entire army group. Just with infantry, we?re outnumbered at least 200 to 1.? Toyohime didn?t mince any words. ?From what I can tell, all we can do is hold the line, but that would leave us at the mercy of their artillery. I?ve sent orders for more regiments to deploy, but it?ll take time for them to arrive. The nobles will probably slow it down fighting about who goes first.?
?Our Katyusha launchers can provide cover if you want to go ahead and charge,? Yukari said. ?If Colonel Yagokoro is really going to attack the commander?s vehicle, she can cause the entire group to collapse. We can get most of their attention and let the colonel blind side them. One group might be able to deal a lot of damage, but what about sending in another one? I know someone that?s been trained in operating deep behind enemy lines and a few others that are good at destroying a lot of things.?
?I doubt that they could cause the same amount as Master Eirin,? Yorihime snaps defensively.
?Even so, they could give her an opening,? Yukari was careful to avoid taking offense. ?The person I have in mind knows how the outside world wages war. And her uniform does look better than the LDC?s. Hauptmann Izayoi, could I have a word??
Sakuya stood up from her spot behind the small hill and flew towards the gathering. She held her Karabiner at the low ready while keeping an eye on the surrounding area. The Lunarian princesses instantly felt an intense jealously at seeing Sakuya?s dark blue uniform.
?It?s a Hugo Boss original,? Sakuya responded to their envious looks. ?It formed the basis for the dress and operational uniform of the German armed forces during the Second World War. This uniform was designed to be practical on both the parade grounds and the battlefield. ?
?Anyway,? Yukari cut in. ?Hauptmann Izayoi was trained by the German military before the Second World War and specialized in the capture and elimination of supernatural and difficult targets deep in enemy territory. She has combat abilities that may rival Colonel Yagokoro?s, if you don?t mind me saying that. Even though she has served decades as the Chief Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, her readiness hasn?t dulled at all.?
?She may?have a chance,? Toyohime slowly admitted. ?But I still doubt she?s Master Eirin?s caliber.?
?As long as you help Master Eirin, not that she needs it, I suppose I can agree to this.? Yorihime relented. ?I mean, I have complete faith in Master Eirin?s skills, but if it saves her some work, then there should be no problem.?
?I?m glad that we understand each other,? Yukari smiled. ?What I have in mind is that Hauptmann Izayoi could lead a small group around the main battle and lure some of their elite forces away from the commander and their staff. This would let Colonel Yagokoro and her group cut right through them. Once that happens, I?m sure the reinforcements would fall back, or at least give them pause.?
?Operations, how long until the humans are in range?? Toyohime asked her staff waiting near them.
?In about a minute and half, princess.?
?All battalion commanders, prepare your troops for holding action. We will be facing infantry, armor, artillery, aviation. There is a small chance we could face chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons, even if they had agreed not to before. Hmm?looks like Russian troops are withdrawing from the field.? The elder princess frowned. ?Did their morale really shatter??
?No,? Yukari frowned as well. ?From what I?m seeing, it?s an organized withdrawal. They?re probably going to wait until we?re worn out from this fight and attack us then. So we have to be ready for that. Hauptmann Izayoi, grab a squad of your choice and attack the commander?s vehicle. Remember to lure their elite forces away so Colonel Yagokoro can have a clear shot.?
Sakuya nodded and flew off to gather her group. The regiments formed up in front of them prepared their weapons. The first rank still took a knee and used their shields to prop their rifles. The second rank steadies their shields on top of the first row?s and uses the notch at the bottom right of the shield for their weapons. The battalion commanders pace behind the line, waiting for the first humans to come into view.
Regular Foot Regiment commanders had decided to hand over command to the princesses and had joined the two Calvary Regiments in the trees. Looking at the map again, Toyohime saw that the oni operated anti-tank guns were almost in range. Even though they were considered an obsolete design, Patchouli?s modifications gave them more power than their outside world replacements.
?125th Artillery, prepare to fire.? Yorihime ordered. She could sense the arriving humans. The members of the artillery regiment instantly began to load shells and perform quick calculations. Once they were done, they waited. The younger princess raises her katana, her brow furrowed. Dropping her blade triggered a hail of artillery that left a thick cloud of smoke around the cannons, hiding them from view. The projectiles flew high overhead and landed in front of the first elements of human reinforcements. Immediately after, the howitzers captured by the GDF opened fire as well, creating even more confusion.
?All Foot Regiments, regular and royal, ready!? Toyohime pointed her saber towards the approaching cavalry and mechanized infantry. ?Aim for the threads on the tanks and the tires on the fighting vehicles! Steady, hold her steady all of you! First rank, fire all your rounds!?
All of the Lunarians on the first rank fired until they had to reload. The speed of the firing created another thick smoke cloud. This smoke cloud interfered with the humans? communications and targeting systems, dealing a severe blow to their fighting capability. Battalion commanders could be heard ordering the first rank to reload while bracing against the impact of the return fire. Mortars being fired blindly began to land near the Lunarian line of battle.
?Second rank, prepare your rifles!? Toyohime?s horse began to move about nervously. She patted him on the head to calm him down. ?Same aiming priority as before!? She didn?t flinch when she heard a bullet miss her ear. ?Fire your loads!?
More rounds flew into the advance elements, destroying treads and tires. The screams of the wounded and dying could be heard over the sporadic gunfire. What made it worse for them was all of the smoke obscuring the field, they felt isolated and abandoned. The few that had escaped injury were doing their best to get to them, but they were basically blind. Multiple explosions rang out as flames reached the fuel and HE rounds stored in the disabled vehicles.
?Both ranks, prepare your bayonets!? Toyohime?s order was unnecessary as all of the regiments had fixed bayonets before they arrived on the field. ?Forward one hundred meters and watch for return fire from the wounded! Cavalry Regiments, go around and cut the survivors off!?
The sounds of hooves hitting the ground could be heard as both of the Cavalry Regiments go around the main engagement. Humans trying to flank the main line of battle were run down by the laughing nobles on horseback. Yukari saw that and had to hide a deep frown behind her fan. Yorihime and Toyohime shared her feelings, but couldn?t condemn the nobles without certain severe backlash at the Lunar Capital.
?Once we get into the deepest part of the smoke, alternating regiments will stop. All regiments will form up by squares and hold their ground.? Toyohime and the rest of the regimental commanders moved into the smoke, keeping themselves updated by their communications officer. Marching into the thick smoke robbed both sides of their visibility, increasing the importance of accurate and timely updates. The advantage of the infantry square was that it was a very effective counter against swarming cavalry since all four directions were covered. But with them forming up so close to each other, the risk of friendly fire was high.
Without a solid line to protect them, the artillery had to rely on the regimental staff on horseback that remained nearby. The loaders had canister shot ready just in case they had to face a direct attack, but they would prefer to avoid a situation where that would happen.
Toyohime?s communications officer kept track of all the firing areas of the infantry squares and was careful to avoid leading the horses into any of them. Each infantry square had a communications officer at each of their four points. They would send out electromagnetic waves that operated as a crude radar. This way, they could knew where each regiment?s fields of fire where. The regimental staff had cast a charm that updated their maps automatically, reducing their risk of friendly fire.
Operations officers utilized their electromagnetic waves to see what was around them. Once they found a target, they directed the infantry towards it. All human communication methods were being suppressed by the smoke and the occasion jamming done by the security officers and sergeants. With more and more smoke being sent into the field, it was beginning to obscure the arriving human units.
The reinforcing humans began to slow down, some of them tried to switch to thermal imaging. But the smoke was interfering with that and every other targeting tool they had. Visibility within the expanding cloud was limited to only about four to five feet, causing many of the seasoned soldiers to freeze. Most of the infantry fighting vehicles and tanks stopped, fearful of running over their allies.
?4th Regiment of Foot, fire!? A voice shouted.
A hail of gunfire rang out. The screams of the wounded were almost drowned out by the resulting rounds of explosions of hesitating vehicles. The more powerful bullets that created the smoke had cut right through the armor on the tanks, killing or severely wounding the crews. Some of the survivors had begun to shoot back, but the Lunarians were deflecting their bullets back.
?8th Regiment of Foot, leave none of them alive!? More bullets ripped into the confused human forces. The loud gunshots served to further disorientate them, leading to friendly fire.
Yukari raised her fan and pointed it at the far ridge. ?All Katyusha launchers, fire on that ridge!?
Every single one of the launchers shot their payloads, leaving a terrifying shriek in the air. It had seemed that the apocalypse had arrived with the amount of fire that was raining down from the sky. The 125th Artillery Regiment had finished reloading airburst rounds and were firing them into the elements not affected by the smoke.
In the sky above the battlefield, tengus both in aircraft and fly under their own power were launching attack runs on ground forces while engaging in deadly dances with any air unit that challenged them. Human F-22s, Eurofighters, F-18s, F-16s, F-15s, Mirages, F-2s, and T-50s were trying to wrestle control of the sky from the tengus, but failed due to getting shot down mercilessly.
?4th Regiment of Foot, reload! Wait for my order to fire!? Some of the humans that had survived both volleys saw a faint glimmer of hope in that command. They had saw how long the Lunarian rifles were and thinking about being able to charge and get in too close for them to fire.
?All that are able to move, charge those rabbits!? A surviving American Captain yelled. Not being able to see any other alternative, the combined human forces ran to close the distance. They couldn?t see anything in front of them but kept running forward. Even if they didn?t run into any of the Lunarian forces, they may be able to escape the smoke cloud.
But before they knew it, they had come across a formation of bayonets. They had failed to realize that only the first rank had fired their rounds, hoping to draw them in. Now the second row had shot them at close range, guaranteeing an almost instant kill. The ones that escape instant death were wounded seriously, but couldn?t spend any time worrying about that since their forward momentum had carried them into the ready rifles.
The Lunarians that had stabbed humans kicked then off their bayonets and stabbed them once again to make sure they were dead. The ground began to shake as the M1 Abrams had slowly started to make their way forward. Hesitant to use their main cannons at such close range, the crews were relying on the machine gun mounted on the turret. But the crew could barely see anything at the tank?s front edge.
?2nd Regiment of Royal Foot, ready your rifles!? Their executive officer yelled. ?Main battle tank approaching from the right side! Aim for the bottom of the turret! Fire!?
The stronger bullets punched perfectly round holes into the thick armor of the Abrams and severely wounded the entire crew. The tank slowed down as its driver couldn?t perform his duty. The other regiments had opened fire on the rest of the tanks, reducing them to metal coffins.
A F-22 with its engine on fire saw the smoke expanding over the two sides and coaxed his dying fighter over the battle. Dropping his altitude to about 100 feet, he poured as much power as he could into the engine. The result was that managed to clear a sizeable portion of the smoke before he crashed into the field nearby. The portion that was cleared was a disheartening sight for the human forces.
Three Lunarian regiments were arranged in squares, resolute in their defense. In front of them, the ground was littered in the bodies of the human forces that had tried to reinforce the FOBs. Various uniform designs stained with blood could be seen everywhere, along with more blood stains coming out of the disabled vehicles. One human wearing the uniform of the Japanese Self Defense Ground Forces with a Leading Private insignia was attempting to crawl away when a moon rabbit place her foot on his chest and shot him in the face.
The GDF units that had been behind the Lunarian line had split off and followed the cavalry was they went to cut off the main force. They were flying extremely close to the ground, hoping to throw off the humans? aim. Remiu had to turn her head away from the screams and gunshots that were coming from the smoke cloud. Even though she knew that they were protecting the land she love, she was still a child at heart. She couldn?t bear to see this amount of human suffering in front of her.
Marisa could see the anguish on Remiu?s face, so she positioned herself to block the miko?s view of the smoke. Keeping her grip on her broom, she reaches to unsling her Mosin Nagant. The rifle was awkward to handle with one hand, so she slung it on her broom. She then pulls out one of her Ruger Blackhawks and spins the cylinder. Remiu unslings her M4 and takes a deep breath to steady her nerves.
A distance back, Alice was controlling her Goliath Doll while having Sanae watch her back. The addition of weapons and armor on the doll had slowed her down, but was paying off due to enemy bullets being deflected away. The Goliath Doll raised an arm and shot a spell card into the air. Alice?s Blue Sign ?Benevolent French Dolls? activated, launching a group of dolls that began to rain down blue bullets.
The rain of blue bullets punched basketball sized holes in any vehicle unfortunate enough to be under them. Shanghai and Hourai started a strange dance, sending up more spheres that exploded into bullets. So many bullets slammed the ground that it felt like an earthquake. A group of kappas were rolling 2 cm Flakvierling 38s and were firing over the main engagement. The multicolored streams of tracers mesmerized a few of the humans, setting them up to be shot by the White Wolf tengus.
?All regiments, prepare to move in square formation!? Toyohime shouted. ?Move deeper into the smoke!?
The visible regiments begin to move while they stay in formation. The first row fires their smoke rounds to keep the mortar teams from pinning them down.
?Sister, the main invasion force is going around our cavalry,? Yorihime called out. ?They?ll be here in about a minute and a half!?
?All regiments, prepare to change doctrines!? Toyohime responded. ?Destroy as many of the human forces as possible, but do not get wiped out! All we need to do is to hold them wile Master Yagokoro takes out the command staff. Royal Regiments, I want you to strike deep. Watch for their elite units! All of you, hold steady until my signal!?
Pulling out a spyglass, the elder princess looks over towards where her old teacher was. Her eyes widen when she sees a mass of shapes jump straight up of the forest in what seemed like slow motion, almost like they had gear for maneuvering in three dimensions. Some of the shapes held rifles while others held swords. Quickly focusing on the shape at the front, she recognizes Eirin. But as soon as she saw the doctor, the group had flown into the deepest part of the human formation.
?Change to light infantry!? Toyohime yelled. ?Go!?
The infantry squares immediately dissolved as the Lunarians switched to light infantry. The wounded humans that still had the will to raise their weapons were instantly cut down by the rapidly advancing moon rabbits. It didn?t matter if they were on the ground or in their vehicles, the bayonets still found them.
The wind began to blow, spreading the smoke into the arriving reinforcements. It didn?t matter the rank or grade, every Lunarian was cutting forward, sending blood everywhere. Even the riot shields were being used as offensive weapons. A Spanish Teniente had a riot shield?s side slammed into his face at full force.
Tenshi was moving forward while keeping her shield up. A mortar team had caught sight of her but had to switch to their rifles since she was too close for the mortars. Iku flew from behind her and unleashed a quick bolt of lightning. Three of the five American soldiers go down, and the last two spasm as a remnant of the bolt reached them. The two stayed on their feet but fired into the air. Leaning back, Tenshi switches the shield to her right hand. Taking a step forward, she pours all of her strength into throwing it at the pair.
The shield spins in the air and smashes into the pair, breaking several bones and causing heavy internal bleeding. To ensure that they won?t cause any more problems, Tenshi dashes forward and cut both of them with her sword. Immediately jumping back, she dodges a hail of gun fire. She grabs the M224 mortar but has no idea how to use it, so she throws it back down.
She wonders if she should have stayed with the howitzer she had captured, but puts it out of her mind. Then she hears something like a coin being flipped and electricity moving through the air. Realizing that something big was going down, the Celestial throws herself on the ground.
Iku had flipped the coin she had gotten from the FOB and was charging an electrical attack. When the coin was about to hit her thumb, she poured all of her electricity into it. The coin was instantly propelled to three times the speed of sound and cut right through a Bradley IFV. The shrapnel from the impact strikes the back of the attack soldiers and wounds them.
Tenshi scrambled back up and pulled out her Walther P38. She shoots the downed soldiers to avoid being shot in the back as she picks up her riot shield. Iku nodded, admiring how much damage just one little coin could do with her power.
?To think that one little piece of metal could do all of this,? the messenger said. ?Looks like the Lunarians had already taken care of this area. Eldest Daughter, are you sure you should have thrown you shield like that??
?It worked, didn?t it?? Tenshi shrugged. ?This was the last mortar team that had everything set up, so we don?t have to worry about getting blown up.?
?I would feel better if you took your safety more seriously,? Iku frowned. ?After all, you are the next successor to lead the Celestial state. The Dragon God would be angry at me if I let something happen to you.?
?I can take care of myself, Iku.?
?I hope so, Eldest Daughter. But your father has asked me to keep an eye on you, so I still have to keep an eye on you. As long as you keep your wits about you, we?ll be fine.?
?Told you.? Tenshi sticks her tongue out. ?I like to fight, after all. We should get moving before-?
A lone gunshot interrupts her. Instead of running to get to cover she just stands there. Tenshi blinks her eyes, trying to figure out why Iku had suddenly got a blank look on her face and why there was red liquid slowly floating in the air. Then time returns to normal and Iku falls backward and her blood lands on Tenshi.
-
Near the NATO reinforcement?s right flank, Japan
Even though every Lunarian and moon rabbit had the power of flight, the Lunarian Defense Corps? Special Development Group would only use it when absolutely necessary. These elite troops preferred to utilize long distance sprints and leaps along three dimensions to confuse their enemies. It worked wonders when going up against the average opponent, and was a good indicator of skill against equal troops, if they ever existed to tell the tale.
With the amount of endurance and speed required by this Lunarian doctrine, these soldiers were amongst the fittest on the moon. They were the Lunarian Defense Crops? response to the guerilla warfare that had been prevalent during the Lunarian Civil Wars. While each member of the Special Development Group was at the forefront of physical condition, they were also among the most intelligent. Each of them had researched significant contributions to the various fields that were considered vital to capital defense. They were all qualified to teach at the most prestigious Royal Academies and Universities since they all had the equivalent of Masters and Doctorate degrees once they had retired from service. Their origins didn?t matter, anyone with the aptitude and determination was eligible. Commoners and nobles made up the ranks of this unit.
This combination of fighting ability and intellect provided this unit with a distinct advantage over any other military unit in history. They were aware of that and responded accordingly. In their entire history, they had only one commanding officer that they had respected and follow. Only one member of Lunarian society had ever reached the highest Royal Officer rank and was considered the most intelligent and deadliest person to have ever lived. And now she had returned and was hungry for vengeance.
Sprinting in front of the mass, Eirin was cutting into the vehicles that were trying to get in her way. She didn?t slow down as she sliced straight through reinforced armor and steel plates. Keeping her forward momentum, the doctor jumps on the hood of a Humvee and slices through the windshield and the two soldiers behind it. She lets her momentum turn her to the side and side flips onto the roof, where she stabs the top gunner in the throat.
Even before Eirin had fully landed, she was taking three big steps to launch herself off of the disabled vehicle. The remaining crew attempt to shoot her, but are cut down by the Lunarians following their leader. An American M1 Abrams turns to fire at the fast moving shapes. Eirin cuts the cannon about half way and garbs the remaining part with her sword hand, hanging from it. Pulling out her sidearm, she sticks into the barrel and fires.
Her Lunarian bullet hits the HE shell being loaded and causes it to explode. The resulting fireball burns the crew, their screams could be heard even through the armor. An arm could be seen reaching out, flailing about. The doctor ignored it, pullers herself up and jumped forward. She performs a somersault and flies forward at high speed.
The quick plan that Eirin had made with the group was that she would get into the deepest part of the formation while her troops would destroy the left flank. None of them had taken the Hourai Elixir, so she had taken the most dangerous job for herself. In order to maximize the potential for human friendly fire, Eirin makes sure to stay close to all of the human vehicles.
Kicking off of another Humvee, Eirin smiles slightly as bullets hit the spot where she just was. If she kept this up, there was a chance that eventually a 50 caliber would take aim at her and fire. An added bonus was that she was wearing her old dress uniform, with her rank and ribbons visible. That gave the human forces the impression that she was someone important, making her a high priority target. For once, she wasn?t complaining about her decorations.
A Polish KTO Rosomak tries to turn its main cannon to track her, but is too slow. Instead, the UKM-2000 machine gun turns to open fire. A cartwheel jump takes Eirin to cover behind a burning German Puma IFV and lets her keep sprinting towards the heaviest defended part of the formation. Before the machine gunner could get a proper bead on her, he was ventilated by a stream of bullets from her comrades.
Seeing the mass of much more dangerous Lunarians heading straight towards them, the surviving vehicles stop and begin to back away. An American First Lieutenant raised his M4 to fire at an attacking Lunarian, but hits an empty space. The Lunarian had seen him and had jumped into the air to avoid the bullets. Looking up, the American officer doesn?t have time to react as a sword cuts through his body armor and his chest in a spin of death.
One of the Lunarian squad leaders fires a yellow flare into the air, triggering more flares being fired from all over the joint human formation. In the command vehicle, the NATO staff began to look in every direction as yellow flares flew into the air. They had received frantic transmissions of entire battalions being routed by small groups of black uniformed Lunarians working in squad sized groups. But the commanding officer had expected something like this, so he had held his best units in reserve all around him.
?Colonel Yagokoro,? a transmission was relayed straight to her mind. ?They have deployed their elite troops, just as you planned.?
?Very good,? Eirin responds. ?I hope you have had a suitable practice run.?
?We have, Colonel. Permission to proceed??
?Permission granted. Happy hunting.?
The first elite unit to engage the Special Development Group were elements of the 1st and 8th Italian Bersaglieri Regiments. The Italians had seen and studied reports of the high mobility and endurance of the regular Lunarian troops, but had never expected the sheer expertise of this group. Many of these Lunarians were fond of melee combat, so they were more willing to use the copper expanding grenade being tested out by the research and development department.
The grenade hits the ground and activates. The Italians spread out to lessen the effect of the grenade that they thought was fragmentary. They bring their HK 416s up and pull the triggers, but nothing happens. A smirk appears on the Lunarians? faces, as they charge the humans. Immediately recognizing that their bullets would be useless, the Bersaglieri troops attach bayonets and begin to pull out knives and tomahawks with their black feathers visible on their helmets.
The range of the grenade was about half a mile, and it only worked until the round that was in the chamber was cleared out. But clearing the round would be difficult because the copper expansion effectively seized in the chamber and was holding the action at the point of contact. If they tried to clear the round as is, they would have to use an amount of force that had an equal chance of breaking the charging handle. The best thing to do was to wait until the spell timed out or use another weapon.
But the Lunarians didn?t feel like giving then that time. It didn?t matter the caliber or classification of weapon, as long as it used a brass case, it was jammed. Eirin could tell that exactly when the spell started, because all the bullets that were being fired at her had stopped. She could make out the patches of the units in front of her, messing with their rifles and sidearms. If the humans switched to steel cased ammo, they would counteract the spell, but they wouldn?t change because they had no idea what was causing it.
Some of the American 10th Mountain Division and the remnants of the 75th Ranger Regiment were creating a defensive line as the rest of the formation started to move towards the heavy forest. The humans were starting to waver, forcing the commander to retreat to their rallying point. The joint forces had spread themselves out too thin when they had heard about the thin line of line infantry and the cavalry had been taking advantage of that.
To prevent the Lunarian units from being surrounded, Eirin knew that she had to make the attack collapse on itself. But even if she didn?t, as long as the enemy artillery was disabled, they would be able to hold. She just hoped that her faith in the regular and Royal foot regiments wasn?t for nothing. But with both princesses leading them, they should be able to take advantage of her attack.
Sprinting forward, Eirin spots an American private bringing out a tactical spear. For half a second, she just couldn?t believe her eyes. There was only one thought going through her mind: What is this fool doing? And the rest of the soldiers around him shared her reaction.
?What are you doing, Private!?! Put that thing away before you poke your eye out!? A Sergeant First Class yelled.
?Damn, we got another tacticool nerd.? A fuzzy Private groans.
?Isn?t he the one that spent his entire paycheck on Call of Duty DLC?? A Private First Class takes a knee and begins to slap the magazine stuck in his weapon.
?I had to spend mine when my transmission went out.? A wince showed that the Specialist still felt that unexpected expense. He started to concentrate on pulling his charging handle back, but it wouldn?t budge.
?Yeah, but that was something you needed. It wasn?t just paint for a bunch of pixels.? The PFC replies back.
?I heard he almost got kicked out of basic for running around with live ammo and yelling about headshots and then started to take charge when he couldn?t even speak a full sentence in front of a formation. Bet the drill sergeants had fun with that.? Pulling out a bayonet and sticking it on his rifle, the 2nd Lieutenant shook his head.
?I feel sorry for the squad that has him.? The first Corporal said.
?That would be mine, Corporal. I need a drink.? The Staff Sergeant poked his rifle from behind and tried to fire. ?If I have to hear about graphics and respawning one more time, I?ll give myself a counseling statement. I don?t even know why we?re even here, we?re just normal infantry.?
?Where did he even get that thing?? Another Corporal asked. ?Never mind, I don?t think I want to know. Especially after the incident when he wanted to paint his rifle gold right before an annual inspection.?
?I should have known it was him, look at all the toys he?s got on his rifle. Who even needs that many lights and scopes on one rifle?? A third Corporal pipes up. ?He?s got an entire platoon?s worth of toys on that rifle. Bet the supply sergeant must be pissed.?
?I doubt his NCOs even care anymore.? Saying this, a Private changes magazines.
?We gave up a week after we got him. He?s not allowed anywhere near the supply room without supervision. You won?t believe how many counseling statements he got because of some of the stupid stuff he did. I mean, I did stupid stuff in my time, but at least I have the chance to reproduce.? A second Sergeant replied, slamming his rifle butt first down on the ground.
Charging forward, Eirin side steps the spear and drives the pommel of her saber into the spear wielder?s stomach. Knocked back, he scrambles back while stabbing at Eirin. Dodging all of the strikes, the Lunarian tires of the spear and swings her blade in a circle, cutting the weapon clean in half. The private drops the bottom piece and starts to swing the top piece like a sword. Eirin shakes her head at this, he was clearly never trained in using a pole weapon.
Eirin swings her leg around, letting her spin around with her saber out. The soldiers around her take a step back, bringing their weapons up to guard. Some of them pause when the rifles fall apart in half. One step forward brought her up close to the half spear wielder and a punch breaks his armor. Before he could react to that, he had a Lunarian blade stabbed through his chest. Another one jumps in front of her when she throws his body to the ground, bayonet up for the stab.
In the meantime, the rest of the soldiers had charged forward, trying to overwhelm her. A quick stab takes care of the one in front of her, and gives her a second to adjust her tie as she takes a step back. A Lunarian Royal Colonel has to always make sure their appearance is always suitable, no matter the situation. With only a one handed grip, Eirin parries a charge from a NCO and leaves a diagonal cut on his chest. Sidestepping another attack, she kicks the attacker?s knee out and plunges her saber to its hilt in his stomach.
Tearing it out, the doctor uses it throw the body into the others. Using the time gained by the distraction, she takes two steps and executes a quick set of cuts that takes down the remaining soldiers. Before the bodies could hit the ground, Eirin was sprinting and jumping, dodging strikes and vehicles. One Bradley tries to run her down, only to get a thrown saber through the driver?s seat.
Jumping on top of the damaged vehicle, Eirin grips the sword and cuts through the top armor and the turret. One cartwheel takes her off of the vehicle and on the ground. Just ahead of her, she can see the commander?s vehicle in front of her. A small smile appears on her face, the scene in front of her reminded her of her younger days. Various operations that she undertook during the Lunarian Civil Wars sprung to mind.
She looks a distant figure in the eye, she could tell that he was the commanding officer of the reinforcements. The glance she gave him promised him only one thing: that the man would not survive to see the end of this battle. With her target directly in front of her, Eirin plots the paths of all the vectors around her. From bullets to vehicles and even infantry, the doctor knew everything about the scene in front of her. It took her longer to scan the scene than to create her plan to attack.
With one strong kick, she launched herself forward and drew her sidearm. It didn?t matter that the troops in front of her were the best that NATO had to offer. There were American Marine Recon, Army Rangers, British Royal Marines, French Alpins, Japanese Special Group, and others were in front of her, protecting their commander. The humans were in for the struggle of their lives. And they all knew it.
Near the NATO reinforcement?s left flank, Japan
Sakuya had grabbed a small group of White Wolf tengus and was attracting attention by performing hit and run attacks. Members of the German Gebirgsj?gerbataillon 231 had been ordered to counter her attacks, giving Sakuya the chance to see how far her former service had evolved in her absence. She was very interested in comparing them against her own troops.
The Germans had their machine guns set up with overlapping lanes of fire, with the others that had rifles trying to pin Sakuya down. It seemed that they were using the same tactics that she had trained in decades ago. The rifles would cover the machine guns as they got into position and try to flush her out. And that gave the maid the advantage since she was there when that doctrine was developed.
Taking cover behind the brunt out husk of an American Bradley IFV, Sakuya smiles slightly as she pulls out three knives. Stopping time, she jumps on the vehicle and starts to throw them, multiplying them as she goes. Feeling a strain on her head, she speeds up until she?s satisfied and cancels the time stop. Using her power to stop multiple vectors had always strained her, and the sheer number now was pushing her.
Quickly backfliping off the wreckage, a hail of light machine gun bullets create sparks where she just was. The knives hanging in the air start to move forward quickly, hunting for flesh. If they didn?t find it, they kept bouncing around until they did. Using the confusion of the flying knives, Sakuya loads her Karabiner 98K and charges forward.
Popping up next to an Oberfeldwebel, she kicks his G36 down and elbows him in the throat. Not giving him a chance to recover, she knees him in the stomach full force and throws him to the ground. Then she kicks and stomps him repeatedly until she shoot him close range. With a quick stab to make sure that he?s down, the maid takes a knee and shoots another German that was shooting at her behind cover.
Cycling her bolt, Sakuya senses the White Wolf tengus darting from cover to cover, concentrating on confusing the enemy. Stopping time again, she jumps forward into the air and returns time to normal right before she lands next to a MG3 machine gunner. The German could only look up in surprise as Sakuya stabs him in the throat with her bayonet and then pulls the trigger. His partner rolls to the side to buy time to bring his weapon up, but is stopped by a knife known into his eye.
She picks up the machine gun and opens it up. Taking the action, she dismantles it and scatters the pieces everywhere. Throwing the disabled weapon to the side, Sakuya ejects the spent case and shoots the screaming man to shut him up. Another machine gunner and assistant spot her and aim to fire at her, keeping themselves down to avoid the bouncing knives.
The maid takes out the gunner first and then quickly dispatches the assistant. Loading five more 7.92x57mm Mauser rounds, Sakuya can see the rear most elements frantically checking their weapons while he enemies closer to her had been taken out by the tengus. Deciding that it would be unfair to face them with her firearms when they couldn?t respond in kind, she slings the rifle. Lowering her center of gravity and pulling out multiple knives with both hands, the former commissioned officer stops time once more and jumps.
She throws one knife at an Oberleutant and lands. Once her feet touch the ground, she lets time continue and the knife impales the man?s heart. To the surrounding forces, it seem like she had teleported. Keeping this up and mixing in kicks and punches, Sakuya manages to wither down more and more Germans. A part of her was saddened by how easily they fell before her.
Then the ground begins to shake under her feet, surprising everyone fighting. A loud impact is heard that causes everyone to look around. A large boulder flies through the air and crushes a pair of tanks that were moving to try to fire. More large boulders began to fly, landing all over the battlefield. Even Sakuya and the tengus didn?t know what was happening. Screams of panic were heard all over the area.
?All Lunarian and GDF forces, fall back to the initial area.? A small charm that was ingrained in her service cap had a direct line to the network that Patchouli?s map used to send out communications. ?We need all of you back here, now. Disengage all forces and fall back. Both Lady Yukari and Princess Toyohime have ordered us to fall back. Do not get drawn in combat.?
?Damn,? Sakuya looked at the White Wolf tengus. They nodded to her and began to fall back. A boulder hits nearby, knocking everyone down. Another boulder was flying through the sky when an American F-22 crashed into it. The maid could tell someone was serious and it had to do with the raining rocks. ?Nitori, why are we falling back??
?Do you see those boulders being launched?? Nitori was interrupted by static on the line. ?Interference on the line? Patchouli said this was a Dragon level spell. We think that Tenshi?s gone berserk and is on a rampage against the NATO forces. We?ve tried to get through to her but she?s not responding. With her using attacks like that, there?s an extreme risk of friendly fire. She?s already shattered the American 3rd Division and the French 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment and various other units are starting to falter.?
?What about Colonel Yagokoro and her forces, have they started to withdraw??
?We haven?t been able to get in contact with her. Some of the units closest to the commander have collapsed into themselves and the rest of the formation is heading to the heavy forest nearby. If they make it here, the Lunarian Cavalry won?t be as effective. From what we can see, it looks like she?s reached her target and is getting to work. But both sides are in complete confusion.?
?Then what are we going to do when we regroup??
?We have a few spells that are being prepared. Most of them will create trenches that we can take cover in.?
Sakuya stiffened. ?We can?t go back to trench warfare. We just can?t??
?It?s only going to be temporary. Yukari knows that we would lose in trench warfare, she?s trying to create another plan with the princesses.? Nitori was interrupted by a boulder landing nearby. Sakuya almost lost her balance but kept running. Then another earthquake started shaking the ground. It would have registered a 6.8 on the Richter scale. Taking flight, she sees cracks open in the ground and the human forces stagger and fall.
Off in the distance, a scarlet aura could be seen surrounded by numerous boulders. Those boulders are hurled into the air and land everywhere on the battlefield. Vehicles caught near the impact are flung into the air, unlucky infantry weren?t exempt form that fate. A large part of the earth is forced to jut into the air, changing the makeup of the area.
?We feeling that earthquake all the way up here,? Nitori said. ?This is getting more and more serious. If she keeps this up, she might end up opening up the earth. We don?t know what happened to make her like this, but it has to be something really bad. We?re still trying to reach her but it?s too dangerous. The power of a Celestial?I?d never thought that I would see it for myself.?
Another series of quakes start to shake the trees in the area. Looking to the distance, Sakuya could see Patchouli and Koakuma casting spells that created trenches with a slight berm in front of them. Lunarian troops were jumping in and setting up their defensive positions. Commanding officers were walking behind the line, giving orders to reload and wait. Staff officers were looking over maps and grimoires. A sentry sees Sakuya and the White Wolf Tengus flying towards them and waves them in. Communication officers were firing black smoke flares to obscure this end of the battlefield. Operations officers had taken to sky and were looking towards spyglasses, trying to find out what was happening.
A distance behind them, Yukari, Toyohime and Yorihime were staring at a bigger map and multiple scrolls with charts and diagrams on them. Higher staff officers were moving about, gathering more information for the trio. Carrier pigeons were flying to and from the organized chaos. They were brought to help confuse the humans that wanted to intercept communications. If a pigeon was captured, the message that they were carrying would usually turn out to be a drawing that some junior officer would make to show off nonexistent artistic talent.
Lunarian medical personnel and Buddhists were running about, tending to the wounded. Even with the savage fighting, they had only suffered light casualties. The captured tanks and artillery were returning behind the line, joining the cavalry and regrouping. The Maus had light damage, having taken out a squadron of M1 Abrams and Challenger 2 British tanks. Even AT-4s were ineffective against the super heavy tank.
Yukari?s Katyusha launchers were reloading their rockers while the oni operated anti-tank guns were being pushed back into position. A few of the kappas were digging pits so the Napoleonic cannons would reposition themselves after every shot. Normally, they wouldn?t need pits, but with the magically modified gunpowder being used, every shot rolled them back. The rear supports were broken off with the first shot, so branches were used to aim the cannons.
Alice and Sanae had returned to the main line, but her Goliath doll had suffered significant damage. Remiu and Marisa had returned, but the shrine maiden was being kept in the dark about why they had been called back. Remilia, Flandre and Meiling arrived shortly after, and were talking with some of the Lunarian staff officers. An American Apache attack helicopter decided to come in for an attack run, but was shot down by a volley of Lunarian fire. The rotors were sent flying when the vertical mast is cut by the gunfire.
The liberated rotors spin through the air, almost hitting one of the operations officers. It was close enough to cut off some of her hair, but she never flinched as she kept looking through her spyglass. The flying blades of death continue to fly until a Lunarian bullet hits it and cancels most of its momentum.
?Yukari, what happened?? Sakuya takes her service cap off to wipe some sweat off of her forehead. ?We almost had them.?
?Tenshi?s started to attack anything that?s moving out there. I ordered us to fall back, and the princesses followed my lead. Based on what the staff officers have been finding out, Iku was killed right in front of her. That sent her into a complete rampage.?
?What?? Sakuya had to pause. ?But she?s the Dragon Palace?s messenger?what are the Celestials doing??
?Some of them are still giving us cover, but others have stopped.? Yukari shook her head. ?Some of the families have ordered their artillery units to withdraw, but Lord Nai has been countermanding their orders somewhat. If Tenshi wasn?t on a rampage, she could force them to continue by her order. But with the transfer of authority to his daughter, Lord Nai has limited political pull. Iku was making political moves to help Tenshi avoid conflict from the other families, so they?re withholding support as revenge.?
?We still have the Lunarian artillery, don?t we??
?There?s only so much we can do in this situation, Hauptmann.? Toyohime said. ?The 125th can?t fire due to that Celestial being so close to the target and the 3rd can?t fire without someone spotting up there. We can?t risk sending anyone because of those boulders and earthquakes, observation spells are useless with all the dust flying around. And we won?t fire with a comrade?s life in that kind of risk.?
?All we can is just regroup and wait.? Yorihime continued. ?Until either she takes out the human forces or?she?s taken out herself.?
?The first outcome is the most likely,? Yukari said. She holds up a scroll that Ran had just given her. ?Tenshi?s using power that was gained by her status as a Celestial. Looks like the Japanese 6th Division has begun to leave the field. Thirty giant boulders falling from the sky and exploding might have had something to do with that. They?re aiming their artillery towards her, but she?s knocking them out of the sky.?
On the three dimensional map being projected by the scroll on the table in front of them, a long blue line showed where the Lunarian foot regiments had dug in. The cavalry were jumping over the trenches in order to form up behind the main line. Many of the nobles were covered in blood, but were comparing kill counts and laughing as if they were drunk. Some were annoyed that they were called off of the attack.
?So?is she done for?? Sakuya asked.
?Not if I can help it,? Yukari replied. ?She?s the next leader of the Celestials and a fellow resident of Gensokyo. Even though she has had a troubled past, she?s been working to redeem herself. I?m the one that brought her into all of this, so it?s my responsibility to see her back. We already lost someone today, I won?t let anyone else fall.?
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Been following this for a while. The amount of research you must have done to get this much knowledge on military history and tactics is impressive.
A lot of the characters seem OP, but that's par for the norm in Gensokyo and isn't a huge deal. You've done a good job of making things sound plausible, which imo is essential for a story like this, so well done.
Couldn't help but notice that "Reimu" turned into "Remiu" near the top of the second page, lol.
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Been following this for a while. The amount of research you must have done to get this much knowledge on military history and tactics is impressive.
A lot of the characters seem OP, but that's par for the norm in Gensokyo and isn't a huge deal. You've done a good job of making things sound plausible, which imo is essential for a story like this, so well done.
Couldn't help but notice that "Reimu" turned into "Remiu" near the top of the second page, lol.
Been following it on Fanfiction.com, where he's posted chapters beyond this. Or had until recently.
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NATO reinforcement?s front line, Japan
A scarlet aura had enveloped the area, giving the screams of pain and death more weight. Tenshi had left the riot shield when Iku had been killed in front of her and was cutting through any human that got in her way. She was after the sniper team that she had spotted moving after the gunshot had rang out. Slamming her sword into the ground created a shockwave that sent rocks flying towards the soldiers that had managed to clear their weapons. The rocks impacted them at high speed, breaking multiple bones and causing internal bleeding.
One unfortunate American Ranger had gotten close enough to launch a grapple. Tenshi responds by grabbing his forearm with her off hand and crushing it until it shatters. She then looks him in the eyes, he pales instantly when he sees the extreme rage and sadness in them and loses control of his bladder when he sees scarlet wings spread from behind her. Then she grabs his neck and squeezes. The lifeless body is thrown at the side of a Bradley IFV, where it leaves a deep dent in the armor.
Stomping her foot, a keystone floats in the air in front of her. A powerful punch sends the stone on its way, right into a group of Polish soldiers that were firing at her. An explosion of blood is the last that anyone sees of them. Sprinting forward, Tenshi ends her run by stomping both feet in the ground. A strong earthquake is created as she sends out ripples from her position.
The ripples manage to flip vehicles over and knock down everyone around her. Plunging her sword into the ground, she sends spikes out around her. The spikes spread about 50 meters around her, impaling any human unfortunate to be in range. Without pausing to admire her handiwork, she walks towards the forest the rest of the humans had hidden in. Some of the soldiers hiding behind trees had managed to clear their chambers and had gotten their hands on steel cased ammo.
One stomp from Tenshi creates a wall of earth in front of her, protecting her from the incoming bullets. A punch sends the wall flying forward at high speed where it shatters trees and bones alike. The bullets stop coming towards her for a second, giving her an opening to sprint forward and slam both feet on the ground. Another set of ripples spread out from her location, changing the area.
But instead of random juts of earth springing up, rectangular sections were rising up. The soldiers that were some distance away could see that the shapes resembled an urban environment. Tenshi was beginning to feel the strain from unleashing her full power, so she needed to even the field. Even with all that was going through her mind, she still remembered some of the things Yukari had taught her.
One of those things was urban warfare. All she had to do was recreate that environment with her power, and she would be able to force all of them into hand to hand combat. Her ability worked even better in this situation because she could reform the layout at will, a good counter against mouse-holing. And if the battle went underground, most of the human militaries hadn?t really developed a subterranean doctrine yet, which would put them at a severe disadvantage.
Tenshi wasn?t interested in quickly killing any human she caught up to, she wanted to make them suffer. Sensing a presence on the other side of the wall, she breaks through the solid earth and grabs a British Royal Marine by the neck. Then she pulls him back, slamming the back of his head into the wall. The Celestial ignores the loud snap and sudden wetness on her hand as she throws the body on the ground. The other Royal Marines in the space beyond the wall rush to create some distance from her, but are impaled when a thrown sword reaches them.
She had made sure to avoid causing wounds that would result in a quick death. Walking past the dying men, she kicks one of them out of her way. Placing her back on the wall, she pokes her head out around the corner. A hail of bullets hit the wall and ground around her in response. A punch to the ground causes a section of the earth next to the Polish soldiers shooting at her to collapse on top of them.
Deciding that it was too quiet, Tenshi plants her sword into the ground, sending large boulders flying into the air. When they hit, they cause stronger and stronger earthquakes to happen. Taking a knee, she places a hand on the ground, feeling where the closest enemies where. A group were arranged in almost a straight line from her perspective, hiding behind the multiple walls of earth. She takes half a second to inhale and launches herself through the walls.
The unlucky souls in her path were subjected to being crushed by the debris, getting cut by her blade, or by being crushed by her left hand. Her hat had fallen off a while back, exposing her disheveled hair. Her dress had multiple cuts, burns, tears, blood and dirt stains all over. She had also taken a fair amount of damage to her body, but she simply did not care. Her eyes were bloodshot and a snarl seemed to be permanently fixed to her face. Anyone able to look at her would say that she had the eyes of a madman.
Pausing to throw more boulders into the air, Tenshi started to feel the effects of her rampage when her left leg almost buckled. She had taken enough damage to down a Maus tank. But she kept on moving forward. She stabs through a wall beside her and punches another hole in it. Then she sticks her arm into it and grabs her victim?s rifle and sprays rounds everywhere. When only clicks could be heard from the weapon, the Celestial throws it to the side and pulls her blade from the lifeless body it had pinned.
An American M249 machine gunner poked his head out from behind a broken wall of earth and fired at her. One bullets hits her on the right shoulder, but only serves to anger her more. She activates her Heaven Sign ?Sword of the Divine Justice? spell card. Two steps forward brought her into range, letting her charge diagonally upwards. She connects with the machine gunner and smashes through some of the walls in her way.
Once she reaches the apex of her charge, she can tell that the soldier impaled on her sword was dead. Instead of throwing him to the side, Tenshi gets a firm grip on him to use as a shield while she falls back to the ground. Looking up, she can see yellow flares flying into the air around her location. The human forces on the ground see the flares as well, and feel the icy grip of fear on their stomachs.
In the distance, an M1 Abrams was trying to force its way through the walls of earth that Tenshi had forced up. Two members of Eirin?s Special Development Group were running on the top of the walls in different directions around the tank, confusing the crew. Their machine guns had been destroyed, leaving only the main cannon. One of the Lunarians jumps high into the air while pulling out a grenade. She throws her saber at the commander?s hatch, leaving a gaping hole for her grenade. Landing only to retrieve her weapon, she hops back as the explosion kills the crew.
Ignoring them, Tenshi slams her sword into the ground yet again. Boulders fly out at angles with high speed, and then they descend like meteors. The two Lunarians decide to give her some space and fall back while letting Eirin know that something was up. Heavy gunfire hit the ground right in front of her, peppering her with fragments of earth. Looking to the source, she sees an entire platoon holed up in one of the earth buildings aiming at her.
Tenshi activates her Keystone ?World Creation Press? spellcard and jumps high into the air. At the highest point of her jump, she summons a large keystone. Grabbing it, the Celestial adds her power to its fall. It crashes through the structure that was protecting the humans, and sent tremors through the ground. A large cloud of dust is created, giving Tenshi a chance to engage the survivors up close.
One brings his rifle up, blocking Tenshi?s blade. Giving the block no heed, she grabs his chin and twists his head savagely. Sensing movement to her near left, she grabs her sword with both hands and slams it into the corporal trying to bring his M4 up. With her sword stuck in the body, she takes out another junior NCO by throwing a quick keystone at him. It hits him in the upper chest with so much force that his neck was snapped from the whiplash.
During the confusion and impact of her attacks, several of the remaining survivors were coming in close. Tenshi takes a step back and lowers her body into a close combat stance. Using the same techniques that Meiling had taught her before, she brings her left foot up high for an axe kick. Her foot lands directly on a private?s helmet, breaking some vertebrae.
Before the lifeless body could hit the ground, she had backhanded another?s knife out of his hand. Spinning to gain momentum, she uses it to add more force to the punch she aims at her next target?s stomach. Her punch hits the protective plate and turns it to dust. Before he could react to the destruction of the plate, he was punched so hard that his stomach ripped open.
Then she adopts a bent leg stance and punches upward. A block of earth is ripped up, where she kicks it directly at a staggering staff sergeant. It hits him and keeps flying, taking the unfortunate victim with it. A side kick hits a private in the chest, breaking his chest plate. Another kick hits him the temple, taking him down. Turning around, she aims her P38 at a specialist that drops his rifle and raises his hands. She fires twice into his face anyway.
Taking a step to the left, Tenshi dodges a swing from a corporal holding a knife. She brings a leg up and catches him in his side, knocking him down. He loses his grip on his knife, and gets his face stomped on by the Celestial. Giving him one more kick and a bullet from her P38 to make sure his down, Tenshi looks around. All she could see were bodies on the ground all around her.
Taking a step to free her sword from the body that trapped it, Tenshi is paralyzed by a gunshot. A First Lieutenant that had been taken down still had enough strength to pull out his M9 pistol and shoot at her. Turning around, Tenshi empties the rest of the magazine into him. She stumbles back, the world spinning around her. Shaking her head to clear it, she uses all of her willpower to keep her knees from buckling.
Her white shirt was beginning to stain with the blood from her newest wound. Ignoring the pain coming from the bullet, she struggles to pull her sword out. Once she succeeded, she walks deeper into the paths made by her earlier attack. She sticks her hand in her pocket, feeling around for the pills that Eirin had given her in case she got hurt. Taking one, she swallows it dry and feels her pain subside a great deal.
Even through the effects of the medicine, she can feel the injuries that her body had sustained. Since she was a Celestial, Eirin hadn?t been able to fully tailor her medicine to her specific physiology. While the medicine could block most of the pain, it couldn?t heal her injuries. If she kept on fighting, she could ending up suffering even more damage. But she still didn?t care. She was going to wipe out every last human soldier she came across.
Center of the human reinforcement formation, Japan
The commander?s vehicle with a subdued star on the grill began to back away from Erin as fast as possible. Heavy machine guns began to fire on the doctor, but she charged forward. The infantry and special forces frantically open fire on her, but none of them could hit her. Accelerating forward, a Bradley IFV attempts to run her over.
Cartwheeling onto the approaching vehicle, she turns and unleashes a series of cuts that stop the vehicle. Jumping off, she doesn?t even notice that it falls to pieces behind her. Sheathing her saber, she pulls her bow and readies an arrow. Firing straight up, it flies about 300 yards before it explodes. Revival ?Game of Life? springs to life, spreading masses of green and blue bullets in complex patterns.
Slinging her bow, Eirin charges through a firing line made of American and British soldiers. With her right hand, she uses her saber to cut through them while pulling out a flare gun and firing it. A red and blue smoke mixture trails behind the flare, signaling that she had found her target. In response, yellow flares flew into the sky around her location.
A sudden sidestep lets her avoid a riot shield landing right next to her. Picking it up, she stays light on her feet as she blocks bullets and cuts anything near her down. About 600 meters from her, a company from her group had formed up in an infantry square and had lured an entire brigade combat team of the American 3rd Infantry Division to surround them. They had experimental riot shields that were supposed to be built to a higher specification than the normal ones. So far, they were able to stand up to even the auto cannons that were being brought to bear against them.
The four sides of the square were pouring out an amazing stream of fire that left no safe areas for their enemies. Even the Humvees and Bradley IFVs that had moved in were taken down. In the middle of the square, a Lunarian standard was being waved as a sign of amusement while the various nobles were shouting challenges to the human officers. Human mortar teams were trying to set up to fire, but were picked off by the moon rabbits. Any human close to a tube was designated a higher priority and shot instantly.
American snipers were trying to find a weak spot in the formation, but even they couldn?t find a single one. AT-4s were fired at the square, only to be shot down before they made it half way and their operators were killed soon after. Several of the platoons were starting to waver, but none had wanted to be the first one to break. Then a boulder landed near them, and that thought had no more merit.
While some American units were routing, other NATO units were moving forward to take their place. But they met the same fate as their comrades. Even the more elite troops were no exception. The modern cavalry were speeding up to break through the shield line, but were stopped by dozens of high powered bullets. Requests for close air support were being made, but with Tenshi?s boulders flying about, the higher levels weren?t risking it.
Tengu fighters were dodging the attacks and dropping bombs and missiles on the scattering formation. Anti-air units were firing back but made themselves prime targets for the dismounted tengus. With all the attacks that they were taking, the human forces as a whole were beginning to doubt their chances of survival.
Eirin stepped to the side while putting all of her weight on her left foot. Using this as leverage, she slammed her saber sideways into an American Staff Sergeant and sent his body flying into the side of a Humvee that was on fire. She hated being so rough, but those kind of moves would sow even more fear into her opponents. Taking a knee, she braces her riot shield as another Humvee?s turret gunner fires on her.
Once she figured out the pattern of the incoming rounds, she stood up and ran directly towards the gunner. Angling it slightly, Eirin?s able to deflect the bullets into some of the infantry trying to overwhelm her. Military police forces switch to their shotguns but still have the same effect. Most of them can only get one shot before they get cut down.
?Colonel Yagokoro,? one of her senior sergeants speaks directly into her mind. ?The main GDF and Lunarian regiments have pulled back. We?re also not receiving any artillery support.?
?Is it because of those boulders??
?We believe so, Colonel. Some of our troops have also come across the Celestial, she looks to be trapped in a rampage. She?s created an earthen reproduction of an urban environment and is completely decimating any human she comes across. Their bodies have been almost damaged to the point of being unrecognizable The Celestial has also been reported to have grown scarlet covered wings.?
?Scarlet covered wings, hmm. This is an annoying development.? Eirin slams her shield into a private that had frozen when she ran at him. ?How much damage have we inflicted on the humans so far??
?We?re about to make the American 3rd Infantry Division rout as a whole. About sixty tanks and various other vehicles were taken out by our infantry square. There are still about twelve other divisions still moving in. It seems the humans have never seen this type of violence before.?
?Try not to be too critical of them, to us they are but children.? Eirin said. ?They have never had a conflict like the Lunarian Civil Wars, so they still play around with their toys.?
?What are your orders, Colonel??
?Form up in a group square and hold your ground. I still have the commander in my sight.? Launching herself to the side, she kicks off another burning Humvee and starts to spin. She hits the soldiers that had decided to poke their heads out from behind cover. Turing her spin into a roll that brings her to the ground, she doesn?t bring herself to her full height before she runs behind a disable M1 Abrams.
The commander?s Humvee was being slowed down by having to maneuver around the reinforcing units. Eirin didn?t have to worry about that, she just cut down what she wanted. Sprinting and holding the shield at an angle, she storms through another hastily formed firing line. With being this deep into the reinforcements, she had increased their risk of friendly fire.
Switching her saber for her flare gun, she fires it a Sergeant First Class that was directing the movement of some vehicles and lights him on fire. The man falls to the ground while his comrades attempt to put out the fire by taking off their camelback water sources and canteens and pouring them on him. The rest of the soldiers are horrified by the scene, letting Eirin kill the ones in front of her.
Throwing her saber, she watches it slice through a few officers while pulling out her sidearm again. Empting her magazine into a squad trying to get behind her, she changes her course. Getting behind another wreck, she uses a burst of speed that makes her almost invisible to her opponents. To them she disappeared behind one burning Bradley and appeared from behind a disabled Bradley a good distance away.
This new attack instilled even more fear in the wavering 3rd ID, leading to some of them firing at shapes taking cover behind anything they could find. The ones being fired on were shouting at their comrades to stop, but it fell on deaf ears. Eirin couldn?t help but smile, it worked even better on humans than on Lunarians. Even the heavier weapons that were still left had begun to fire on each other.
Looking up, Eirin sees the commander?s vehicle getting stuck in a carter made by a stray mortar. The turret gunner opens fire on her, but the doctor dodges the bullets and throws her command saber at the engine. It slices through the block, killing the vehicle instantly. Then she throws the riot shield at the gunner, breaking his spine by using the impact to hyperextend and break bones.
A jump puts on top of the Humvee and she walks to get on top of the hood. Pulling out her sword, she looks the commander down with a condescending smile. None of the staff in the vehicle were willing to open a window to shoot at her. They had the mistaken hope that the steel and tempered glass would protect them from a Lunarian Royal Colonel if they had everything locked.
The commanding officer of the interrupted invasion/reinforcement, an American Major General, couldn?t helped but be impressed by the amount of ribbons and medals that Eirin wore on her uniform. In the back of his mind, he was jealous that most other services on the planet had better looking uniforms than they did. He drew his M9 pistol and aimed it at the doctor but hesitated to pull the trigger and destroy his mistaken shield.
Eirin jumps up onto the roof of the Humvee and stabs straight down, hitting the driver. Then she drags the blade and kills the other two staff members. Scrambling out of the vehicle, the general aims at her and starts to shoot. Lazily sidestepping the frantically aimed rounds, she counts until fifteen and a click. The man drops the empty magazine and drops a loaded one since he was trying to add more distance between them.
Three quick steps brings Eirin into reach of him, where she slams the pommel of her saber into his stomach. He drops the M9 and staggers back. The nearby infantry see everything, but are hesitant to fire. They fear hitting their commanding officer due to Eirin?s proximity. Some of them try to engage her in close combat but are crushed by a boulder falling almost on cue.
One step and a stab ends with the general getting stabbed through the stomach while also ripping off the Velcro rank insignia on his chest. Pulling out the blade, Eirin doesn?t even watch the body fall. She had killed commanding officers in the midst of battle before but, they had always given her a challenge when she had run them down. But this was as easy as killing a green recruit when it came down to it.
With her main mission accomplished, she looked over to the infantry square almost 900 meters away before she went after the rest of the staff. They were still firing, leaving a mass of bodies around them. It brought to mind the end result of a cavalry charge of old being repulsed by line infantry. The bodies of the fallen were starting to build a sort of cover that the human infantry could use, letting them inch closer to the wall of shields.
?All rifles, hold and reload,? a Lunarian sergeant shouts. ?Steady, all of you! Silver shoulders, ready you charges!?
Four moon rabbits with silver shoulder boards moved to the middle of the formation so they could face in each of the four directions of the square. Taking a knee, they take a set of cards that were bound by a metal ring through the corner and flip through them. Finding the one they were looking for, they rip them out and rub them on their shoulders. Once they were done, they stick them on the ground facing outward.
The lull in the firing emboldened the defending humans. They began to quickly reload their reusable rocket launchers and were trying to get fresh ones close enough to fire. The silver shouldered moon rabbits cover their ears and turn their heads away from the cards. The others duck their heads as air began to be sucked towards the cards. Then with a roar, the cards create a series of small rockets that fly over the ranks in front of them.
The rockets have a high arc and land moving outward. Their small size would never have given away the fact that they carried so much destructive power. It was as if titans had appeared and were stomping away from the square. An extreme amount of dust was kicked up, obscuring everything except for the screams.
?All rifles, ready,? the same sergeant yells. He holds a straight blade that he points at the cloud. ?Aim for chest height! Fire! Grenadiers, ready those jammers!?
While the rest of the square was firing, the five grenadiers pulled out the same experimental grenades from before and threw them over the formation. As soon as they went off, all of the human bullets stopped flying towards them.
?Break the square, leave none of them alive,? one of the junior officers shouts. ?Hunt the animals down if you have to!?
The square dissolved as the Lunarians crashed into the closest human elements. This time, they went for the most salvage methods of killing. Numerous human soldiers were shot point blank in the face and then stabbed in the neck when they fell. The silver shouldered rabbits had ripped out another set of cards and had casted giant walls of flames that began to move towards vehicles.
Eirin had wiped out the rest of command staff and was watching the rest of the NATO forces scatter. Without a unified commander, the various NATO factions were splitting off and rallying under their respective officers. A quickly spreading breakdown of command had begun to separate the coherent invasion force. Higher ranking officers were being ignored as the lower rank?s nationalism suddenly decided to manifest itself.
Taking another private down, Eirin sees an M1 Abrams start to turn to face her. It stops to make sure that it?s at an angle and the thickest armor is facing her. The turret tries to aim at the ground at Eirin?s feet, but the doctor won?t let them hit her. She jumps in the air and rams her shoulder into its side. The rank rocks and the gunner accidently fires the round that was loaded.
Stabbing into the turret, she hits the commander. Jumping on top, she cuts the hatch open and jumps in. Before she landed on top of the dead commander, she had her sidearm out and was killing the rest of the crew. Grabbing a 120mm round, she slams it into the cannon?s breech. Pushing the dead gunner?s body to the side, she takes the controls of the cannon.
She pushes her service cap up and puts her head to the rubber mount that is placed in front of the scope. Grabbing the smaller console directly under the sight, she can see that?s already aiming at a good spot. She pushes the button and the cannon goes off. The shell is ejected straight back and the smell of gunpowder fills the cabin. She looks down and sees controls for turret movement.
Before she can use them, a large explosion hits the tank. Feeling that her welcome was worn out, she decides to jump out of the tank. None of the machine gun fire hits her as she lands near a disabled Humvee. Another tank exploding nearby sends a rod flying into the air, it lands right next to Eirin. A quick glance reveals that it?s about the same size as her saber.
Picking it up, she swings it a few times to test its weight. Satisfied, she crouches down and sprints forward. In front of her, units of the American 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Infantry Divisions were rallying to stop her. She can tell another jamming grenade was in effect since the humans were trying to fix their weapons. A Corporal strikes out at her, causing her to spin and slam both her weapons on his back. The saber cuts him while the rod shatters bone and armor plates.
?Colonel Yagokoro,? her same enlisted advisor began. ?The princesses want you to know that some of the families have started to move against them.?
Eirin throws her saber and impales a private first class through the chest. Jumping over him, she grabs her saber as an afterthought. ?How??
?Some of the families have ordered fresh units loyal to the royal family into direct combat against overwhelming enemy forces. The 195th Regiment of Foot was completely wiped out by combined German, French, Italian and British forces. They were promised cavalry support by the 78th Cavalry Regiment but were left on their own once they were surrounded. Some of lower ranks had tried to support them, but were immediately executed on charges of insubordination.?
?So someone wants to make a power and land grab,? Eirin frowns for the first time since the battle began. ?And the entire regiment was wiped out??
?Down to the last rabbit,? The sergeant pauses. ?Their regimental colors were also captured by the German forces. But they managed to inflict two entire division?s worth of casualties before the last Lunarian fell.?
?Are there any other loyal Regiments being ordered forward??
?The 158th and the 165th are being ordered forward, but their commanders are trying to join up with the Royal Foot Regiments. At this rate, there?s a chance we might have another civil war on our hands, Colonel.?
?Detach a platoon and send them to back up those commanders, if they run into any of those turncoat officers, make sure they know who sent them. Send a squad to locate the captured colors.? Eirin slams her rod into a sergeant?s helmet, breaking it in half. ?And how did the portal get so far from the main line??
?It was without the princesses? orders, Colonel. For now, loyal reinforcements are cut off.?
?Hmm. If Yukari can knock some sense into Tenshi, we can still win. Any progress on that front??
?None that we can tell, Colonel. The boulders have slowed down, but are still hitting random places. The princesses want to move but they can?t risk letting the rest of the regiments get wiped out. Lady Yukari is still trying to figure how to salvage this.?
?When I get out of here, I?m giving that Celestial a talk.? Eirin broke a Captain neck by swing the rod like a baseball bat. She was liking the massive destruction she could inflict with the rod. ?The rest, start moving to my location.? She planted her saber in a pair of humans and shot a quick yellow flare. With one Lunarian Regiment already wiped out today, Eirin swore that she wouldn?t let them die in vain. She had enough of that during the civil wars.
-
Lunarian defensive line, Japan
The Lunarian artillery members had dug pits to roll their cannons forward and to be ready to provide covering fire when they received the order. Spotters were scanning the field ahead of them, but couldn?t find a clear shot since they couldn?t tell where Tenshi was. They saw the yellow flares flying into the air, but they still couldn?t fire. Airburst and incendiary rounds were also out of the question.
Yukari was still looking at the map with both Lunarian princesses. Even with all the charms that were being used to keep accountability, Tenshi?s had cut out when she had sprouted her wings. Since then, they were forced to stop the artillery fire. The gap youkai had watched as the 195th Regiment of Foot had been surrounded by German forces. They had responded to this by forming up in a regimental square but had been wiped out. At the present moment, the most important thing for the princesses was to get the regimental colors back. Anything else was pushed to the side. Since Lunarian technology required a certain amount of magical ability to use, the majority of the staff weren?t concerned with the humans analyzing their weapons or uniforms.
A crow was flying above the trenches, looking around for a white mob cap with a red ribbon on it. Spotting one, it circles around and lands on Yukari?s shoulder. The crow tilts and bobs its head, almost as if it?s talking. Yukari nods, gives it a pat on the head and watches it fly off. Taking her katana out of a gap, she points at a point on the map. It was a good amount into the enemy formation, but not as deep as Eirin?s attack had reached. At the present moment, the Royal Colonel was looking to chase down the turncoat nobles.
?She?s here,? keeping her eyes on the map, Yukari makes a series of calculations. ?Colonel Yagokoro has already taken out most of the command staff and is regrouping with her troops. But, she?ll need support from us soon. I?ll going to see what I can do about Tenshi. I?ll need a squad from one of your Royal Foot regiments to back me up when I?m over there.?
?Reisen,? Toyohime called. ?Get a squad from the 4th Royal ready. Have them expect insertion behind the line. They should only run into infantry and non-mechanized units. ?
The moon rabbit nods and starts issuing orders to one of her battalion commanders. A few minutes later, a small squad of about twelve moon rabbits were ready. Opening a gap, Yukari steps through first. She steps out and finds herself next to a destroyed wall. The bodies of four American soldiers were laying around, they had evidence of extreme blunt force trauma. A body was flying through the air and crashed against a wall in front of her.
Right behind her, the squad of Lunarians had formed up and were clearing the area. A loud crash shakes the area, followed by screams. Walking towards the source, Yukari doesn?t flinch as bullets fly all around her. The Lunarians had switched to light infantry and were advancing ahead of her. Boulders were flying around the area and were destroying the earthen structures. Covering each other and taking advantage of blind spots and covering fire, they forced the humans into close combat.
A boulder landed about twenty feet from her, peppering the gap youkai with fragments. Dust was kicked up, blocking the view around the area. Seconds later, the dust began to clear up, but it was too late for the closest human forces. The Lunarians had trained in extremely low visibility conditions, so the humans had no chance with the dust flying around.
The red aura that covered the area was not lost on Yukari. Neither were the feathers that had scattered around the area. Pulling her katana out of its sheath, she keeps scanning the area. A British Royal Marine had climbed to the top of a building but got shot before he could fire at her. His body fell off, alerting his comrades to the Lunarians. His comrades were torn between facing the Lunarians or facing the rampaging Tenshi. Neither party was willing to give them the chance to decide.
One of the Lunarians jumps on top of the structures and fires point blank into a squad. Return fire is repelled by her uniform, creating a panic among the humans. Another Lunarian had joined in and was mowing humans down left and right with her bayonet. Whenever she had to reload, she kicked humans off the structure until the clip was loaded.
A medium sized rock was thrown at high speed and crashed through the wall next to Yukari. With perfect form, she makes three cuts that use her magic to extend her range. They effortlessly cut through the wall and through the humans hiding behind them. When the dust settles, Yukari could see Tenshi in a critical state. The Celestial?s eyes are filled with frenzy, giving Yukari a warning about what was going to happen next.
Tenshi kicks off and launches herself forward. Yukari steps forward while pulling out her fan. She locks Tenshi?s sword with both and slams her shoulder into her. Even though she hadn?t used her full power, she could tell that the Celestial had taken a good hit. Deep down, Yukari felt a pang of guilt. She knew that the normal Tenshi would never do anything like this.
Stumbling back, Tenshi releases her sword and throws a punch into Yukari?s gut. Right before she impacts, she feels something slow her punch down. The punch connects with much less force than Tenshi wanted to. In response, Yukari brings her katana up and slams the pommel into Tenshi?s stomach. Not giving her a chance to recover, Yukari kicks her feet out from under her. To add more power to the strike, she grabs Tenshi?s shirt and adds more force.
Falling back onto the ground hard, Tenshi feels the air being knocked out of her. She tries to roll to the side but is stopped by Yukari planting her blade in her path. She tries to grab a rock that was close by, only to get a backhanded slap from the gap youkai. Yukari then grabs the front of her shirt and pulls her partway up. Their faces are less than five inches from each other.
?What do you think you?re doing?? Yukari?s voice was low and controlled, with a very faint trace of anger. ?Because of you, the Lunarians had to call off their artillery and an entire regiment was wiped out.?
Tenshi began to slowly recover from her frenzy when she heard that. Yukari slapped her again to speed up her awakening. Her wings were slowly starting to dissipate, leaving fainter and fainter feathers on the ground. The scarlet aura surrounding the area began to fade at the same time.
?Yes,? Yukari repeated herself. ?An entire Lunarian Regiment of Foot. About 5,000 Lunarians were wiped out. All of them were young, they had just graduated from initial training. They all had friends and families that won?t see them again. The only thing left is their regimental colors, which got captured by German forces.?
Tears began to form once more in Tenshi?s eyes. ?But, Iku was??
?I know. Her blood is on my hands.? Yukari had to pause to keep from having her fa?ade broken. ?But I have the rest of them to worry about. This war won?t end today or tomorrow. More of us will fall before this is over. Even I?m not immune. But no matter how many of us fall, we can?t turn into monsters. Even if the blood of my best friend is shed in front of me, I have to remember what we?re fighting for. I can?t throw that away just to get revenge. I already lost two of my best friends when they were right in front of me before this war had even started. Don?t you think I know what you felt? I think about them every single day. I ask myself: would they approve of what I?m doing, or would they tell me to stop? They?ve been gone longer than you?ve been alive. Every time I wake up, I?m hoping that it was all a dream and I would see them in front of me. But that never happens. It?s because of them that I?m the person I am today. Even with my powers, I can?t bring them back from the other side. I can control any boundary imaginable, except for the one that I want to the most. The boundary of life and death is out of my control. It doesn?t matter if they?re dying in my arms, I still can?t do anything about it. The worst part is that I?m responsible for their deaths. I?m responsible for every single death that has occurred in this war. I should be called the Scarlet Devil instead of that vampire, Remilia Scarlet. I have cause so much blood to flow, both guilty and innocent. Who?s the better person, a vampire that spills blood to survive, or a youkai that spills blood to gain an advantage over everyone, friend or foe? Some of the humans that have died could have been happier in other situations. They could have been stuck at their home bases, wondering who was going to win the game that weekend or where they were going to take their family out to eat. Every death here affects more than the one that lost their life. Each of them have families that will never see them again. What can you tell the child that only saw their father once before they were killed? How can you explain that to them when they wake up in the middle of the night calling for them? What about those on our side? What can you tell the fairies that have been wounded but have to suffer because their wounds don?t kill them fast enough? What can you do to comfort the young youkai that saw their friend, or their family member get ventilated in front of them? What do you tell the children in the Human village that had to leave their homes because of this war? What about the human villagers that die to protect their homes from other humans? Each person killed, be it ally or enemy, is someone?s Iku. But you don?t see them going on rampages. You don?t see them causing the deaths of their comrades. You see them fight the way they were taught. You see them follow orders, even if they want nothing more than revenge. Even though there are more parties responsible for the 195th Regiment of Foot being wiped out, we both share part of that blame. If you aura hadn?t disable the tracking spell, we could have supported them with artillery and they would?ve probably survived. But the risk of friendly fire was too much, you are too valuable a resource to throw away. Don?t throw your life away like that, there are a lot more people out there that care about you. Remiu wants all of us to survive this war. I had to stop her turning herself into the American forces as a prisoner to prevent the first battle. She loves this land and the people that live on it so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself for it. I?m not going to let her or you do that. No one else will throw their life away while I?m still alive, I swear that to you and everyone that?s putting their lives in danger. Once this crisis is over, I?m willing to let myself be judged by any higher authority. Who knows, they might judge me to be too much for hell to handle. If that?s the case, I?ll wonder the earth as my punishment. I brought you into this conflict. But when I did so, I promised that I would not let you fall before me. I made that promise to everyone that picked up a weapon to defend Gensokyo. Every time someone falls, that?s one more promise that I couldn?t keep. Don?t you know how much that weighs on the soul??
The tears in Tenshi?s eyes started to run down her face. Yukari lets go of her shirt and stands back up. She opens up a gap and pulls out a Lunarian medical bag. Kneeling, the youkai begins to tend to Tenshi?s wounds. The numerous cuts, bullet wounds and bruises were taking their toll on the Celestial. Tenshi?s breathing was also beginning to become shallow and irregular. Without the Lunarian medicine, Tenshi was in a real danger of suffering irreparable damage.
?You?ve taken a lot of damage,? Yukari looked over her. ?You?re done with fighting for this battle. Don?t try to argue. Without you, the Celestial artillery is being torn between those that support your family and those that don?t. They used your disappearance to try to gain control. I need you to go and get them back in line.?
Tenshi nodded and let Yukari help her up. The gap youkai whistles and opens a portal. Stepping through, the pair find themselves back behind the Lunarian defensive line. A minute later, the portal closes after the last member of Yukari?s squad exits. While they were gone, most of Eirin?s Special Development Group had joined up with the main line. The 158th and 165th were marching in column formation to join them, being covered by a platoon on Eirin?s orders.
Handing the Celestial off to Lunarian medical personnel, Yukari joins the princesses and their staff around the map. The staff were assigning priorities to targets while the princesses were debating whether to advance. Once she saw Yukari, Toyohime nodded at her artillery officer. Seconds later, every Lunarian artillery cannon began to fire nonstop.
Airburst rounds were exploding over the forest that the human force was using to cover their regroup. A yellow box appears around a point on the map, a request for precise fire from the squad that was hunting down the regimental colors. The 3rd Ground Artillery received the request and began to rain precise fire down on that location. The calculations were exact down to the quarter inch.
?So, any ideas about how to go on from here?? Yukari looked at the map.
?The humans have gathered their tanks and are moving to flank the main line. If we turn to face them, then we?ll give their infantry a clear shot at our flanks.? Toyohime said. ?Our artillery can hold them off for a while, but they have too many to hold against. A combined attack is something we?ll have problems repelling.?
?Then we should counter them with some of our own,? Yukari replied. ?We have the Maus, a few other antiques, and some of the ones that we captured. And we have Hauptmann Izayoi. After all, German officers were crossed trained in almost every branch during World War II. I?m sure that it?s safe to bet that she has knowledge of armored skills.?
?Will they be enough?? Yorihime asked.
?Well, the Maus can handle a few squadrons. We captured a few M1 Abrams and did a few modifications on them. I?m sure I saw Porsche Tigers, some Panzer IVs and VIs, a few Stugs, some Shermans, a Firefly, and a few T-34s up and running. As long as the tengus can keep the air clear, they should be good. If we had found some Flak 88s, we would?ve been better off.?
?Then we should launch an attack here, have a few foot regiments circle around there, and then lure them to a kill zone here.? Toyohime paused. ?With the battle not going go for either side, desperate moves are more likely to be made. We have to be prepared for them to go all out, even if they break their own laws of war. We should consider doing the same.?
?Isn?t that you?re doing right now?? Yukari asked.
?We?re still following Lunarian customs,? Toyohime scoffed. ?But we can be a lot more vicious if we need to be. As soon as we know that we?re being disrespected on the battlefield, we?ll take care of it.?
?If you say so,? Yukari looked over. ?Hauptmann Izayoi, could you join us again.?
?I feel like I?m back in the Wehrmacht,? Sakuya walked over. ?Every time I turn around, I get an odd job.?
?Well, we need you to lead an armored attack,? Yukari pointed at the map. ?Since you?re one of the few with actual armored experience, you?ll be the one leading this.?
?What do I have to work with??
?One Panzer VII Maus, two Porsche Tigers, seven Panzer IVs Ausf. Hs, five Tiger Ausf. Bs, four StuGs III Ausf. Gs, ten M4A3 Shermans, two Fireflies, eight T-34-85s, and ten M1A3 Abrams,? Yukari read off of a scroll. ?All of them have been modified for increased speed, armor and power. They should be able to keep up with the human forces as long as the tengus keep the sky clear.?
?So, what do I have to do??
?Engage their armor and give our regiments the chance to flank the human formation. We have air superiority, and we have our artillery back. If you get the chance, mark high priority targets for indirect fire. You?ll have the choice of command tank, but I doubt that Nazrin will give up her Maus.?
?I?ll take one of the Porsche Tigers. And from what I saw from earlier, she?s got a good grip on armored doctrine.?
?Good. Here?s a scroll with our tentative plan. You should go ahead and get familiar with your tank and get your formations set up.?
With a nod, Sakuya grabbed the scroll and fly towards the tanks. She landed on the turret and poked her head inside before she entered. A few seconds later, the Tiger (P) begins to move forward, all the other tanks follow suit. Inside, Sakuya had gotten the radio fairy to disperse the tentative plan and was conferring with Nazrin. At first, the mouse youkai was hesitant, but become more comfortable.
Once the tanks had picked up speed, they fanned out to create a panzerkeil. The twin Porsche Tigers took the point of the front two wedges, with the Panzer IVs and VIs creating the wings. Directly behind the first wave, the ten Abrams had created one wedge. The third wedge was created by the T-34s with a fourth wedge was made of the Shermans. Breaking off from both sides of the wedges were the StuGs and the Fireflies.
The Maus was in the rear wedge, the Shermans would cover it better there. Sakuya was standing so that she was exposed, giving her a better view of the area. She had her scroll and was checking the map for terrain. ?All gunners and drivers, remember to be stationary during fire as much as possible. Do not stay in the same place after firing, even if you miss or do no damage. Do not present right angles to targets, try to angle yourselves so that the return fire has a chance to deflect. For now, aim at the treads so they?re immobilized. The waves after us can take care of them. If you feel lucky, you can try to damage their turrets so they can?t aim back.?
A massive volley of rockets flew into the air and headed towards the human?s main force. Yukari?s Katyusha launchers had fired another round and were moving to a new location. The resulting confusion would give the tanks the chance to close the distance. The noise that the rockets made while flying through the air caused Sakuya to grip the tank tightly. She hadn?t heard that noise since the last time that she was at the Eastern Front.
Sakuya had to spend a few seconds steadying herself, forcing herself to remember that she wasn?t fighting in that snowy tundra. A round hit the ground in front of her tank, letting her know that they were spotted. More human tanks were moving to block their path. She pulls her upper half back into the tank and closes the lid.
?First wave, prepare to break off in your respective wedges,? Sakuya ordered. ?Do not stop for too long, shoot on the move if possible. My wedge, keep up with me. Everyone else, Nazrin will give you orders. Driver, bring us around about to 45 degrees. Gunner, aim for the treads. Loader, ready HEAT rounds.?
As her crew carried out her orders, Sakuya could see that the human forces were aiming straight at her. A lucky shot bounced off the front armor, shaking the tank. The gunner waits until the shaking stops and fires. The HEAT round impacts the tread and blows off a few wheels. The Abrams tilts to the side slightly, throwing off the next shot.
The Panzer IVs and VIs open fire on the rest of the tanks, knocking out threads and turret motors. They pass the disabled tanks, letting the captured Abrams tanks finish them off. The other Tiger (P)?s wedge had engaged reinforcing units and were matching them in terms of firepower. More and more human tanks were being disabled and left at the mercy of arriving units.
Listening in to Nazrin?s orders, Sakuya chuckled when she heard a fairy going about something called the ?StuG life?. The StuGs in question were taking on flanking Leopard 2s and Challengers head on. Even with the disadvantage of not having a rotating turret, they were still gaining ground. They worked in pairs, covering their blind spots.
The Sherman Fireflies were also delivering long ranged fire to keep opponents from hitting the weaker side and rear armor. Able to hit from a distance of 3000 meters, they were able to snipe and move while their targets were reeling from the shot and the closer enemies. Any human tank that managed to survive the first few waves was devastated by the slow moving Maus. Scattered artillery fire landed all around, but didn?t have the precision to dent the assault.
?Waves two and three,? Nazrin touched the microphone to her throat. ?Form one big wedge, but try to keep your current speed and heading. Shermans, keep close by. StuGs and Fireflies, if it gets to be too much, bring them towards us.?
Above them, tengu piloted SU-47s and F-18s were dancing in the sky, keeping heavy fighters and bombers from targeting the tanks. Without boulders flying through the sky randomly, the human air forces had tried to return, only to run into a screening wall of tengus. Some of the tengus had begun to show signs of fatigue and had to bail out of their burning aircraft. The human pilots made the mistake of not making sure that they were completely down, letting the dismounted tengus spray spell bullets everywhere.
?Bring us around to the side of that hill,? Sakuya ordered. ?Gunner, aim for the rearmost Abrams. Once we fire, head for that treeline over to the left.?
The Tiger (P) stopped on the hill and fired when it had stopped bouncing. The round hits the rearmost tank?s turret, immobilizing it. But instead of moving right after, the tank stayed still. Sakuya looks down at the fairy in the driver?s seat and sees her struggling with the controls.
?The engine?s stalled out again and isn?t responding. We won?t be able to move for a while.?
?Fix it as soon as you can,? Sakuya replied. ?All other tanks, break off into two groups and screen the remaining enemy. Our armor can hold, but don?t let that slow you down. Gunner, aim for quick kills.?
A return shot hit the side of the tank but was deflected due to the armor?s slope. The turret aims at the attacker and the gunner lands a penetrating shot between the turret and the main body. That Abrams goes silent, but the others have noticed that the Porsche hasn?t moved. They move to flank it, but are stopped by the rest of the wedge. Sensing that the Porsche was the commanding vehicle, most of them turn to aim at it.
More and more rounds are fired at Sakuya?s tank. The maid pulls the driver back in to keep her from getting hit and buttons up the hatches. The loader struggles to keep loading rounds as fast the gunner can fire them. A track is knocked off while the radiator is severely damaged. Seeing the Tiger (P) starting to be damaged, the Panzer IVs and VIs try to draw fire but are ignored.
Four human Abrams tanks are knocked out while six others were suffering high levels of damage. Eight other tanks were firing and maneuvering at almost full power. One was trying to circle about and was hit by a shell in the engine. The engine was set on fire, but the fire prevention equipment kicked in. Even though the fire was out, the engine was still disabled. A second shell ripped out the turret and exposed the interior.
The Tiger (P) listed to the side as the rest of the wheels on its right were blown out. The gunner hits an Abrams right where the cannon and turret meet, blowing the barrel off and leaving a large impact against it. The rest begin to group their fire together, hoping to throw off the Tiger (P)?s aim. Sakuya can see the rest of her wedge actually ramming the enemy tanks, trying to buy her some time. The other thread was shot off, so even if they repaired the engine, they wouldn?t be able to move.
More and more rounds hit the Tiger (P), almost giving the crew whiplash. The maid was grateful that her service cap was modified to protect against blunt force trauma, otherwise she would?ve split her skull open. The fairy maids were small enough to avoid most of the walls, but where hit harder when they were unlucky. The humans had come to the conclusion that this was the fight of their lives and were responding accordingly.
?This is really harsh,? the radio fairy noted.
?There?s even more of them coming towards us,? Sakuya said with a half-smile on her face. ?Reminds me of Stalingrad for some reason. At least we had a good last stand. We knocked out?about eight and gave what looks like fourteen of them a good beating. We are in a German machine after all.?
The ground began to rumble, causing her to think a rocket volley was hitting close by. The crew of a nearby Abrams had been knocked out and the tank was rolling forward. It crashes into another one nearby, and then was hit by a powerful hit. But the rumbling wasn?t from them. Looking through the rear hatch, Sakuya sees the Maus heading towards her. It fires a shell that had so much power that it lifted the Tiger (P) a bit and spun the receiving Abrams around. Nazrin had her driver bring the Maus in front of Sakuya?s tank and was deflecting incoming rounds.
It fired again, taking down two tanks with a penetrating shot. The powerful 128 mm modified round had created a large cloud that blocked visibility, giving Sakuya more breathing space. Right behind them, a team of kappas were flying in to begin repairs to the damaged tank. One of them lands on top of the turret and pokes her head over the viewport.
?All of you still alive in there??
?We?re fine,? Sakuya looked up. She could see a little bit of sunlight coming through cracks in the roof. ?But we wouldn?t been for much longer. How?s it look out there??
?From what I can see, both threads are shot off, the front armor is about to break off in multiple pieces, the turret has a large crack running down the side, the engine?s suffered bad damage, and the machine gun was knocked out. We can try to get her back and running, but the best we can hope for is a limp if we?re under fire. I really don?t think she can fight with the front like this. Heavy tanks aren?t exactly tengus in maneuverability.?
?Do what you can, I have the feeling we?re going to have more company soon.? As soon as Sakuya said that, a round hits nearby, raining dirt down on them. A lone M1 Abrams was dodging the Maus? shots, aiming to finish off the damaged Tiger (P). The kappas roll off and take cover behind the tank, working on what they could reach. The loader slams a round into the cannon while the gunner rotates the turret.
The enemy tank tries to go around the pair, only to ram right into a StuG III. Sakuya was torn between disbelief and amusement over the scene. She could imagine something like that from the fairies operating the tank killer, but not from a group that called themselves the best trained on the planet and had pushed back her old service. The fairy commander of the assault gun poked her upper half out of the vehicle and started to shake her fist at the humans. Before the humans could fix themselves or exchange insurance information, the StuG had rammed them again and fired into their side armor.
The Maus fires again, knocking out a Leopard that was trying for a long range shot. Movement caught Sakuya?s attention, a tank crew had survived getting hit and was trying to ready an AT-4. The gunner had seen them and was aiming for them. She fired and the crew disappeared in the ensuring explosion. For some reason, Sakuya felt that there might be a rule on overkill but couldn?t remember it off the top of her head.
A slight shaking lets the crew know that the engine was fully repaired. The kappas then begin to gather the wheels that were blown off to see if they were still serviceable. Sakuya climbs out of the tank and grabs a large crowbar that was hanging from the back. She slides it so that it grabs a pin on the thrown track and pushes the crowbar down with all of her might. The pin finally comes out and the track falls. She repeats it with the other side and helps the kappas with replacing the damaged wheels and parts. About twenty minutes later, they finally replace the last one.
Once the wheels were in good order, Sakuya helps the kappas position the threads while the driver reverses and goes forward as needed. Satisfied with the position of the thread and tank, the kappas grab one thread and manage to hold it while Sakuya hammers the pin in. They repeat it for the other side and check to make sure that everything was installed right. With the tracks repaired, the Tiger (P) was able to place the less damaged side armor towards the incoming enemy. This allowed the kappas to be somewhat protected when they were repairing the machine gun by replacing the damaged barrel and parts.
During the repairs, the gunner and loader were engaging any human tanks that tried to sneak by them. Nazrin had advanced to help cover the rear of the wedges, but made sure to keep an eye on the Tiger (P). Sakuya?s wedge had fanned out and were luring the remaining forces away. Wiping sweat off of her forehead, she looks at the map she pulled out of her pocket. With the human armored thrust being countered, the infantry were allowed to fight on their terms.
-
Lunarian Defensive Line, Japan
?All regimental commanders, prepare to move!? Toyohime called out. ?We?re still following line of battle tactics!?
With her command, the Lunarians in the trench climbed out and began to create a two rank formation. The royal staff also mounted their horses and began to gather in a diamond formation. Yukari gapped herself on top of a Katyusha?s cab and was consulting a map. The mobile rocket launchers began to move towards the treeline while the oni operated anti-tank guns were being moved forward. The White Wolf Tengus had advanced far enough to target some of the support staff and were giving some of the military police panic attacks.
Lunarian cavalry had disappeared into the forest and were making their way towards a hilly area. They were planning on using them to hide their approach until it was too late. The Lunarian artillery were still pouring fire down and would alternate moving to keep that pressure on the enemy. Eirin?s personal troops had disappeared once the 158th and 165th had joined up with the main force. The story of the revolting nobles had spread, so many knew exactly where their Royal Colonel had gone off to. Those same Lunarians also felt a sense of pity for the noble, Colonel Yagokoro?s reputation was well known among the ranks.
?Princess Toyohime,? one of her staff members called out. ?We?ve received a message from Colonel Yagokoro. She?s identified a critical weakness in our forces. She says that our current dress uniforms can be penetrated by 7.62x51mm NATO and larger rounds. The breaking point would be around 2900 joules. The riot shields can hold up to them, but a direct hit has an 80 percent chance of penetration if they?re close enough.?
?What?s the distribution of those weapon systems??
?Estimates range from 20 to 30 percent for the 7.62x51 weapons system left in infantry hands. A round or two won?t affect us enough to hamper us greatly, but concentrated fire would be a problem. It also seems that this knowledge is spreading, so the surviving forces will begin to use it against us. Colonel Yagokoro has recommended that we try to engage them in rapid close combat to deny them that chance. Destroying those weapon systems would be in our best interests. Larger units, such as mechanized infantry, cavalry, armor, and artillery can still rip through our dress uniforms with anything they have.?
?Ensure that our front ranks have their riot shields at the ready. We?ll need to make sure that we can close the distance as soon as we can. Have our artillery send out attack waves in front of us. Hauptmann Izayoi?s armored thrust has bought us some time from their tanks, we should take advantage of this.?
With that order, the Lunarian artillery readjusted their fire. About 300 meters in front of them, artillery began to land and go out in waves. The rounds sent up clouds of dust that blocked visibility and gave them more breathing room. Keeping a solid line, the Lunarians were moving forward with their shields up to block enemy fire. Return fire began to intensify as advanced units saw them. Bradley scouts were trying to find a weak point but ended up getting picked off by the combined infantry fire. For some of the green replacement troops, the sight of infantry taking down IFVs was enough to create the beginning of panic.
Once the main line had advanced enough, it split off into two parts. The Royal Foot Regiments continued to march forward, while the regular Foot broke off and began to flank the opposing force. Spreading out, the Royal Foot regiments were trying to distract the human forces. Every few feet, they would stop and fire a volley into the air, creating smoke to cover their advance and sow confusion. The oni operated anti-tank guns were being moved forward, but had stopped firing for the time being. The infantry fairies had taken to the sky and were trading both conventional and magical bullets against advance units. A Bradley IFV had rolled up and started to open fire, but was flipped over by the sheer force of one of Mima?s infamous Twilight Spark spells. The attack continued for a good distance and ended up taking out a distant French artillery battery.
The evil spirit had taken to the battlefield nicely. She was spinning her rod around, creating a mass barrage of stars that left craters and burns marks everywhere. Any human that was hit by a star was killed instantly without any mark on their body from the attack. Vehicles would burst into flames and would have their suspension destroyed. It was a testament to Mima?s skill that she was able to control the individual effects caused by so many of her attacks at the same time. Whenever a human would be able to get a shot in, it would be smacked away without a second glance. Mindful of the potential of friendly fire, she made an effort to advance from the main line far enough to go all out. Another Twilight Spark created a large killzone that reached to the far off mountains.
Back on the Katyusha launchers, Yukari was enjoying the ride as the trucks were moving to their first location. Some of the drivers were jerky at best, but did well considering the fact that the gap youkai had taken some of the mechanically inclined volunteers from the Human Village and gave them a five minute class on driving. A few of them had experience from before they had wandered through the barrier and helped out a lot. With a manual transmission, there would be a fair amount of engine stalls and a higher risk of transmission damage due to inexperience. The kappas were running a pool to see how many third gears they would see left all over the field. But the Katyusha launchers were cheap and easy to get, so Yukari wasn?t really concerned. If that didn?t work out, the kappas could always learn how to work on the cheap launchers. A ringing came from her pocket, alerting her to a call. Picking up, she notices that it?s Nitori. The kappa sounded a little agitated and concerned about something.
?Yukari, you might want to get back to the workshop. Something?s up.?
?How serious is it?? For the first time, Yukari felt a sense of forbidding.
?It has to do with the outside.? Nitori was about to say more when she noticed a gap open up next to her. A second later, Yukari walked out and looked at the map in front of them. It was a global map instead of the local one she was just looking at. Three areas on the map were flashing: both the Koreas, the Crimea region, and the Middle East. ?From what we?ve been able to hear over the radio is that many factions have seen the first battle as an indication of opportunity. With most of NATO focused on us, and losing to the Lunarians, it shows that they?re in a weaken state. Especially since we used what can be called outdated weapons. We seemed to have destroyed the status quo. I wouldn?t be surprised if some factions tried to use muskets and maces.?
?Hmm,? Yukari looked at the map. ?North Korea?s actually making progress into the south? I had thought they were all talk. But I doubt their advances will last when the rest of the South Korean military finally gets up to speed. What about Russia and Ukraine? What?s the word from there??
?From what we can hear, Ukrainian troops are hitting back pretty hard after getting surprised. They?ve forced some Russian units back, but they?re getting overran by the sheer numbers. Entire towns are on fire and dozens of vehicles have been destroyed. From what we can tell, their capital may fall by tomorrow if this keeps up.?
?They?re trying to expand their power before they try to fight us again. That?s why they left the field earlier. From what I know about them, they?ll be happy to take both us and NATO on after we?re worn each other out. What?s happening in the Middle East? Is it a complete mess as usual??
?Various groups have popped up and started to fight over dams and oil fields. Western personnel have been evacuated and military units have started to engage those groups in combat. It?s starting to turn into even more of a mess over there. NATO seems to be overstretching themselves over there as well, with multiple FOBs and main bases being cut off from each other. Kuwait has also been targeted by some of those opposing groups. And Israel has repulsed attacks from outside groups seeking more land. Their Iron Dome has been working nonstop for the past ten hours and their defense forces have dug in. It might turn into a repeat of the Six Day War if they decide to start taking more land.?
?It?s a pity that the area is like that. It has so much history and culture, and yet it?s where some of the worst fighting is,? Yukari sighed. ?It?s ironic that the birthplace of some of the world?s largest religions can be the site of so much war. At least I got to see a lot of the area back when it was quieter, those British explorers were such gentlemen. I miss the days when hunting was a more dangerous affair. Any fool can hunt while riding a helicopter and firing a full belt of homing rounds. It was better when it was one shot rifles at close range, where both parties had more equal chances. Anyway, are Israel?s allies coming to their aid??
?They would,? Nitori pointed outside. ?If they weren?t too busy dealing with us.?
?As long as nuclear weapons aren?t fired, I wouldn?t be too worried. The Samson Option would be a great pain to deal with at the current state of affairs. So all we have to do is at least draw in this battle and we won?t have as much to deal with. The new Soviet Union would probably start a separate war with NATO and take some more pressure off of us.?
?Could this be the start of another world war??
?I would say so. It?s sad that the beginning of World War III started with our land being attack unfairly. But we have no choice but to keep moving forward. The human command staff have been mostly wiped out, so we just have to force the rest to surrender. It may take an even longer battle to get them to see the light. Maybe a new world order with us at the helm? But there?s an even bigger problem.? Yukari leaned in closer and lowered her voice. ?What do you think is the true damage of this conflict? Is it the lives, the damage to the world, or is it something else? Could it be that the very foundation of our world is being damaged by this conflict? Could the strands of time and reality be breaking apart right in front of us??
Nitori could only stare when she finally understood the implications of Yukari?s question. The gap youkai straighten back up and shook her head. ?Forget what I asked. It?s a loaded question.? The look in her eyes held a mixture of deep sadness and a determination that would make steel seem weak. Nitori had never seen anything like it before and began to fidget a little under that gaze. The gap youkai soften her gaze and pulled out her fan. Hiding her face behind it, she takes a second to gather herself before looking at the map again. Yukari began to run another set of numbers and scenarios in her head, adjusting what she knew to get the endgame she wanted.
Turning around, she opened a gap and stepped through it. She appeared near the top of a tree that had a good view of the battle. Yukari was reminded of the North Africa campaign during World War II for some reason. If she wanted to make sure that the humans would think twice about launching another attack, she had to make sure that they inflicted enough causalities. At the rate she was seeing, it take a battle that lasted at least three full days to fully drive home that point. The Lunarians were fielding more regiments but wouldn?t be completely ready for a few more days. The logistical burden would be great on the GDF, since Rinnosuke had only just begun to receive shipments of weapons, ammunition and spare parts. The Tiger (P) had been damaged to the point where it was just one shot from being knocked out, but Sakuya had managed to find a work around for that.
A three day battle would entail so much, which Yukari was starting to worry about. Most of the youkai wouldn?t really mind, but their human comrades might have problems with it. Night warfare wasn?t the most enjoyable thing to do, especially if one had a certain shrine maiden?s level of night vision. And the longer the battle went, the more reinforcements that would probably be brought in. If they weren?t able to keep up mobile warfare, then a repeat of World War I era trench warfare would rear its ugly head. The Lunarians would be able to switch out regiments once they were ready, but the GDF had thrown almost everything they had in from the start. Yukari was extremely worried about the strain that a prolonged battle would put on Remiu and Marisa. Both of them were like daughters to her. Many of the youkai that knew that had felt that the gap youkai?s judgment might be conflicted with those too involved, but held their tongues due to fear of insulting her. The elegant youkai was protective of the pair after all.
Yukari pulled out a small book from a pocket in her dress. She opens it up and frowns as she reads some of the pages she had marked. The book she held could be considered one of the most important books in all of history. It had the power to create and topple empires, to advance or sabotage the march of science, to improve or destroy the state of the planet. The irony is that it was still a normal book in terms of material and creation. What made it so special was that it contained all of the notes that Yukari had taken in the past and the future, especially when she was someone else. These notes weren?t just overviews of everything she had taken part in, it laid out almost every possible outcome. Contrary to what some might think, Yukari wasn?t using it for her own benefit. She was using it to make sure that the two people that she cared about wouldn?t suffer because of her weakness. But, now the book was revealed to be lacking.
?Why are things changing so much,? her voice was barely audible, but had a hint of confusion. ?This battle shouldn?t have happened this early. Iku should have still been alive until New York. Is the time stream changing? This throws my main plan out the window. But it doesn?t matter. I?ll make sure that those two won?t have to suffer like they did. Even?if I have to reduce reality to ashes to do it.?
East of the Lunarian main line, Japan
A regiment of cavalry could be seen just standing around, far from the main force. The sounds of laugher could be heard from some of the older looking riders, while some of the younger ones had anger and guilt on their faces. The bodies of some of the younger nobles that had tried to support the doomed regiment were some distance away, but still visible to all as a warning. None of the older ones had believed the stories of Eirin getting her Royal commission back, so they felt that they could do as they pleased. If they paid more heed to the stories, they would have begun to worry when several of the bushes around them began to move a little. The younger nobles knew that the Special Development Group were hidden in them, but kept their mouths shut and put some space between them and the leaders.
One of the older nobles was laughing and waving his sidearm around carelessly. He shot a few rounds into the air, not caring where the bullets would land. None of the nobles even noticed that their subordinates had moved away from them. The smell of alcohol was also starting to fill the area, a clear disregard of Lunarian Defense Corps regulations. One noble was laughing while he was turning to look at an approaching figure when a rock hits him directly in the face. He?s knocked off of the horse and lands on his back, breaking the jovial mood. Everyone in the area looks to see where it came from and freezes in fear once they recognize the figure. Royal Colonel Eirin Yagokoro was walking slowly towards them with a look of anger on her face and her saber in hand. Some of the nobles lost control of their bowels at the sight.
Some of the more drunk nobles try to charge her, only to be pulled off of their steeds and kicked to the ground. The ones that were still on horseback began to circle around her, but Eirin knocks all of them down. With all of them dismounted, they decide to attack her at the same time to overwhelm her. The rest of the nobles that didn?t want to go along with the rest were just watching them, Eirin knew that they were forced to follow orders. Grabbing the smallest drunk by the neck, she throws him into his comrades and sidesteps the charge. One noble tries to grapple her, only to get Eirin?s knee slammed into his abdomen with enough force to hear cracking from his ribs.
?Under Lunarian regulations on the conduct of war and loyalty to the crown,? Eirin said. ?I, in my official designation as a Royal Lunarian Officer in the service of the Royal family, find this group guilty of rebellion against the crown. Your sentence for this crime is death at my hands. Are there any last words or requests that any of you would like to make? I?ll try to make it quick and easy.?
Hearing this, the nobles began to pull out everything they had. Cavalry sabers, sidearms, knives, and even a bottle of alcohol were drawn and raised towards Eirin. But none of this fazed her, she had seen worse and stranger weapons used against her. Once a duck, a bench, a rubber chicken and a textbook were used against her in a fight to the death, she wasn?t prone to being surprised by strange and random weaponry. The duck did make a new stew after the fight though. And the rubber chicken was sitting someone around her office. She had used it annoy some of the nobles that rubbed her wrong, much to the amusement of the lower ranks. It reminded her how much she missed being respected for her abilities and not just for her office or who she knew.
The fallen noble gets another kick that breaks his neck and leaves him motionless. There were nine more of them, trying to surround her. One more goes down with a crushed windpipe caused by the pommel of Eirin?s saber. Another is taken down by a cut to his neck that severed his jugular vein. The sight of their relative?s blood made some of the survivors freeze. They had known each other since they were children since they had all gone to the same schools and units due to being members of the same noble families. It was like the old British regimental system, except it had a lot more intrigue and savagery than any of those humans could imagine. The practice of hiring assassins to kill officers of opposing families was still alive and well in the Lunar Capital.
In the seconds that they hesitated, three of them joined the increasing number of dead. Two of them were dropped by Eirin?s saber while the third was punched so hard in the face that his neck snapped. With four of them left, they were starting to think that a straight charge wasn?t really the best way to fight Eirin. They started to remember the stories that they heard about other rebellious nobles being hunted down and killed by Royal Officers. But as the Royal Officers began to age and entered retirement, the nobles had thought they were able to do what they want.
One of the nobles clutches at his chest and falls, but Eirin can tell that his heart attack was fake. That might have worked on another Royal Officer, but not on the former chief medical officer of the LDC. She kicks him in the head just like a punter going for a record, instantly killing the faker. Then she stabs a charging noble in the stomach and throws him into one of his remaining comrades. The last one staggers back when Eirin head-butts him and falls backwards. With a slash across the sole standing noble, Eirin turns to look at the last one left alive.
He tries to scramble back and find a weapon. The doctor slowly walks towards him, watching his pitiful attempts to extend his life. He finally grabs a dropped saber and gets back on his feet. His stab towards her heart is effortlessly parried, and she knocks the saber out of his hand. She head-butts him, ignoring the pain caused by performing too many of them. His hat flies off of his head, revealing a large bald spot that almost blinded Eirin with its sheen.
Eirin?s hand shoots out and grabs the noble by the throat. Then she angles her saber so that it?s resting on the large pulsating vein in his neck. ?Are you done? Will you accept your sentence? Or am I going to have to kill you like an animal??
?You?re supposed to be dead,? the defeated noble could barely speak due to fear. ?Why did you come back now?
?Does it matter? I regained my commission and I?m hunting down traitors like you. I never understood why you nobles insist on trying to remove the crown. Do you think that it?s easy to rule? I had the chance to rule everything, but I didn?t want to. What makes a fool like you think that you can do better? Never mind.? Without giving him a chance to respond, she cuts his throat and drops his body. She?s careful to avoid the blood flying from his mortal wound and steps over him.
The rest of the regiment hadn?t moved since Eirin had knocked the first noble off of his horse. She spots a rider less horse and hops on it. Holding her saber up, she doesn?t react when the steed rears up. Once the horse puts its front legs back on the ground. Eirin points her saber towards the far off battle. The deadly dance of aircraft could be seen in the sky and the occasional flare overpowering the sun cast different colors. The dismounted tengus were attacking ground targets and sowing panic.
?78th Cavalry Regiment, you are now under my direct command. Do any of you object?? Not a single soul in the regiment said anything. ?Good. The human?s combined force has lost their overall commander and are breaking off into their respective groups. Based on information from our allies, this battle is predicted to last at least three days. I?ve spoken with both princesses and we are arranging for more regiments to be ready to switch out at sundown. All we have to do is strike at the human?s weaken flanks until they?re either dead or routing. Any questions??
There was no response, so Eirin nodded and took off. The 78th formed a diamond with her as the tip and drew their weapons. Elements of the American 3rd Infantry Division were ahead, trying to find a way to flank the main line. The Bradley IFVs were moving as fast as they could, trading shots with a small group of fairies. One of the leading vehicles sees the approaching formation and opens fire on them. A stray artillery round hits the ground a little in front of them.
Eirin sticks her left arm out, signaling the regiment to break formation. Using the newly formed crater as a reference point, the regiment separated into two main groups. Once they had broken into those two groups, they didn?t get into another formation and began to spread out. Then they broke off and scattered in every direction. The IFVs opened fire, taking down a few of the horses.
?Hit them from every angle,? Eirin says. She stands up on the saddle and jumps on top of a speeding Bradley. She stabs through the TOW launchers on the side and cuts the barrel of the 25mm chain gun. Two quick cuts open the top hatch and give her an entrance. Instead of wasting time killing them individually, she drops an incendiary grenade and jumps off. The only indication of it going off were the flames that started coming out of the hatch. Her horse circles around the battle, dodging the frenzy.
Other vehicles were trying to turn and run over the riders, but kept missing due to the confusion. Some of them ended up colliding with each other. Following Eirin?s lead, the cavalry were cutting up the TOW launchers and chain gun barrels, leveling the field. Once their weapons were disabled, they became easier targets for the jumping cavalry. More and more of the IFVs were disabled by sabers and incendiary grenades.
The next targets on the vehicles were the treads. Some of the sabers were knocked away by them, but some managed to find a weak point and cut them. The ones that were damaged quickly lost momentum and could only turn around in a circle until the other track was cut. Some of the rear doors begin to open a little, the infantry inside were poking their rifles out and trying to get some shots out. The Lunarians responded by tossing in incendiary grenades through the gaps.
As they went off, smoke began to obscure the area. Jumping off a burning Bradley onto her borrowed horse, Eirin counted two surviving IFVs trying to retreat. Quickly cutting one of their treads, she barely dodged its last push forward. Other riders were finishing the rest of the treads and some were cutting their way into the passenger compartments. Seeing no more working Bradleys, Eirin pulls out an updating map and wipes some sweat off of her forehead.
Her map showed that the armored skirmish was moving away from the infantry, giving the Lunarians the advantage. But what Yukari had said still bothered her somewhat. She knew that the Lunarians had experience in this kind of prolonged combat. Most of Gensokyo had never been forced to withstand days of artillery barrages and close combat. She knew that a lot of the older and wiser parties knew this and were weighed down by it. Yukari held the wellbeing of the land as her upmost priority, but some of her decisions didn?t sit well with Eirin?s experience. It was almost as if she was trying to play a different game then everyone else.
A small blue square was moving fast, trading shots with multiple red squares. The information above the blue square indicated that it was Sakuya?s Tiger (P) finally got its engine problems sorted out. The kappas had added a series of modifications that would make any tank enthusiast either drool with envy or faint from shock. Now the Tiger (P) could reach speeds of 65 km/hr and still had the armor and firepower of a heavy tank. Return fire was missing most of the time, the shots that did find the tank were deflected.
More and more of the red squares disappear, showing that the tank was getting kills even with the turret probably bouncing everywhere due to the terrain and lack of stabilizers. Some of the human crew members that knew about the historic tank that was now tearing them a new one were wondering if such a tank was truly possible. It would make the defense contractors that boasted that their modern tanks were unstoppable quit their jobs in rage and shame.
The Lunarian main line had advanced to meet the approaching infantry and scattered scout vehicles. Various blue squares were flashing on the map, indicating that the regiments were taking some form of damage. For now, they were advancing in line infantry formation. That should be changing soon after they fully engage. She hears a tap from her senior sergeant over the communication link.
?Colonel, we?re in position to provide support for the main line. There are about three battalions? worth of reserve troops holding their position. We have received indications that there is an elevated level of phosphorus in the air. There is reason to believe that NATO troops are preparing to deploy their own incendiary shells.?
?Hmm, I had thought that they had banned their use themselves.? Eirin frowned. ?Their doctrines really do not make sense sometimes. Some of their field manuals talk about using them while their Staff College says that it?s against the laws of war. Still, deny them the ability to use them. Our uniforms won?t be able to defend against chemical fires yet. It sounds like they?re starting to feel a little desperation.?
?As you wish, Colonel. If I could be as bold to ask this, is the GDF really expecting this battle to last for three days??
?The GDF as a whole needs more time to prepare themselves for the more distant and bloody engagements it?ll take to win this war. To get that time, they have to force the humans to back off for a while. That?ll take a devastating defeat after a prolonged engagement. It?s our job to support them in that. Tell the group that once the incendiary shells are taken out, you are to withdraw until nightfall.?
?Understood, Colonel.?
?78th Regiment,? Eirin turned her attention to the cavalry. ?Withdraw and rest your horses. Tonight, we?re going fox hunting.?
-
Lunarian main line, Japan
?Regiments, halt!? Toyohime shouted. ?Prepare for doctrine change!?
With a company surrounding Patchouli and Koakuma, the pair were free to charge up one of the librarian?s earth spells. They were planning on creating a series of trenches that would let the Lunarians advance under cover. Patchouli shared Sakuya?s distaste of trench warfare, so she was planning to have the trenches reach to the human line. With that, the battle should stay mobile until nightfall. It was designed to be more World War II than World War I.
Return fire was bouncing off of the riot shields, it was starting to get to the point that some of the Lunarians had to take a knee to brace against the impacts. The GDF antitank guns were firing as fast as they could, tearing into infantry while taking fire. The oni operators were getting hit by bullets but still kept on loading and firing. Lunarian medical personnel quickly patched them back up and let them go back to what they were doing. Even with suffering from multiple wounds, the oni crews were still moving as fast as they could.
Elements of the American 2nd Infantry Division and the British Highlanders were giving some of the greener regiments a bit of trouble. Glancing down at her map, Toyohime found that the Royal Regiments had encountered a large group of dug in Germans and Italians. They were being reinforced by a large Polish and Spanish detachment, managing to check the Lunarian advance. The elder princess had a feeling that this would happen, so the trenches were even more important now. Once they were done, the biggest hurdle would be prevent themselves from getting bogged down and turning this into textbook trench warfare.
Based on what she had heard from her communications officers, Yorihime could tell that the captured Regimental colors were already deep behind enemy lines. The captured weapons and gear were also there, but they were of lower priority. Eirin had already told her to ready some of the regiments for night combat, mostly for raids and some ambushes. Since Toyohime was overall commander of the deployed Lunarian forces, Yorihime was able to fill in wherever she saw fit.
Remiu and Marisa were rearranging their spell cards and unused magazines. Youmu was wiping blood off of her dual blades while having a blank look on her face. It seemed that she was starting to go through the beginning stages of post-traumatic stress disorder. Yuyuko was becoming extremely concerned about her gardener, and was considering pulling her out. Alice?s Goliath doll was laying in pieces on the field, but it had taken down a lone Bradley that had tried to surprise Remiu and Marisa.
A massive formation of Bradleys came into view behind the Lunarian main line, their weapons at the ready. The formation split up and began to encircle them. Toyohime could tell what they were planning, and saw no other choice.
?All regiments, form up in a mass square around the magicians! Staff officers in the middle!? Toyohime lead her group to help shield Patchouli and Koakuma. The green regiments quickly ran to form the four sides with their riot shields. Thirty seconds later, a massive infantry square stood ready to counter the human scouts. Battalion commanders went ahead and began to trade fire with the approaching vehicles, knocking out a few of them. Lunarian grenadiers began to hurl their signature weapons, knocking out even more approaching vehicles. One of Toyohime?s staff officers got a bullet to the face and was sent flying off of his horse. Even before he hit the ground, the princess knew that he was too far gone. Another round came so close to her hair that if took a few strands with it.
One of the approaching IFVs was hit by a shell from behind, leading to a catastrophic kill. Slowing moving out from behind a hill was a lone StuG III Ausf. F. It fires again, taking down another Bradley. The remaining IFVs turn to face the lone tank killer, exposing their rears to the Lunarian infantry. The 25mm chain gun rounds bounce off of the StuG?s armor, not having any effect at all. Several of the IFVs were moving to flank the lone assault gun, but oni crews concentrated on them. Another StuG III rolled up on the human vehicles, firing its 75 mm cannon as fast as it could be reloaded. Some of the humans had come to a halt and launched TOW missiles, only to have them shot down by Lunarian marksrabbits.
A bright light overshadowed the battle, and the earth began to shake. Patchouli had casted a variation of her ?Emerald City?, instead of raising up pillars, she sunk parts of the ground. A massive network of trenches about 6 feet deep now stretched from the Lunarian to the human lines. Wasting no time, the Lunarians jump in and begin to fan out. Seeing them take advantage of cover, the humans follow suit.
With artillery largely neutralized, both sides were moving towards each other. In the trenches, the riot shields were a hindrance, so they were left to create a command post for the staff officers. Several of the humans were focusing on creating quick fortifications, which could lead to stagnation. Lunarian grenadiers focused on destroying them, wanting to prevent slowdown. Whenever a squad of moon rabbits would encounter a particularly dense patch of resistance, they would climb out of the trench and force their way through the fire from the rear machine guns.
The Lunarian artillery crews dug in and began to fire over open sights. Almost on cue, the Celestial artillery opened fire again, devastating any human vehicle foolish enough to be out in the open. In response, the human artillery tried to pinpoint where it was coming from, but were picked off one by one. NATO fighters had finally begun to wrest control of the skies from the dwindling number of tengu fighters. The SDM?s air defense grid was operating at max capacity just to keep the massive number of incoming bombers from getting in range of the battle.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II was moving in for an attack run. Aya sees it and rolls to get on its tail, avoiding fire from a F-22 she was engaging. Lunarian infantry fire at the attack plane, but it manages to absorb the rounds it receives. The redundant systems kick in, allowing the pilot to still control the increasingly damaged plane. It kept on flying until a Lunarian artillery shell separated the pilot from the airframe. The falling bombs and missiles were shot before they were able to hit the ground forces.
Back at the Kappa workshop, the mechanics and engineers were quickly getting a new batch of fighters that Rinnosuke and Yukari had managed to buy from an arms dealer cleaning out his stock before retirement. But most of the fighters weren?t from the current 4.5 to 5th generation. Instead, they were from World War II. Dozens of P-51 Mustangs, BF-109s, P-47 Thunderbolts and ME-262s were quickly being worked on by the kappa engineers. Some of the dismounted tengus had returned and were hastily familiarizing themselves with their replacement aircraft.
Yukari knew that the vintage aircraft would most likely get swatted out of the sky by the more advanced human fighters in normal conditions. But with Patchouli?s copper jamming spell rendering long range missiles unusable, they stood a better chance. The older fighters would be able to at least face them in close combat for a little bit, at least until the thrust vector capable fighters danced behind them. Their higher speed also shortened the window for aiming. But it was only meant to be a stopgap measure, until the SDM?s defense grid finished off the mass influx of bombers.
The Lunarian officers in the trenches drew their sabers and charged forward, relying on their uniforms to protect them. The lower enlisted folk were charging forward with their bayonets while their senior sergeants were using their personal weapons. Scattered artillery managed to hit some of the advancing moon rabbits, but they were instantly set upon by medical personnel. From the rear of the human formation, elements of the Lunarian cavalry were hitting isolated units.
Most of the GDF units had taken cover in the trenches and were waiting for the Lunarians to advance far enough. A good number of the fairies were still in the air, firing both conventional and magical bullets. But the human forces were beginning to shoot them down without mercy. The Buddhists were doing their best to catch them before they hit the ground and administer first aid and healing spells.
Every time a fairy fell, a little part of Remiu?s heart hurt. Even though they respawned almost immediately, they still had looks of pain on their faces as they flew up again. From the rear, a regiment of Lunarian Heavy Rifles had landed and were making their way to the front. They had landed so far back due to the rebelling nobles still on the moon messing with the portal systems. But as soon as they reached the front, they begun to spread out and lay down a curtain of fire that sent everyone jumping into the trenches.
Several of the human machine gun crews made the mistake of relying on dirt mounds for cover. The massive volume of fire penetrated the dirt mounds and tore up the crews behind them. The remaining personnel jumped into the relative safety of the trenches, and some of them forgot their weapons. The Heavy Rifle rabbits took turns firing while the others reloaded, keeping a solid rain of fire that forced everyone to stay in the trenches. Their fire was supported by the Lunarian artillery that were firing over open sights, making it too dangerous to even stick a hand up.
Now grounded, the fairies that still had the will to fight were forced to join the massive brawl in the trenches. Both Lunarian and human soldiers crashed into each other at full speed with their bayonets out for the kill. The Lunarian troops easily cut through a majority of human troops, only finding resistance when American, Australian, and Gurkha troops became involved. Several of the wealthier Lunarian officers shouted personal challenges that were met by their opponents. In the midst of the bullets flying around, the confusion of melee combat gave both parties a more even playing field. Seeing the Lunarians respect the unspoken one on one agreement, the human forces did the same.
The Heavy Rifle rabbits began to divert their fire, concentrating on taking down more squadrons of A-10s and AH-64s that were trying to provide close air support. Strykers began to appear, their heavy fire did manage to make a dent in the Heavy Rifle regiment, but they were wiped out before they could take advantage of it. With the lapse of covering fire, both sides jumped out of the trenches and charged again. Soon, the battlefield was soaked with blood and the spent shell casings of the combatants.
Scattered human artillery hit the area, wounding and killing indiscriminately. Some of the human troops jumped back into the trenches and tried to work their way around the artillery. White Wolf tengus were jumping from trench to trench, preferring close combat. Royal Flare flew into sky high above the battlefield, instantly incinerating any aircraft that ran into it. Mima joined in by raining down a hailstorm of star shaped bullets at full power, sending up a storm of dust and fragments. The Katyusha launchers had finished reloading and had fired their rockets again, filling the air with their unique sound.
An American squad stacked up at a corner right before a group of advancing Lunarian staff officers. One of the humans throws a grenade around the corner and starts counting. Once the grenade goes off, the squad rushes forward, ready to administer finishing shots. Before the dust could settle, two of the squad members were down with cut throats. Another three are taken down in less than a blink of an eye by throwing knives. The four remaining soldiers tried to get back behind the corner, only to be blocked by one of the staff officers jumping over them. Quickly dispatched, only one of them had time to fire any shots.
Suddenly, a large explosion hits the field. The shockwave from the impact shakes the earth and hot fragments rain down on the area. It was like nothing that either side had ever encountered before. Immediately, the Lunarians dig in, and try to fire out what could have caused such an impact. The attack had hit a company in the 8th Regiment of Foot hard, knocking out about half of their total. The human forces that they were engaging weren?t spared from the attack. Even with their helmets and body armor, they still took heavy damage from the attack.
?Princess Toyohime,? Yukari?s voice came from a charm the royal had on her hat. ?What just hit your area was a projectile from one of the first ground models of the American Railgun weapon system. That?s what those blueprints from that FOB you captured were about. You have about thirty more seconds before you can expect another shot due to their power system having some unforeseen issues.?
?Reisen,? Toyohime shouted. ?Take the 4th and take out that Railgun! All other regiments stay in the trenches! Heavy rifles and artillery, dig in as much as possible!?
A majority of the human troops thought that the attack came from the Lunarians and were beginning to inch themselves back. But word began to spread through the ranks that it was their own side that fire the shot. Once they figured that out, they began to rally against the advancing moon rabbits.
About 45 seconds after the first shot had hit the field, another one hits. This time, it hits a more concentrated area of the Lunarian line, making it clear that human spotters were getting the hang of calling in requests. Medical personnel swarm the area, the wounded are lucky that they had taken cover or they would?ve been instantly killed. Several of the operations officers had seen a thin reddish, yellowish entail that gave them a general idea of where the shot came from.
But it was too far behind cover for their spyglasses to spot.
In the far distance, a single green flare was barely visible. Instantly recognizing it as a request for supporting fire, the Lunarian artillery quickly calculated the distance and began to pour fire down on the general area. Reisen grabbed two companies from her regiment and quickly cut across one of the weaken areas of the human line. Instead of trying to wipe out the defenders, Reisen?s troops were more focused on getting as close to where that green flare came from as possible. With the rest of the regiments providing covering them, they managed to get and maintain a good speed. Due to them advancing so fast, the Railgun?s spotters were spooked and miscalled the next shot. This one tears through an entrenched Italian company that was trying to engage the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of Royal Foot. It didn?t escape Reisen?s notice that they shot had come after only 30 seconds, meaning that they were fixing some of their issues.
As an afterthought, Reisen fires a last round towards the retreating spotters. It hits one in the shoulder, spinning him around. She jumps back into the trench and uses a wall to stop her forward momentum. One of her lower enlisted rabbits loads a high explosive round that he fires into the wall around the corner. It detonates, blowing a hole to the next trench. Others are doing the same, avoiding most of the heavy resistance.
Hearing someone coming up behind them, Reisen and the two company commanders turn around, only to find Yorihime joining up with them. Another explosion cleared the next trench and the companies rushed through the holes. A trio of Spanish riflemen had taken up firing positions, only to get hit by a shockwave from Yorihime?s katana. She then stabs the ground, sending up spikes in the trenches ahead.
A trio of P-400s, the export version of the P-39 Airacobra, suddenly flew over them. The planes began to pour fire on any enemy unit that they could see. F-22s turned to engage, but the modern aircraft were too fast to engage them effectively. Any missiles that were launched were distracted by newly installed Royal Flare launchers.
The green flare was slowly starting to fade away, adding a sense of urgency. Another round from the Railgun flies over their heads, hurting their ears. The artillery that the Lunarians are pouring on that area don?t seem to be doing much good, reinforcing the importance of Reisen?s objective. A mortar round hits close by, knocking most of the staff off their feet. Reisen falls forward, only to feel herself get picked up Yorihime and tucked under her arm.
The moon rabbit tried to get back on her feet, but the royal wasn?t having any of it as she sprinted forward. The sight of a regimental commander being carried like a book or a package by a member of the royal family would be funny if it wasn?t in the middle of a war zone. Still, it was somewhat funny. At least the more serious princess wouldn?t let anyone laugh at it.
Near the Lunarian main line, Japan
Eirin takes off her service cap and wipes some dirt and sweat off of her forehead. A gap opens up next to her, with Yukari walking out right after. Some of the Special Developmental Group troops were watching her with curiosity. More of them had begun to arrive, fresh from destroying the white phosphorus artillery rounds. One last squad was making their way back from locating the Railgun and firing a flare. The doctor looks at the gap youkai with a sense of boredom. But that disappeared when she saw the look on Yukari?s face.
?Colonel, I have some matters to speak to you about.? Almost on cue, the closest troops turned around and gave the pair some space. Most of them sat down under the trees and began to adjust some settings on their weapons. Eirin removed the gloves she wore and kept her service cap off. Knowing that Yukari never played around when she got straight to the point, the doctor had a bad feeling in her stomach. ?It?s about the aftermath of the battle and the state of reality.?
?Hmm, that seems to be on a higher plane then what you usually deal with,? Eirin replied. ?Are you still trying to go against the Dragon??
?This is higher than him. But since you heard about our conversation, do you know that warning he gave me??
?The one about paradoxes and whatnot??
?Yes, that one.? Yukari looked towards the exchange of artillery fire in the distance. ?The fabric of reality is being ripped apart by this conflict. None of this was ever meant to happen and is going against the rules of nature. Because of this, unnatural events are happening. The greatest threat to Gensokyo, and by extension the Lunar Capital, is this. We may be able to force the human nations to surrender and we could even live in peace after that. But what about the unnatural events? They won?t stop even with the end of the war. What if, somehow, we triggered the beginning for the end of everything? If reality itself is about to end, what point is there for anything now? But that?s only my paranoia speaking. Tell me, have you ever heard of a tulpa??
?It sounds familiar, but refresh my memory.?
?A tulpa is a being that has been created from the thoughts of a group of people. It originates from the Tibetan sect of Buddhism. Western occult thought has a close version called a thoughtfrom. Think of it as an imaginary friend becoming real and crashing at someone?s house. They gradually become an annoyance, emptying the fridge and leaving a mess everywhere. But they are rarely that harmless.?
?Do imaginary friends still exist this day and age?? Eirin tilted her head. ?But what can an invisible dog named Fluffy do against the empire that I helped build??
?Fluffy can?t really do anything except dig holes in the garden and leave surprises in the corner. But some of the other things that the humans believe in can.?
?Such as??
?Slenderman, the Rake, La Llorona and even worse youkai than the ones we encountered in our younger days.?
?I haven?t heard about the first two. And wasn?t Gensokyo created to give all youkai a home where they don?t have to worry about being unjustly hurt or exterminated??
?These youkai don?t understand the word peace, they are savage and bloodthirsty. I will not put Gensokyo in needless damage just because some savage youkai says their feelings got hurt when we stop them from causing mass destruction.? Yukari pulls out her cellphone and gave it a quick glance. ?They are urban legends that are very popular on the internet. But with the boundary of fantasy and reality breaking down, there is a chance that they could step onto our plane. Even with that, there?s something even worse happening at this very moment.?
Eirin comes in closer to Yukari, lowering her voice to something lower than a whisper. ?Are you talking about the stars going out??
?You noticed it too? I?m not surprised. But it should be impossible. There are too many stars in the galaxy for them to go off like this. I know that stars are going out all the time, but this doesn?t feel right. There should be some more being made that replace them, but it?s not happening. The sky is slowly going dark. Many of the religions that the humans follow have an event like this heralding the end of time. But that?s for another conversation. I doubt that this is the only place that it?s visible from. I?ll check the view from the moon later. If it?s the same from there, then it?ll prove my hunch about reality after all. But this means that something major is going on and the worse thing is that I can?t explain it.?
?You?re the last person that would admit something like that.? Eirin?s bad feeling got even worse. This was the one person that had ever outsmarted her in any way. The Lunarian wasn?t one to admit it, but she knew that the blonde woman had played her throughout the Second Lunar War. If Yukari couldn?t figure out why all of this was happening, there was no telling how bad it could get. ?Have you talked to anyone else about this??
?You?re the only one. I?m not going to tell the princesses about it. It?s not because I don?t trust them, but because I don?t think that they will be able to help, no matter how much they try. You?re the only one that I can hope has a chance of helping me with this. I don?t want Yuyuko knowing about this, she?s been through enough already. Kanako doesn?t see the big picture and is too attached to Sanae to be any use. Byakuren is too peaceful for this sort of thing and it would be better to have her try to spread what peace she can.?
?I can?t very well refuse when you put it like that. But the only things I can bring to bear are medical knowledge and my personal troops.?
?That?s what I need for what I?m planning.? Yukari seemed to getting bags under her eyes. ?If you?re going to be doing this, then it would only be right if I told how we got to this point.? She paused, it looked like she was steeling herself for something big. ?It?s my fault that we?re at this point. I tried to change history to suit my needs and ended up releasing something that should have stayed locked away. Now, more innocent people will die, but I?m not worried about that. I?m still working towards my original goal, nothing will stop that. It would be a lot easier if I could wouldn?t have to deal with this interference.?
?From what you?re talking about, that interference is reality pushing back against what you have done,? Eirin?s forte was medicine, but she had some study in temporal and spatial matters. ?How do you plan on fixing this breakdown? Can your powers even affect something that big??
?I?m not sure,? Yukari admitted without any of her trademark playfulness. ?The real priority is wiping out all of the unnatural blasphemies that are walking around right now. The more they?re hear, the more damage is made in the fabric of reality. We have to make sure that we stop it before it becomes irreversible. I?m hoping that we can have the stars wait for a little while, before someone notices.?
?Just tell me one thing,? Eirin looked directly into her eyes, almost as she was trying to spot Yukari?s soul. ?What exactly did you do to cause all of this? Who did you anger so much that they want to destroy reality to get back at you??
Yukari pulls out a small black book from a gap. ?This book contains details about every single pivotal moment in history. Everything that has happened up to this point was influenced by me. I created entire empires and destroyed them with just a suggestion. I guided the progress of math and science according to my whims. But the book is useless now.? She throws it on the ground. ?Everything past this point isn?t in there. This morning, the most powerful item on this planet was that book. Now it?s nothing more than notes for a history midterm.?
?How can you be so sure??
?Because we should have won this battle already. A few of Marisa?s Master Sparks hitting an ammo depot should have sent the humans running by now. It never should have turned into a prolonged battle like this. In a few months, I was supposed to be sending spies to New York City. Now, I doubt we?ll have a functioning navy before the end of the year.?
?Is there any way to get it back on course??
?Not that I know of.? Yukari shook her head. ?It?ll take time for me to come up with something that?ll leave us better off after all of this. But the unknown variables are getting too out of hand. And that?s before I even take into account all of the tulpas. As long as you completely destroy them, then I can work something out. If one at least one exists, we won?t see the end of this war.?
?So we?re turning into a paranormal hunting agency?? Eirin faintly smiles. ?This?ll be fun. We should have Hauptmann Izayoi help us, she does have experience in this sort of matters.?
?But I don?t want to put her in the positon of having to lie to Flandre and Remilia. Their relationship is more than employer and employee, they?re closer than family.?
?Are you sure that Remilia doesn?t already know. She does have the ability to control fate.?
?I?ll talk to her later. If she seems like she had handle this, I?ll see about bring Sakuya into all of this. She does have a good amount of experience in these matters after all. I wonder if she would be alright being attached to your group.?
?I have no problem with it.?
Yukari reads a quick text message that she just received. ?If you?re up for it, you could start tonight. I?ve just gotten reports that something unnatural has been spotted around here. It could mean bad news for us if we don?t take care of it.?
?Which one is it??
?The Rake. I?ll give you a quick rundown on it. It?s a humanoid beast that has pale, grayish skin with no nose. It has dull but not blunt teeth and has an appetite for meat. It?s not aggressive normally, but it?s starting to get bolder. From what we can gather, it?s taken down a group of ten Italian soldiers down during the middle of the night yesterday. American military intelligence units have taken command of the investigation and are not letting any information out. If we don?t take it out soon, who knows what its next target is.?
?So an urban legend is brought to life. Never thought I would see the day.?
?I wish we didn?t have to. But the border between reality and fantasy is too damaged. So far, this is the only confirmed one in our area. I wouldn?t be surprised if more of them popped up around the world. For now, just make sure that this is destroyed, even if you have to destroy the countryside to do it.?
?Isn?t that a bit much??
?Not when we?ll dealing with something that savage. They have to be stopped at all costs. When you take it down, leave no trace of it. If any of the humans get in the way, wipe them out too. I?ll keep our side from interfering, so don?t worry about them. I hope you weren?t planning anything important tonight.?
?Well, I was going fox hunting later on.?
?So the Gray Foxes have showed up. What was their official again? Wasn?t it the Intelligence Support Activity? They change their name so much.?
?Well, they?re the ones that are said to have the 195th?s Regimental Colors. They?re deep behind the enemy line, so we were going to pay them a visit tonight. They made the mistake of taking custody of them from the Germans and parading them around.?
Yukari paused for a second. ?I could get Narzin to lead a quick raid with the Maus and a few of the Panzer IVs. In the confusion, we could get them back for you. In the worst case, we can just whip up a dust storm or something like that. But aren?t you worried about them dissecting your technology and uniforms??
?Those humans aren?t too bright. It?ll take them at least a few hundred years if they can?t even learn how to fight off geese. Most of them cover their heads and run away from the wing flapping and pecking. And even if by some miracle they do find the way, we can easily change to stronger and more powerful weapons.?
?I thought you had more faith in humans.?
?I?m just being rational.? Eirin shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. ?Almost everything that we use has been influenced by one of my discoveries. If I can?t have confidence in it, what would be the point? Imagine the morale hit that would happen if my troops learn that I don?t trust the equipment that I made.?
?True enough. Are you up for it??
?I?m interested. Will our weapons be able to affect it??
The gap youkai pulls out a set of papers. ?Here are some designs for silver bullets that should have the range and power of you normal rounds. I have the feeling that conventional rounds could kill it, but I don?t want to take the chance. Bring the sky down on it if you have to.?
?Do you mind if we bring the body back for study??
?I would rather that you not. We can?t risk it coming back and I doubt we have any place where we can keep it. Even its mere existence is enough to throw all of my plans into disarray. Hopefully, we can use this as a testing run for our hunting tactics.?
?The way you talk about it, it seems to be a mindless beast. It shouldn?t be too difficult.?
Yukari shook her head. ?I doubt that it?ll be that easy. We have no way of telling which internet legend is influencing it. It could very well be a mindless beast, or it could have high intelligence and hunting instinct. Be prepared for losses in any case. My recommendation is taking some of your troops from the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot. Your personal group is too valuable for this risk.?
It was Eirin?s turn to shake her head. ?You?re lucky that I respect you so much. Anyone else telling me this would usually end badly.?
?I happy to have your respect, Colonel.? Yukari smiled. ?You?re free to stop me at any time. You are providing most of our troops, after all. We would have gotten stomped if the Royal Regiments didn?t show up.?
?Good to see that you recognize that. But I have a more pressing matter. If the fabric of reality is being torn apart, what else becomes possible??
?I would guess natural disasters might hit soon. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, plagues, asteroid strikes, blizzards, and droughts are going to hit all over the planet. We could use this to gain an advantage in negotiations with other nations. Once they see us faring better than they are, they?ll be wondering how. This?ll play into my plans. I?m not sure about how it?ll affect the moon. Any ideas??
?We?ll figure it out if it comes to it.?
?No use to think about it now. Anyway, I have some of my familiars keeping an eye on the Rake. For now, it?s taking shelter in some of the deeper parts of the forest. Since it hasn?t moved for a while, it might even be asleep. Once it gets dark, it?s hunting season. This scroll has the general location, updated every ten minutes. It?s the best we can do with what we have.?
?It should be enough.? Eirin said. ?Anything else you want to talk about??
?Well, one thing that we still have to figure out is how we?re going to control all the new territory. The GDF is way too overstretched to handle the administration and policing of more territory. We can?t leave them alone, they might rise up against us if we do. Too bad we can?t really burn them to the ground.?
?I didn?t think that this was about new land.?
?It?s not, but we can?t help it. We?re going to have to administer all the new land that we?ll capture. Most of them will be reluctant to let themselves fall under the rule of a new government, so a little bit of discipline might do some good.?
?Are you asking me to bring Lunarian martial law to the captured territories??
?It?ll be for their own good.?
?I have no problem with it personally. How will you explain it to your allies??
?They?re understand with time.? Yukari shrugged again. ?Everyone is talking about how the newest generation is too selfish and vain. A little Lunarian discipline will do wonders for their respect. They might even end up thanking us later on down the road. Think of it as putting the humans back on the path they should have been on since the beginning.?
?Hmm, I can?t really deny your logic. But it might spark rebellions during the meantime. I wouldn?t be surprised if it leads to a downward spiral.?
?Then just administer some of the famous Lunarian law.? Yukari?s somewhat savage smile bordering on a sneer made Eirin feel somewhat uneasy. Then once she saw the hard glint in the gap youkai?s eye, the doctor?s stomach felt even worse. ?It?s be the start of the new Lunarian Empire. Just in time for the end of reality.?
-
Cherbourg, France, May 1942
The heavy and thick fog covered every single part of the city in the dead of night. The only sounds that could be heard were the steps of the patrols and the odd vehicle going about. German occupation forces were enforcing the curfew and fighting off boredom. The port that they were guarding was an important one that guarded against a British counter invasion.
A mother and her two children were behind led by a German Hauptmann in a dark blue uniform. The civilians were carrying what looked to be small suitcases with only a few changes of clothes and some pictures. They carried the suitcases in front of them, hiding the yellow star on their clothes. Several of the walking soldiers glanced at them, but the Hauptmann?s purposeful stride caused them to let them be.
Maribel had given up on trying to hide after a pair of guards had walked right past her. Now that she was expecting on having another dream like this, she was more prepared to remember more details. She instantly recognized it as being during the Second World War due to the stylish uniforms worn by the Germans.
She recognized the Hauptmann as Sakuya, but was confused on why she would be here. She didn?t look like she had hit her twenties yet. The psychologist didn?t miss the fact that there were a pair of black uniformed Germans looking at the group with some suspicion. Maribel was wondering who they until she noticed the red armband that they were wearing.
The two SS soldiers frowned as they watched Sakuya lead the family towards the outskirts of the city. One of them pulls out a small notebook and begins to flip through it. The other grabs two walking soldiers and forces them to follow. It was obvious that the two regular soldiers had a distaste for the SS. Some members of the Milice walked by, some in awe of the SS. The normal soldiers looked at them with distaste.
Sakuya was walking around the corner when two members of the Milice almost walked into her. The first time they notice was that she was a woman and one of them was about to open his mouth. His stopped when he saw her uniform, probably saving his life.
?Pig,? Sakuya?s French was perfect, with an accent that sounded like she came from the south. The pure venom in her voice froze the two collaborators. ?Do you not know how to conduct yourself in front of a German officer? Do I not deserve a salute from lowly pigs like you, or do you not even know how to that??
?I?m sorry, Lieutenant. I?m just-?
?Lieutenant?? Sakuya poured even more hate into her voice. She steps forward and grabs the offender by the tie. ?Pay attention, I?m only going to say this once. I am a Hauptmann in the Heer. I?m not some lowly lieutenant just out of school. I didn?t buy my commission nor was I born into it. I will not let some lowly criminal like you disrespect me.?
?Hauptmann, do you know who my father is? I will-?
?Since your mother does not, I?m not too worried about it. Now get out of my sight before I kill you myself.? She throws him down while his partner steps back. ?Go on, get out of here. Cross me again and see what happens.?
The two ran to the other side of the street and around the corner. The future maid adjusts her service cap and continues to walk. Unbeknownst to them, the two Milice members run across the trailing SS. Maribel began to grow worried for Sakuya. She was becoming more confident that she was helping the family escape. This realization made Maribel regard her even more highly.
A checkpoint was in the group?s path. Manned by a squad of six Heer soldiers, they saluted when they saw Sakuya walk up. She returns it and hands the leader a small pamphlet. While he reads through it, one of the soldiers hears a small stomach rumbling. In response, he takes out a small candy bar and breaks it in half. Then he hands each half to the two children. They put their bags on the ground to take it, revealing the yellow stars. But none in the squad care, all they see are two children. They rummage their pockets to find more candy bars, but they were out. Even so, the mother?s heart was touched by the display from the occupiers.
The leader nods, indicating that everything was in order. He hands it back but whispers to Sakuya. ?Be careful Hauptmann, there?s two SS following you.?
She nods in response. Motioning the trio to follow her, she stealthy unfastens her P38?s holster and the pouches with her knives. Taking note of hiding spots, she devises multiple scenarios in case she has to have the family hide while she takes care of the SS. Her priority was getting them to where she had found a resistance cell.
Even if she had taken an oath to follow the orders of the F?hrer, she still had the duty to do what was best for Germany. If it was labeled as treasonous, so be it.
?Go inside and hide in the first room on the left. Lock the door and do not open it until I come get you.? Sakuya drew one of her knives. She waited until they had gone inside before she ran down a back alley. Hearing running, the two SS and Milice chased after her. Once they reached the ally, they stopped and began to walk slowly with their weapons at the ready.
A cat jumps out from behind a trashcan, scaring the group. Before the others can notice, Sakuya grabs one of the Milice from behind and covers his mouth. Then she drags him back behind the corner and snaps his neck. Once she?s sure that he?s dead, she stuffs his body into an open crate and sets to top on it.
Finally noticing that his partner was missing, the remaining collaborator begins to look frantically around. Sakuya throws the ownerless rifle into the street, playing on the SS soldiers? nerves. They almost fire but begin to put more space between each other. One of them brings a whistle out but has it destroyed by a thrown knife that barely misses his hand.
Before they could open fire, three more knives knock their weapons out of their hands. In the spilt second that it took from them to try to pick them back up, Sakuya had closed the distance. She punches the Frenchman in the stomach with enough force to knock the breath out of his lungs and flips him over her shoulder. One of the SS takes out a baton and throws a swing at her head.
She dodges the swing and throws an uppercut that hits the attacker in the chin. Hearing the sounds of teeth breaking, Sakuya crouches and sweeps his feet out from under him. The standing one kicks out at her, missing her. In response, she grabs his leg and pulls him off balance. He falls back and hits his head on the cobbled street.
Grabbing two of them, she stuffs them into a dark corner created by a group of crates. To be sure, she cuts their throats. Then she dumps the third one and does the same to him. Readjusting her tie and service cap, she wipes her knives off on one of the SS?s uniforms. Quickly looking around to make sure that no one had walked into the scene, she makes her way to the family?s hiding spot.
Sakuya knocks on the door and says something that Maribel couldn?t make out from where she was standing. The door opens, revealing the terrified mother and her children. Without explaining the situation, Sakuya starts walking towards the extraction point. On her way off of the street, she glances at the crates where she stuffed the bodies.
The sound of Messerschmitt BF 109s and Focke-Wulf FW 190s could be heard flying over the city. They pointed towards an incoming British bombing mission. Ever since the end of the Battle of Britain, the retaliatory bombing runs have been regular occurrences. Even though the port was an important asset, it was too heavily defended for the current bombers to hit. The British learned that the hard way two weeks ago.
After the quick crushing of the group, the stillness of the street was even more surreal. At the far end of the square, another German officer was on horseback. He looked like he was suffering from insomnia and was going on a midnight stroll. He had a small pouch on the saddle that was open, revealing a bundle of official documents. Upon closer inspection, Sakuya noticed that the man was starting to bob his head.
Motioning for the family to stay put, she noiselessly makes her way to the bag and takes one of the documents out. Noticing her, the officer doesn?t seem to recognize her but wonders why she?s so close.
?Major, you seem to be about to fall off your stead,? Sakuya uses a sleight of hand to hide the papers she took. ?Are you sleepwalking??
?Hauptmann, good evening.? He can barely keep his eyes open. ?I was about to return to my quarters. You understand how the duties of a staff officer can interfere with sleep cycles. I trust everything is quiet in this area.?
?It is, Major. Even though some of the Milice could stand to learn some respect.?
?I?ll make a note of that. They?ll know who?s in charge tomorrow. You should get some sleep, Hauptmann. You look somewhat rough, if you don?t mind my saying so.?
?Thank you for your concern, Major.? She watches as he slowly rides away. Once he gets far enough, Sakuya pulls out the papers she had swiped. A few of them were lists for groceries while one was a pre-stamped letterhead. Taking out a pen, she quickly writes a letter of introduction and gives it to the mother. ?Keep this until you reach Allied troops. Don?t open it until then.?
Without looking back, she sets off again. This time, at the end of the street that they?re on, several SS troops were at a checkpoint. They were breathing down the necks of the regular soldiers that were manning the post. This one was at a corner with a small store doubling as the guard office. Sakuya grits her teeth, it was hard enough restraining herself when she in the same room as an SS member. Now there were at least ten of them, looking for the smallest infraction.
?Halt, Hauptmann.? The Hauptsturmf?hrer had a sneer on his face when he called out. ?There?s a curfew in place for all civilians, especially for them.?
?Watch your tone, pig.? Sakuya replied. ?I don?t care if you hold Himmler?s ear, you still need to respect a superior officer.?
?Superior? Hauptmann, the SS are superior in every-?
?You look like you would be the first to run away in the face of the enemy. If it were up to me, you would be the one polishing my shoes. Anyway, pig, we have business beyond this checkpoint, so I don?t have time to deal with you.?
?You will stay where you are. This area is a controlled space. Where are these animals? papers??
?Are you talking back to me, swine??
?I have my orders. If you insist, I have no choice but to use deadly force. But, by all means, do try to go on ahead. After all, accidents do happen.? He cocks the ancient Luger that he has in his custom made hostler.
Without a word, Sakuya walks into the small building and picks up the phone. The SS officer stomps in right after her and begins to raise his voice until Sakuya started to talk.
?Operator, connect me to Obergruppenf?hrer Heydrich at the Reich Main Security Office.?
As soon as he heard Sakuya drop Heydrich?s name, the SS officer almost lost control of his bowels. Sakuya almost smiled, there was no one on the other end of the line. She waits a few more seconds and then kept on going.
?Obergruppenf?hrer Heydrich, I apologize for the late call. I?m currently on that assignment that you personally sent me on, but I?ve seem to run into some resistance here.? The SS officer began to sweat profusely and shakes his head. ?Yes, sir. I remember what you did to that captain that brought you slightly cold coffee. No, I don?t think anyone has heard from him for a while. I know his father, one of the old Prussian dinosaurs, made a fuss about it.? She acts like she just notices the terrified SS officer and holds the phone out to him. He shakes his head even more, making it look like it was about to fly off. ?It looks like it?s taken care of, sir. It was good talking to you again.? She hangs up and leaves the small office.
?Raise the gate!? The SS officer was walking stiffly, hoping to hide the fact that he had wet himself. ?Raise it NOW!? He almost jumped on the gate to open it himself.
Once the gate was up, Sakuya gave the humiliated SS officer one last glare before she lead the family past them. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see the regular soldiers having trouble keeping the smiles off their faces while every single SS had pale faces. Her reputation of being abrasive with the SS had warmed the regular soldiers up to her.
Some distance past the gate, it began to grow darker since some street lights weren?t lit. The sounds of the calm ocean could be heard as they approached the piers. Once they got near a warehouse, Sakuya motioned for the family to go in and stay. Once they were in, she walks towards a small building that had a covered walkway.
Kicking the door open, she throws a few knives that knock the weapons out of the partisans and stranded Allied soldiers. Without turning around, she kicks the door close when she walks in.
?Pay attention, I?m only to say this once. I know about your activities and your existence. As long as you attack only the SS, I?m willing to let you survive. But I do have one condition.? No one spoke up in protest yet. ?The SS and Gestapo are rounding up Jews and other minorities. This is not what I swore to uphold when I took my commission. The head of Germany is a megalomaniac fool and will lead to Germany being destroyed. He has ordered the murder of every minority that he can get his greasy little hands on. What I want this cell to do is to deliver whatever minorities you can away from this evil.?
?And if we refuse?? One of the partisans finally spoke up.
?Then I kill every single one of you and burn down the entire city.? Sakuya knew that while she had some authority, she didn?t have quite that level. Even if she did, she couldn?t give that order since it wouldn?t sit well with her conscience. But no one else knew that. ?For you it?s a winning scenario: you get to keep operating as you are and you hit the Reich in a completely unexpected direction.?
?How can we be sure you?re telling the truth??
?I have a letter of introduction from a friend of yours in London.? She hands him a sealed letter. Her opens it and begins to read. As he gets further along, his eyes narrow and his frown deepens. Finally his crushes the letter and sighs.
?Damn it, Lady Yakumo. Why do you insist on making my life more difficult?? He gritted that out in a whisper that was barely audible. ?Very well, we?ll help. Where are they now??
?In the warehouse. How soon can be out of France??
?They can be in London in two days? time.?
?Good. Take this as well,? She hands him a folded letter. ?If any SS stop your group, give them this letter. It?s supposedly signed by Heydrich, so it should get you out of trouble with them.?
?But it has a Heer letterhead on it.?
?Tell them he was visiting the headquarters in Paris and ran out of paper. If they don?t believe it, threaten to call him.? Sakuya turned to leave. ?Be sure to help them reach somewhere out of our sphere of influence. I have the feeling that it?s going to get worse for all of us.?
West of the Lunarian main line, Japan
?Steady, steady all of you.? Sakuya was peering out of the viewport in the Tiger (P). ?Gunner, aim for the tan tank turning to face us on the right side. Loader, put in one of the armor piercing rounds. Driver, keep on giving us constant speed and try to keep it as level as you can. Radio operator, any more updates??
?The main Lunarian line has come under fire from a Railgun. So far, the infantry have managed to smash through the humans and are getting closer to the command staff. We?re getting close to the rear of the enemy formation. And?it seems there?s a private call for you.? The fairy disconnected Sakuya?s headset and plugged it into another jack. Sakuya heard the sound of static and then the small buzz of a secure channel.
?Hauptmann Izayoi, I?ve been trying to get a hold of you for a while. Anyway, I need a favor.? Yukari was still as carefree as sever.
?I hope it?s nothing too big. I?m still in the middle of the last mission you sent me on.?
?We won?t need you until tonight, so you don?t have to hurry.?
Sakuya paused as the gunner scored a mobility kill on a flanking M1. ?Now you peeked my interest.?
?There?s a beast that shouldn?t exist loose around the area. I?ve already spoken to Colonel Yagokoro and she?s agreed to lead a platoon against it. We would feel better if you would tag along and make sure that it?s taken out for good.?
?What do you mean by a beast that shouldn?t exist??
?It?s a long story. I?ll fill you in later. But I should warn you, this beast is not to be played with. It could end your life in an instant if you underestimate it. It does have intelligence on the level of a human and youkai, so be mindful of that.?
?Loader, switch to Patchouli?s armor burning shells.? Sakuya had seen a group of Bradley?s getting ready to fire their TOW missiles. ?Get ready to speed up your loading. Radio operator, be ready to shoot those missiles down. Yukari, I?m in.?
?Good. I?ll let you get back to what you?re doing. When the time comes, I?ll let you know more.? Yukari?s line went dead as she disconnected, leaving Sakuya with her crew.
The gunner fired the round, hitting a Bradley and caused a brew up. Patchouli had infused a few of their tank shells with St. Elmo?s fire, giving them the ability to light anything made of metal on fire. This lead to both the inside and outside of the IFV turning into one giant bonfire. As soon as the casing for the shell hit the back plate and dropped into the collection bag, the loader had another ready to go.
Running numerous numbers in her mind, Sakuya was trying to break up the rest of the enemy formation. A few miles to the east, Nazrin?s Maus was tearing through the any resistance they found. Once word started to spread, even the Leopards and Challengers were hesitant to face the super heavy tank. The significantly boosted 128 mm cannon was actually flipping over the main battle tanks with relative ease. Behind them, the StuGs and Fireflies were sniping any tanks that had tried to flee.
The ground shook under the Tiger (P) as a tengu piloted P-47 Thunderbolt was shot down and crashed nearby. The smoke coming from the burning wreckage hide Sakuya?s tank and gave her some more breathing room. Pangs could be heard as scattered machine gun fire found the tank. In response, the radio operator changed to armor piercing incendiary rounds for the bow mounted machine gun.
?Driver, bring us in behind that Challenger on the right side,? Sakuya just thought of an idea. ?Gunner, aim for their engine and try to start a fire. Loader, keep doing what you?re doing.?
Behind them, two Panzer IV Ausf. H medium tanks had climbed over the hill and were choosing their targets. They weren?t able to one shot any of the modern tanks, but were able to knock out most of the crews that they hit. With flaming wreckages crashing into each other and the various unlucky survivors, the opposing forces were starting to waver. More scattered artillery began to hit the area, the conventional explosions revealed that they were from the human side.
A far off speck caught Sakuya?s attention. Quickly grabbing a pair of binoculars, she sees a US Air Force AC-130 aiming at them. It began to perform a pylon turn, with the 105 mm cannon readjusting its aim.
?Gunner, aim for that gunship. Distance is about 4.5 miles. Loader, switch out to the beehive rounds, give it a delay of about 4 miles. Driver, find us some cover so we can steady this machine. Radio operator, are any of the tengus around??
?Most of them are too busy with the fighters. We?re on our own for now.?
?Thought so,? Sakuya glanced back at the gunship. Fairy operated Wirbelwind antiaircraft tanks were firing but failed to hit. ?Even if they hit, they won?t be able to do much. Our beehive might have to be the one that takes it down. Too bad we don?t have a Ratte to use as bait.?
A slow moving BF-109 tried to engage the gunship, only to get a hail of 30 mm Bushmaster cannon fire through the engine. The tengu that was piloting the plane managed to bail out, but was hit by a round and stopped flying. Firing another artillery round, the gunship barely misses the tank.
?Gunner, switch out with me.? Sakuya squeezed herself by the gunner as they moved. Settling herself into the seat, she took the controls and looked down the gunner?s scope. Even though it was a slow target, it was still in the air and she had to account for more. The basics were still the same: distance, speed of the target, direction of travel, ballistic drop, point of aim, and penetration. But now she had to deal with the added confusion of an air target?s movement.
Without taking her eye off of the target, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out some gum. Quickly putting some into her mouth, she?s calmed by the familiar bubbly and sweet taste. Now that she was able to aim better, she decided to aim for the part of the fuselage was thinnest, right in front of the elevators. Another round hits nearby, showering more dirt around them. The sounds of some shrapnel hitting the tank could be heard.
?Loader, how many beehive rounds do we have??
?About four more of the modified ones.?
Four shots Sakuya thought. One should be enough to bring that gunship down if I hit it just right. But I can?t be sure that I have enough time to fire more than three shots. Two shots are all that I have.
Sakuya aimed high above the turning airplane. She fires one shot, paying close attention to where the round went. The 88 mm high velocity round flew through the air about 300 yards behind the gunship. But that was all she needed. Adjusting for the speed and angle, she leads her target. She moves the gum to her right cheek, letting the flavor calm her down for the next shot.
She waits until she feels the shot in her gut and squeezes the trigger.
In the action of the cannon, an electric charge is applied to the back of the beehive shell. This charge activates the propellant and ignites it. The round is propelled forward while the shell flies out of the breech and hits a plate that causes it to drop into a collection bag. The round spins as it meets the rifling on the inside of the barrel and leaves the muzzle. As soon as the charm on the side of the round senses the change of momentum, it began the countdown.
When the charm senses that it had traveled 4 miles, it activates the secondary explosion. Three feet long darts materialized, capped with Patchouli?s Dew Spear. They hit the AC-130 right in front of the elevators, easily cutting through the fuselage. Even if it didn?t cut it completely off, it was still enough for the drag to rip the tail right off.
The rest of the gunship began to pull up, throwing off the cannon?s aim. It begins to pick up speed, starting a series of out of control loops that throws the crew out into the sky. A small fire was created when the darts hit, and it had spread to the ammunition. The crashing aircraft began to burn while several rounds began to cook.
After making sure that her target wasn?t a threat anymore, Sakuya switched back to her original spot. Her hand was shaking a little, her shot just now was getting to her. ?Driver, bring us around the rear. Loader, switch to our armor burning rounds. Gunner, concentrate on their more dangerous tanks.?
Looking to her left, Sakuya tries to find a weak point in a trio of Leopards when a P-47 showed up, let loose a salvo of unguided rockets and three bombs, and pulled up. Two of them were disabled and set on fire while the third was tracked. The Tiger (P)?s turret turned towards it and landed a shot on the cannon breech. Seeing that they were dead in the water, the crew bails out, only be hit by the same P-47 going a strafing run.
Finally picking up speed, the Tiger (P) popped out from behind the hill and gunned down an armored Humvee. Another one tries to escape but gets rammed and crushed. Sakuya hears her driver chuckle a little over the radio. The sounds of breaking and crushed metal was loud even inside the tank. A British Challenger was turn to engage her when it was brewed up. The one that fired the shot was Nazrin?s Maus, slowing moving about. The radio came alive with Nazrin having to explain step by step to Shou on how to drive. It was fortunate that the gear shift was attached, otherwise it would have been lost somewhere.
?Any friendly armored units,? a voice with a hint of Lunarian posh came over the waves. ?We?ve encountered a series of tall earthen barriers with stiff resistance. Any help breaking through them would be appreciated. And here we go with the rockets again??
Squinting her eyes, Sakuya can spot a hail of rockets flying all around to their far right. Sighing, she taps the driver on the right shoulder with her foot, ordering her to turn towards it. ?Loader, use the high explosive rounds first then change to the beehive once we break through. Radio operator, are there any engineers nearby??
?We have two kappas about a minute from our location.?
?See if they can boost our armor to somewhere to the normal range. I don?t think those rockets are for show.?
?They say they can try, but it would take a while.?
?How do they feel about doing it under fire??
?What do you mean??
?We break through the barrier and I dismount. While I?m mopping up the rest, the kappas can fix the tank.?
?They don?t like it, but they?ll do it.?
?Good. Driver, bring us in at top speed. Gunner, you know what to do.?
Taking a hill at top speed, the crew had to hold on to something as they left the ground. Landing, Sakuya accidently swallowed the gum that she had forgotten about. The Lunarians that were pinned down by heavy fire made sure to not be in the way as the heavy tank flew past them. Before the human forces could concentrate rocket fire on them, the gunner had blown a hole with a high explosive round in the Hesco barriers and the tank came to a stop inside.
A beehive round was slammed into the cannon, it had no delay set. As soon as the round left the barrel, it turned into the darts again. Even when one had hit a victim, it still kept on moving forward with little resistance. 50 caliber machine gun fire found the tank, forcing Sakuya to exit through the bottom hatch. Hitting the ground, she turns her G36 to the side and starts firing. The noise created by the cannon and bow mounted machine gun hid her shots. A few of her rounds hit some legs, but it wasn?t enough for her.
Spotting a series of trees that happened to be the right angle to deflect her shots towards a fire team that was trying to flank them. Throwing a set of her knives, they hit the tree and bury themselves in the hapless humans. But throwing those knives had the disadvantage of revealing her hiding space. Crawling back, she manages to get herself out from under the tank at the rear. The ground shook as the Tiger (P) fired off another beehive round.
An AT-4 rocket hits the left thread near the front, tracking the tank. From behind them, the Lunarians were beginning to pour through the gap. The standard bearer was busy stabbing any human that got close with the metal tip on the bottom of the colors. Rifle rabbits were unloading entire magazines into any human they could find. Even when a wounded human fell, they still kept pumping shots into the dying body. The sheer ferocity of the assault caused some platoons to become broken and flee. Once the firefight had gotten some distance from the tank, the kappas showed up and started to repair the tracked tank.
One of the kappas shook her head when she saw the damage. ?You?re lucky that you had such a good base to start with. I bet any other tank would have been a flaming wreck by now.?
?That?s German engineering for you,? Sakuya felt a sense of pride for her tank. ?How?s she looking??
?You got tracked again. How long has it been since we repaired your treads? If I didn?t know better, I would say that you were a Jagdpanther commander back in your day.?
?I was never late for anything important.?
?Anyway, we can repair the track quickly since it?s not bad. I?m not comfortable with letting you go on with the armor like this. You need to get back to the SDM and let Patchouli and Nitori repair it. Once we can get her moving, head back.?
?I can?t argue with that.? Sakuya could see deep impacts in the armor. Another cannon round would penetrate easily and hit them inside. ?Are there any quick fixes that would give us a better chance of making it back? I rather not brew up today.?
?I can boost the side armor, but a head on shot would more than likely break through. Your front armor looks like a fairy could punch through it.? The kappa gave the tank a quick glance. ?I heard something about the Lunarians capturing a truck with something important inside. It?s too heavy to fly it out, so they?re stuck with driving it. It would make sense if we got you to escort it back to the library.?
?Can?t argue with that logic. Where?s the truck??
?About a quarter of a mile from here. We tied a small blue flag to the antenna so we can tell who it is. From what we?re hearing, it?s really important that we keep it safe.? A squad of Lunarians were walking by when the kappa grabbed their attention by waving her arms. ?We need you to help us repair this track. Hauptmann, go ahead and tell your crew what I told you and come up with a plan.?
Ten minutes later, Sakuya was guiding the Tiger (P) out of the breach and scanning the area through binoculars. About a tenth of a mile from the point, a loud impact could be heard. Quickly coming to a halt, the tank stabilized and the gunner lined up the shot. The opposing M1 Abrams slammed on the brakes just as the round left the barrel. It hits the stabilizer but doesn?t cause damage anywhere else.
Both tanks turned to go down the hill, with the truck moving to use the Tiger (P) as cover. The two tanks start to fire at each other on the move, missing due to the rocking and swaying of the tanks. Sakuya braces herself using the walls near her, she can feel the tank leave the ground a few times. The two gunners make the mistake of aiming for the turrets, ensuring that their shots would miss.
Keeping an eye on the enemy, Sakuya quickly tires to plot a path that would give them an advantage. The situation was a head to head battle and she had a lightly armored truck that needed to be protected. Her gunner lands a hit in front of the tank, showering rocks and dirt on the Abrams. The return shot doesn?t even hit the ground anywhere the Tiger (P).
?Porsche Tiger,? the Lunarian driver?s voice came over the radio. ?We don?t have anything that can hurt it, so you?re on your own for this.?
?Keep us between you and that Abrams,? Sakuya instructed. ?That 120 mm cannon will tear right through you. Just follow our lead.? She looked down at her driver. ?We?re hitting some level ground soon, keep swerving and get ready to turn to the left. Loader, go as fast as you can.?
Once they had gotten on the level land, the shots became faster. The Abrams fired a round that grazed the front side of the tank. The fairy gunner fired a return shot that missed completely. Even inside of the tank, Sakuya could hear the difference between the conventional 120 mm cannon and her own 88 mm. Even with a smaller caliber, it still had a deeper sound due to the added power from the youkai engineering and magic. One solid hit would still finish either of them off. Neither side had bothered to use their machine guns, they were recognized as being useless in this fight.
With a clear road coming up, the driver make a sharp turn to the left. The truck took care to keep covered since the Abrams made a sharp turn to the right. When both of them were at close blank range, they fired and missed. Once they passed each other, they began to place more distance between themselves. The gunner rotated the turret to face the rear and fired another shot. It flies within three feet of the turret, but still misses.
?That tank commander knows his art,? Sakuya observed. ?We have to end this before any more of them show up. If I remember right, there?s a ridge somewhere around here. If we bait them, one shot from the front would be good enough. Lunarian, how do you feel about playing bait??
?As long as we don?t get hit, we?re fine with that.?
?Good. There?s a ridgeline about half a mile from here. Lead them towards it and we?ll finish them off.?
?Alright.?
Another round flew past them, close enough for Sakuya to see the distortion of the air around it. ?Driver, get to the ridgeline over there. The truck will lure them to our kill zone, but we need to hurry. Gunner, hold your fire until we?re in position. Loader, make sure we have an armor piercing round ready. We?ll going to have one shot for this.?
Separating in the middle of the forest, the truck went to lure the M1 towards the ridge. The assistant driver poked his rifle out of the window and fired at the Abrams, getting their attention. The tank fired a shot, but missed. Another rifle round hit the turret, serving only to annoy the occupants. With the trees covering them, they were somewhat safe from aerial attack. But that didn?t keep them from seeing random bombs and rockets from hitting the area. The human commander started to smell a trap, but didn?t have any other choice but to follow. Their priority was to take out the captured truck, even if it meant that they were taken out by the Tiger (P).
One more round flies right above the truck, resulting in the assistant driver firing back again. The two Lunarians could be seen having an argument, probably about who ate the last cinnamon bun at breakfast. The driver kept zigzagging while she waved her fist at her partner. In response, he kept on slamming the roof while pouring rounds at their pursuer. Sakuya had the radio operator change the station when the argument went to some embarrassingly personal matters.
The ridgeline came into view in front of Porsche Tiger, along with two German Leopards that were under quick field repair. The driver came to a halt, narrowly dodging an incoming shot. One shot from the 88 tore a hole through the front armor of the more mobile enemy. While another round was getting loaded, the turret was turning to aim at the slowly retreating tank. The Tiger (P) moved forward, not wanting to be a sitting target.
The remaining Leopard?s movement was stopped when another 88 mm shell cut right through the armor and the crew. Now with the ridgeline clear, the Tiger moved to angle itself and provide a clear shot. As soon as the tank had stopped rocking, the truck exited the brush, followed by the M1. The humans fire one shot that misses and then see the German built tank aiming right at them. They start to back up slowly, but they know they were done for.
The fired round slams head first into the front armor, killing the crew instantly. Sakuya pokes her upper half out of the tank. The surrounding area was quiet, they were safe for the time being. The truck began to work its way to join up with the tank. From what Sakuya had heard, the truck was called a ground mobility vehicle. Whether that affected anything was up to debate though. Now that they were safe, all that they needed to do was to get back to the SDM.
-
Lunarian command post, Japan
Behind the command post, Yukari was watching the sun as it started to slowly set in the distance. They had only about thirty minutes until they were in darkness. More than likely, the battle would calm down, with only the occasional attack here and there. That would give them the chance to concentrate on taking down the monster walking around. As long as they took it out, the rest of battle would fall into place.
A trio of P-51s flew over the command post, reflecting some of the orange sunlight from the setting sun with their chipping paint. The Lunarian artillery was flinging shells downrange at a slower pace that could be sustained for a while. With the story of Eirin crushing the rebelling nobles getting around, the portals from the moon had begun to work again. Now they were getting steady shipments of ammo and personnel.
?It?s a downward spiral, isn?t it?? Yukari recognized Yuyuko?s voice instantly.
?You could say that.? Yukari shrugged her shoulders. ?No matter what I do, it always ends up getting worse. You did tell me to leave this alone, but I didn?t listen.?
?That?s the first time that you ever admitted that you were wrong. I don?t know whether to celebrate or to start worrying.?
?Did you?figure out what?s happening??
?It took me a while to piece it together. I couldn?t believe how bad this will become if we let it happen.?
Yukari watched the Lunarian artillery crews switch out some overheated barrels. ?I really can?t find any path that will bring us to a better outcome. If we win this battle, we start down on the path of conquest. If we lose, we get wiped off the face of the Earth. Even if we make it to Makai, they would still follow us to the end.?
?What about the so-called new Lunarian Empire??
Stiffening, Yukari avoided her gaze. ?I had to make a judgment call. It would be better if the Lunarians handled the administration of any captured territories. They have the personnel that would make it go a lot smoother. And that was just stroking her ego to get her to agree.?
?Sounds more like you meant it. Even with reality breaking down.?
?I have to do what I think is best. This isn?t like any of my other plans or schemes. I can?t afford to make any mistakes that will cost anyone else their life.?
?Dying?s not so bad.?
Yukari didn?t know how to respond to that, so she kept silent. Yuyuko could tell that even after almost a millennia, she still carried guilt. ?It did hurt for a little, but it got better after a while.?
?It wasn?t supposed to happen like that.?
?I know you saw the whole thing. But don?t worry about it now.? Yuyuko tucked some of her hair behind her ear. ?What I really came here to tell you is that the situation outside has deteriorated even more.?
?What do you mean??
?Numerous riots have broken out all around the world. Some countries have also started to declare martial law and have replaced their police with troops. And signs of snow in desert areas, tornados in urban areas and randomly appearing volcanoes have been rumored to been found. From what little information that the kappas have gathered, several organized crime groups have come out and taken control of some regions. Also, the situation in the Middle East is becoming worse.?
?So the embers of war and chaos are spreading and growing. I didn?t expect the climate to start changing so fast. It should have started after we landed in Australia.?
?You?ll need to move whatever plans you have up. Have you talked to Maribel about what?s going to happen??
?She?s got too much to worry about now. It would be wrong for me to burden her with this when she has to worry about being in England.? Yukari sighed. ?She?s such a pure and innocent soul, I don?t want her to bear what I have to.?
?She?s going to, eventually. You might not be there to help her.?
Yukari didn?t have an answer for that. Near the command post, a moon rabbit had laid out in the prone and was aiming at a target about six miles away. The rifle she had was longer than the normal rifles that the line infantry had, leading to an even higher muzzle velocity. A shot this far out required an intense amount of calculations that involved high math. She ended up placing one shot in a Humvee driver?s neck, causing it to crash into a tree.
?I?ve been doing some thinking lately,? Yuyuko watched a volley of Katyusha rockets fly towards the frontline. ?You know my stance on killing.?
?Are you backing out??
?In a way.? Yuyuko looked her in the eyes. ?I want you to have whatever forces I have. I?m not comfortable with fighting in this conflict. I think I can do better in other matters.?
?Such as??
?Maybe?opening an orphanage.?
?That does sound like you. I remember how you looked after Remiu and Marisa when they were younger. They loved when you spent time with them. But where would you open it??
?I?m not sure. Maybe once we expand, I can decide where it would be best.? Yuyuko replied thoughtfully. ?There?s going to be a lot of lives ruined due to this conflict, the least that I can do is help with the fallout.?
?I?m sure that those children will be happy to have someone like you looking after them. But until then, it would help us if you could help with negotiations.?
?With who??
?Once this battle is over, Eirin and I will take a regiment and move on Tokyo. We?ll do our best to force them to pull out.?
?Are you going to threaten them with destruction if they refuse??
?Not unless I have to. I would prefer to just have them agree to stop hostilities and then leave them alone. I don?t want to infringe on their sovereignty unless I have to. If they refuse, maybe Lunarian military law would make them learn.?
Before Yuyuko could respond, a tengu piloted P-47 started an attack run with a forward American AH-64. The tengu fired off three unguided rockets that hit the rotor and downed the helicopter. But before it went down, it managed to hit the pilot with three 30 mm rounds. The tengu didn?t bail out before the Thunderbolt plowed into the ground.
Yukari gritted her teeth. Another youkai had fallen right in front of her. It seemed that seeing this broken something inside of her. What worried Yuyuko most about this was the fact that Yukari had the ability and willingness to get her revenge at any cost. Without a word and with a farrowed brow, she dialed a number on her phone.
?Marisa, I need you to do something for me.? Yuyuko couldn?t hear the witch?s response ?Can your transfer your Master Spark into a remotely activated spellcard??
Yuyuko?s eyes narrowed once she began to understand.
?We?ll need more than one. Make as many as you can and be sure that they are at full power.? With that she hung up. ?Seeing that P-47 crash like that gave me an idea.?
?Are you going to elaborate on it??
?Not at the moment.? Yukari hid her smile behind her fan. ?But it?ll be a blast to see.?
Another volley of Katyusha rockets flew in the air, leaving a large cloud of smoke to slowly dissipate. The sounds of distant gunfire were overpowered by the constant Lunarian artillery. But none of this reached Yuyuko. The only thing that she was concentrating on what Yukari was doing. It was as if nothing else existed.
A slight breeze swept through the area, making the cloth backing of Yuyuko?s cap waver. ?You don?t mean?the MAHEM??
?A version of it.? Yukari wasn?t surprised that she figured it out so fast. ?If we can harness long range power, then we won?t have to risk so many. Add to that the fact that humans still tell legends of Zeus and Thor, we can force some of them to surrender. Fire from the sky after all.?
?Isn?t that against that space agreement??
?We didn?t sign it. But by the time that it?s ready, it won?t matter.? The gap youkai laughed. ?After all, good always wins. I started this game, so now I have somewhat of an idea on how to end it.?
As soon as the words left her mouth, a loud horn could be heard. The signal was for the Lunarians to switch their troops. Even though all LDC forces were qualified for nocturnal combat, only a few were able to bring their full power to bear. First to switch were the line infantry regiments. When the human forces saw them move back, they thought that they were retreating. But that notion was quickly squashed when the fresh replacements brought their rifles up.
The difference between the day and night troops was more evident in the ammunition they used. While the daytime troops used rounds that had more smoke, the nighttime ones were all tracers. To some of the enemy, it looked like lasers. Any that were hit by these rounds had their wounds burned shut painfully.
The next to switch out were the artillery. They left the cannons but turned over the individual aiming records so the replacement crews could handle the individual characteristics of the weapons. The shells were also switched to wider spread chemical rounds, some which included quicklime and Lunarian formulas. The flare rounds would also serve to destroy the humans? night vision.
One of the first shells to be fired opened up right above a M1 Abrams. The mixture inside the shell lands on the tank and begins to instantly burn through the armor. It reaches the engine and kills the tank. Before the crew could bail out, they were deep fried.
With the darkness creeping in more and more, the danmaku being fired became more and more eye catching. All of the night troops wore shakos instead of the wheel caps of their daytime brethren. The bright red plumes served to mock the human forces since it challenged them. The Italian Bersaglieri took it as a personal challenge and were the first to engage them in hand to hand combat.
A lucky Lunarian artillery round hit a retreating Spanish artillery shell truck, creating a massive explosion. In the darkening sky, the explosion looked more like fireworks than a mass of destruction. Yukari smiled a little when she saw it. A little bit of chaos would help conceal her rapidly changing plans.
Lunarian Ministry of Justice, Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
In the highest court of the Lunarian civilization, a large scroll was framed on the wall behind the judge?s bench. Only the most serious cases were heard in this room, in front of a royally designated official. The set of laws that Lord Tsukuyomi and Eirin Yagokoro had drafted served as the supreme code of the moon. It was considered by many Lunarians to be superior to anything ever drafted on the earth.
This set of laws are to be in effect at all times and will serve as the foundation of Lunarian society. Only in the event of an emergency that threatens the wellbeing of the state can these laws be suspended. All members of the Lunarian state are subject to the rights and responsibilities set forth by this document. Any territories captured or under the administration of the Lunarian Defense Corps are subject to this document and the power of the monarchy by way of their respective regional governors.
Title 1 Persons
All members of Lunarian society have the right to live their lives without fear from outside intervention. The Royal Family will perform their duties as overall commanders of the LDC in order to maintain state security. Interior security will be administered by the Gendarmerie in towns and cities outside the Capital. The Gendarmerie will be composed of regular infantry units from tested regiments of the LDC. They will answer only to the Royal Family on all matters.
In order to maintain public order and to provide all with the chance to advance, admission to the LDC will be open to all. All children born to those with noble titles will be required to serve in any capacity if they wish to hold any position in the court. Those that do not will be barred from any position in the court. This requirement will not be waived for any reason or by any authority, including the Royal Family.
No civilian will be allowed to serve in any of the organizations responsible for public safety. If they wish to do so, they must serve in the LDC. This extends to positions in the judicial ministry. This will serve to ensure that those serving will have the proper experience and judgment to carry out their duties. The normal military law will apply to all in the cases that it is applicable. Any civilian masquerading as a member of the armed forces will be subject to immediate punishment.
Conviction in a Lunarian court will result in the forfeiture of all rights. Any particularly heinous crime will result in summarily execution by a Royal Inspector or Royal Officer upon conviction or committing of the crime. In the case of execution right after the crime, the Royal Inspector or Royal Officer must have witnessed the crime personally and submit a full report immediately afterwards. All other convicts may regain their rights after serving honorably in a penal regiment in direct combat. The time to be served will be dependent on the crime and circumstances. Should they fall in battle, they will regain their rights postmortem.
In cases with wronging a fellow Lunarian outside of the LDC, trial by combat will be an acceptable method of ruling. Both parties must agree to drops their claims and accept the turnout of the battle. In the interest of fair and impartial rulings, both parties must agree on the weapons, locations, and terms of the trail. Both parties must have a witness of their choosing. In cases involving the monarchy, the Royal Family may designate a Royal Officer to fight in their place.
Royal Inspectors will have the right and authority to use any means required to bring justice to the victims of crime. They will be required to exercise sound judgment before they receive their title and authority. Any that overstep their judgment and power will be subject to action based on the Royal Family?s decision. Royal Officers may temporarily halt a Royal Inspector?s actions based on clear and irrefutable evidence. If a conflict of interest occurs, the intervening authority must transfer the case to an uninvolved party. Royal Inspectors will answer to the Royal Family through the chain of command, starting with the Gendarmerie.
Royal Officers will be appointed based on their merit and abilities. To be considered, they must hold a commission from the legislative body and have reached the LDC rank of Colonel or above. Upon the granting of a commission from the Royal Family, they will be promoted to Royal Second Lieutenant. They will serve at the behest and pleasure of the Royal Family. All Royal Officers will have overall control of any area they are in, to exclude whenever the Royal Family is present. Only the Royal Family will be responsible for the remediation of a Royal Officer, should the need arise. Any that oppose a Royal Officer in their duties will be subject to the said Officer?s discretion.
Royal Researchers will advise and develop new technologies and doctrines that will aid the LDC and Lunarian people. Any member of the LDC that shows high aptitude in a critical field will be eligible to receive a commission from the Royal Family. Royal Researchers will operate outside the conventional chain of command, answering directly to regimental commanders and the Royal Family. In the pursuit of the advancement of science, they will be given priority of funding based on useful and proven results. Royal Researchers will have the option to conduct research in a rear area or on the front lines. However, they will be required to maintain qualification with a suitable weapon at all times. Should a nonmember of the LDC show enough aptitude, a Royal Officer may recommend their commissioning.
Any disrespect shown to the Royal Family will result in summarily execution. This applies to both internal and external parties. Should an outside party show disrespect to the crown, the LDC will be required to move against them to remedy the situation. The only acceptable outcome is for one side to be wiped out or to hand over complete control. Only a member of the Royal Family may overrule a decision of disrespect. Royal Officers may belay execution if they see merit in the occasion.
Royal Officers, Royal Inspectors and Royal Researchers are to be free from any form of disrespect. In the case of a Royal Officer feeling slighting by one of lower status or rank, they will be authorized to use up to and including death to immediately remedy the situation. In the case of a Royal Officer being slighted by another Royal Officer, a trail by combat can be used to restore honor to both parties. The same will apply to Royal Inspectors and Royal Researchers.
Title 2 Civil Powers
Any member of the Lunarian society has the right to better themselves in every way. In no way can a Lunarian be barred from any civilian facility of education due to their class or social standing. LDC facilities will only be open to current members of the LDC. Medical facilities will fall under the jurisdiction of the Royal Medical Board. Inability to pay will not be sufficient grounds to refuse treatment. Any outstanding medical debts can be covered with service rendered to the LDC.
Marriages will be a protected institution and will enjoy protection from outside interference. If both parties are in agreement, then it will be allowed. Both parties will enjoy the same rights and responsibilities of the others. They will also be responsible for all debts that the other acquires. Marriages can be annulled once one party wishes for it. Only a Royal Inspector or above can step in when enough evidence is found against letting the marriage continue.
Private property will be respected by the government. The Royal Family will only step into matters of economic significance if there is a danger to the wellbeing of the state. Royal Inspectors will conduct random inspections to ensure that working conditions are suitable for Lunarian standards. Any organization that repeatedly defies this ruling will be placed under command of the LDC. Only the Royal Family has the authority to order the minting of currency. Counterfeiting will be punished by death.
Interception of Lunarian goods or materials will be grounds for retribution. This will apply for both internal and external matters. Privateering will be punished by the fullest extent of the power invested in the Royal Officer responsible for capture. Attempting to interfere with any official duties will result in immediate retribution, up to and including death.
Newspapers and the press will be free from interference, provided that they do not purposely spread misinformation or ill will. Should they be accused of vilifying an upstanding citizen, they will have the option of using trail by combat to solve their differences. Should a newspaper willingly continue to disrespect upstanding citizens, they will be placed under the command of the LDC. The Royal Family is to be free from disrespect or ill will from the press. If a newspaper wishes to challenge the Royal Family on an issue, they may do so by trial by combat.
Title 3 Structure
All power will be invested in the Royal Family. The creation of a legislative body will be allowed to aid the Royal Family in the discharge of their duties. The judicial ministry will be responsible for administering the laws and decrees set forth by the Royal Family. LDC service will be required prior to the discharge of any of these duties.
The Royal Family will be identified by their bloodline. The crown will be passed on the eldest child, regardless of gender. Any other siblings will be granted positions in the LDC in which ever branch they desire, once they complete the prescribe training and examinations. They will have the choice to undergo this path on either the enlisted or commissioned officer path. There will be no restriction on who can marry into the bloodline, as long as both parties agree. The Royal Family will conduct themselves based on the examples outline by Lord Tsukuyomi and Royal Colonel Yagokoro.
Noble level persons are allowed to head regiments that can be offered to the Royal Family as troops. Should any noble wish to challenge the Royal Family for the crown, they must have an equal number of regiments and defeat the oldest reigning member in singular combat. Should the noble win, they will have the right to the crown. Otherwise, they have committed treason, punishable by summary execution.
The legislative body will be a unicameral chamber that will be composed of representatives from the noble families that provide troops to the Royal Family. To be eligible to participate, the family must provide at least one full strength regiment that adheres to the regulations set forth by the LDC. They will be responsible for performing duties as assigned by the Royal Family or their representative. Under no circumstances will they be allowed to deploy or mobilize troops without the expressed permission of either the Royal Family or a Royal Officer that will accompany them into that area. Otherwise, they will be guilty of moving against the crown and dealt with as needed.
The Royal Family will be the only authority to set taxes for the Lunarian people. Any captured territories are subject to their LDC governor?s wishes. Taxes will be paid by all members of the Lunarian society, including the Royal Family. Should any Lunarian have difficulty in paying, they may substitute special service to the monarchy instead. This service may be in the LDC or as a civilian. They will have the option to choose a local assignment to decrease difficultly. Tax evasion will result in the forfeiture of all assets, including those belonging to immediate family.
In the event of a state emergency, the Royal Family may dissolve the legislative body, should the need arise. If the Royal Guard must leave the Capital, security of the Capital will be left in the Gendarmerie under a Royal Officer. At no time can the image of instability be allowed to form itself.
Seven distinct branches will be created in the LDC. Infantry will be responsible for attacking and holding the enemy in direct combat. The Gendarmerie will fall under the infantry branch. Calvary will be responsible for long range scouting and operations where infantry would be at a disadvantage. Engineering will be responsible for the infrastructure of both the military and civilians. Artillery will be responsible for the long range weapons that rule the battlefield. The Capital Guard will be responsible for the security and order of the capital. Security and order of other towns will be handled by the Gendarmerie. Royal Forces will be responsible for any other situations that arise under direction of the Royal Family. Medical personnel will operate with a commission and license from the Royal Family and a recommendation from a proven hospital.
Regional governors will serve at the pleasure of the Royal Family. They will hold the LDC rank of Major or above. Senior sergeants will serve as advisors and be responsible for day to day operations. Regional governors will be held accountable for any problems that may arise from their regions. They will be authorized to use reasonable methods to keep peace. In the event of an uprising, Gendarmerie units will be the first to attempt to restore peace. Should they fail, LDC regiments may be called in with the recommendation of the Royal Family.
The Royal Family will be the head of the only administration allowed in Lunarian territory. Any other organizations wishing to project power over Lunarian subjects will be met with the full force of the LDC. Any Lunarian subject that willingly submits to this outside power is guilty of treason and will be dealt with accordingly. Organized crime will be crushed as soon as possible with overwhelming force.
The Lunarian court system will be the only judicial judgment system to operate in Lunarian territory. No other forms of arbitration will be recognized or allowed. This overrides any prior existing contracts. Guilds and similar organizations will only be classified as such, under no circumstances will they be afforded the rights and privileges of individuals. Any that are found to be guilty of bribery of a LDC official will have their assets seized and their responsible personnel brought in front of a Royal Inspector.
The only party that can override the Royal Family will be Lord Tsukuyomi, should he see it fit. In a crisis that threatens the Lunarian society and even realty itself, Lord Tsukuyomi will have the authority to override this document and use any means necessary to ensure the continued survival of the Lunarian people. Royal Colonel Yagokoro will also be authorized to take command of the entire LDC as Supreme Commander of the Army of the Moon. As soon as the crisis is resolved, they may both step down and return any and all emergency powers to the Royal Family. Any actions taken during that go against common conventions may be pardoned at either Lord Tsukuyomi or Royal Colonel Yagokoro?s discretion.
Conclusion
The rights and responsibilities outlined above are in effect for all members of Lunarian society. In the interest of state security, captured territories may have their rights suspended by the military governor. The Royal Family will be the cornerstone for all governmental operations. All three titles are essential for the continued stability of the state. There will be no civilian control of state agencies. Due to this, it is the LDC?s most important duty to groom leaders and advisors that will have the interests of the state and the proper judgment to follow them. This document is designed to solidify the basic law of the Lunarian society. Any rights or responsibilities not explicably given to the Royal Family belong to the regional governors in the understanding that they will not interfere with the Royal Family.
Signed,
Lord Tsukuyomi
Royal Colonel Eirin Yagokoro
-
Center of the Lunarian main line, Japan
With the normal line regiments done switching out with their replacements, the battle became even more of a frenzy. Both personnel and armored combat had gotten so close that they were ramming and tackling each other. Several of the oni operated anti-tank guns were firing on exposed infantry. For the oni crews that had their weapons destroyed, they were content with ripping the humans and light vehicles apart with their bare hands. Several of the later human victims were beaten over their heads with the ripped arms of their dead comrades. The advantage of the Gensokyo and Lunarian troops became even more apparent with nightfall.
Remiu was surrounded by a small group of oni lead by Suika and Yuugi. Her lack of night vision was well-known and Yukari had arranged for her to be looked after. To compensate, Remiu was bombarding any enemy troops she could see with Purification needles and Yin Yang orbs. Marisa was casting Stardust Reverie, raining down more destruction than any human artillery round. She concentrated mostly on keeping up the barrage, but still had the foresight to constantly arrange her spell card to make sure that she wasn?t out at a bad time. They were to fight for only a little longer, then Yukari would make them rest at the SDM.
Youmu had been dragged off the frontline after a close hit by an artillery shell had caused a squad she was in close combat with to explode. Reisen had seen her stagger back with a familiar thousand yard stare and grabbed her by the collar. While under fire, the moon rabbit had dragged her back into a trench and stayed with her while under another barrage. She had the foresight to separate the gardener from her weapons.
Two GDF Panzer IVs had flanked a column of M1 Abrams and Leopards and were unloading armor piercing composite rounds into their rears. They managed to knock out five of the seven before the two Panzers brewed up from return fire. Even after that, as soon as the fairy gunners resurrected, they tried to keep shooting. They only stopped when all of their other rounds had exploded and they kept falling unconscious due to the pain. The drivers did manage to ram the last two before they met the same fate.
The bright red glare of Katyusha rockets flew over the main line, casting a red hue all over the field. The troops that remained from the beginning of the battle were beginning to develop a phobia from hearing those rockets. Eventually, the fresh replacements would develop the same fear. The amount of equipment that they were losing was staggering, but what surprised them more was the fact that the Lunarians didn?t even care enough to pick them up. If a rifle or crew serviced weapon got in their way, it got kicked to the side.
A group of moon rabbits flying in a wedge began to bombard concentrated positions with explosive tracer rounds. But since the information of their uniform?s weakness to medium and higher sized rounds had spread, the Lunarians were starting to face more and more 7.62x51 mm rounds and larger. The silver shouldered explosive specialists brought out their incendiary cards, igniting even more fires that darkened the starry night with thick smoke.
One of the two StuG III?s had ran across a platoon of infantry and was chasing them down. The secondary machine gun had run out of rounds, so the alternative was to run them over. It got tracked by a grenade that got wedged between the front right drive wheel and the idler and blew off the track. The tank was saved by a Sherman Firefly landing a high explosive shell near the advancing platoon from the American 10th Mountain Division. Since they couldn?t tell where it came from, they wisely decided to give ground.
Behind the enemy?s main line, the detachment that was under Reisen II and Yorihime had reached the railgun and were engaging the defending forces. Supporting them was a lone Panzer II that was giving the human infantry panic attacks. The fragmentary rounds ripped into the humans, opening the way for the moon rabbits. In the first ten seconds that the Panzer II attacked, it had taken out two platoons and was causing the third to start thinking about retreating. The most dangerous part of the attack started now. If the operators decided to fire, the Lunarians would be hit before they realized it.
To prevent a close shot, Yorihime stabbed her blade into the ground. Multiple blades shot forth from the ground under the trailer that the railgun was on, cutting straight through the axels. Without the support from the axels, the railgun pitched forward just as the operator fired another shot. It hits the ground with so much force that everyone within a five hundred meter area lost their footing.
An explosive specialist hits the barrel with a volley of rockets and leaves it looking like a banana peel. With the cannon barrel damaged to that extend, the railgun was put out of commission. To be sure that the weapon couldn?t be used again, the Lunarians start to fire on every piece of equipment that they could find. Eventually, all that remained were flaming husks. Reisen II was suspicious of how easy it was when an AT4 rocket flew over their heads.
About five hundred meters away, a battalion of American Marine infantry was advancing towards them. The 4th Regiment of Royal Foot had spread themselves out to draw reinforcements away from the main advancing force. Yorihime had heard about the Marine?s reputation as shock troops and knew that the 4th had overextended themselves. The Panzer II was starting to run low on rounds and was starting to retreat back to the main line. A volley of even more AT4 rockets flew towards them and hit in their midst.
A company of the 4th that had broken through the defensive line began to trade fire with the closest Marines. They managed to check that part of the advance, but it was quickly becoming obvious that they would get flanked soon. In the distance, another column of M1 Abrams had climbed over a hill and were spreading out. Their loaders were slamming white phosphorous rounds into the actions of their 120 mm smoothbore cannon.
Before the gunners could fire, Lunarian artillery fell between them and their targets. The drivers instantly threw the tanks into reverse, getting them out of the kill zone. The chemlights that the Marines wore on the back of their assault packs disappeared as they sprinted behind cover. Some of the Lunarians were starting to run low on their own rounds, Reisen II was hoping that the replacements would reach them soon. Almost as if in response, her communications officer shouted out, ?Our regiment?s been ordered back! The 18th Regiment of Night?s supposed to be replacing us.?
?They do know that we?re busy at the moment, right??
?They?re already moving towards us. If we can hold out for ten minutes, they?ll relive us.?
?Princess Yorihime, I don?t think we can last that long.?
The Royal ducked her head when a few rounds hit the ground in front of the crater she was in. ?We might be able to if the rest of the regiment can catch up.?
Reisen II looks at her map. ?Half of the regiment?s picking up speed. As long as they don?t run into anything too bad, we should have support in about two minutes.?
The column of M1 Abrams that had retreated showed back up, readying for a salvo of white phosphorous. Before they could fire, a long range shot from the other Firefly slammed into the centermost tank. Even though it was a direct hit, the HE round did little damage. But it still did what the gunner wanted. The rest of the tanks readjusted their aim, wanting to swat the Firefly out of existence.
The fairy driver slammed the gear shift and lurched forward, narrowly dodging the incoming rounds. White smoke began to spread from the impacts, along with a fire that was resistant to water. One more flying wedge flew over the 4th, providing them with much needed support. One platoon from the Heavy Rifles had followed the 4th in and had finished setting up. Now, they were pouring fire down at any human they could see. But their barrels were showing signs of overheating.
The Marines that had reached grenade throwing distance wasted no time in tossing the small explosives. Some of the moon rabbits kicked and threw them back, turning it into a game of catch. In the confusion, some of the Lunarian squads rushed forward with their bayonets. Yorihime wasn?t too far behind, ripping into three of the humans with her first strike. Not wanting to be left behind, Reisen II orders a complete charge.
Gunshots rang out from the distance, letting the battered Lunarians know that they had more support. More of the 4th had finally gotten into firing range and were still advancing. Another flare flew up to the air, hurting everyone?s eyes with the intensity. With the flare showing the location of where support was needed, more flying wedges arrived to launch strafing runs. As the fight dragged on, the rest of the 4th arrived and were pushing the Marines back. By the time the 18th had shown up, the 4th had pushed the Marine battalion back.
But the 18th wasn?t alone. They had brought a pair of 75 mm Pak 40s with their oni crews. The high velocity rounds created their trademark whistle as they flew towards the tanks. One was knocked out before the rest fired back. With their infantry support failing, the tanks were unable to effectively fight back against the 18th?s charge. The mounted machine guns were destroyed by the advancing Lunarians to make it easier for them. Some of the moon rabbits had switched to axes and were trying to break into the interiors.
The Pak 40s turned their attention towards another Marine battalion coming to support the first one. Scattered artillery hit the area again, taking down Lunarian and human alike. With the area heating up again, there was no chance that the 4th could fall back now. Another lone M1 Abrams tried to join the party, only to be rendered combat ineffective by a low flying P-47. But the P-47 didn?t make it out since it had the misfortune to get hit in the cockpit by a random AT4.
At that exact moment, artillery units from both sides just happened to decide to start shelling the same exact place this was all taking place with more vigor. Reisen II was about to crawl under a disabled tank when Yorihime grabbed her by the collar and dragged her along. A few feet away, an artillery shell hits and knocks them down. Neither of them were injured but they instantly became sluggish and had ringing in their ears.
Reisen II looks up while dragging herself to her feet. Everything had slowed down and now she was able to see what was really happening. One of her senior sergeants had his rifle destroyed, so he detached his bayonet and was stabbing a Marine Lance Corporal multiple times in the face. Another grabbed and threw a lower enlisted moon rabbit out of the path of a burning Bradley but wasn?t able to get herself out in time. A junior officer took fourteen 7.62 NATO rounds to the chest but still took five Marines with him as he slowly fell to the ground.
More and more fires started to spread through the area, claiming the various wrecks everywhere. It wreaked havoc with what remained of the humans? night vision. Before they could try to respond, a hail of magical stars tore straight through a company. Everyone?s favorite evil spirit had joined the fight in this area and was bringing out her best spells. This time, Mima added a randomizing charm to the stars. Victims had the chance to be burned, electrocuted, poisoned, stabbed, or crushed with each star that hit them.
The ammo wheelbarrow was hit by an HE round, resulting in a large explosion that severely burned the oni gun crews. The explosion reached part of the Heavy Rifles, taking down a few of them. Most of the officers had ran out of ammo, leaving them to fight with their sabers and fists. Lunarian medical personnel were being pushed to the limit with all the casualties around them.
A supporting T-34 tried to ride up on the human flank, only to be greeted by a trio of rockets that hit the ammo rack. The unfortunate Soviet tank brewed up with so much force that the fairy crew was knocked out each time they resurrected. The husk only came to a stop when they rolled into a crater. Reisen?s communication officer threw an updated map at her. She opened it and paled when she saw the arrangement of red and blue squares.
?Princess, we?re about be get cut off,? Reisen shot a private that was trying to sneak up on her. ?Two American Marine divisions are about to hit our flanks and surround us! If we let them do that, we?re finished!?
?Lunarians don?t let the enemy see their back, Reisen!? Yorihime shouted. ?Hold our ground and wait for support. They?ll get here!?
?We have a battalion of armor heading towards us. And it looks like they sending in their reserves.?
?Get our engineers to build some fortifications. We can?t survive if we?re out in the open.?
?Engineers, you heard her! Get to work!? Reisen flinched when a bullet flew by her ear. The surviving engineers began to build quick trenches that improved the 4th and 18th?s chances of staying alive. More human forces started to show up, adding to the pressure. Another P-47 had its pilot knocked out and crashed landed in the middle of the fight.
The way the plane had done a belly landing gave Reisen an idea. She grabbed a squad next to her and ran to it. The tengu pilot was already dead, so two of the moon rabbits moved her out of the cockpit and laid her behind a small hill nearby. The pilot had used up the rockets and bombs, leaving only the eight machine guns with an unknown amount of rounds left. They were lucky that the wings hadn?t been ripped off in the landing.
Reisen hopped in and checked the trigger. It looked like it was undamaged, but that wasn?t saying much coming from someone that?s never been in a Thunderbolt before.
?Rotate me to the left a little bit and tip me up,? Reisen ordered. Half the squad pushed while the other pulled. Once they were where she wanted, she pulled the trigger. The eight .50 caliber machine guns roared to life, tearing through a bounding over watch squad heading towards them. The tracers showed an excessive amount of rounds were bouncing, but they did manage to find more targets even after that. ?Start turning it a little more, but do it slowly!?
Once the humans figured out where the rain of fire was coming from, the P-47 became an even bigger target. The first part to go were the bent propeller blades, then the windshield started to break even more. One of the eight machine guns jams from being fired too much, prompting Reisen to change to bursts.
?Tilt me up more!? Reisen engages the landing gear, letting her reach farther targets. With the wings a little tilted, it gave the squad a little cover. ?Rotate to the right slowly! There?s a platoon heading towards us!?
The stream of bullets cut through the platoon, forcing a supporting squad to fall back. She could hear the screams from the wounded as she kept on holding the trigger down. But the only one she could really make out was one screaming about his leg. For some reason, she imagined him as having been named Fred.
?4th Regiment of Royal Foot, we haven?t forgotten about you.? The radio in the cockpit was still working. ?Hold off for about five minutes more. Lady Yakumo has just landed a large group of Tigers, Tiger IIs, Panzer IIIs, Jagdtigers, Jagdpanthers, Ferdinands, and Panthers. They?re on their way to you now. Just hold on.?
The left wing had taken enough damage to be unable to support itself, reducing her firepower to a little under half. The rate of artillery exploding all around picked up, it got to the point to where the only thing most could see was dirt flying. A rocket hits the ground in front of the plane, knocking the other wing off. Since the P-47 was done for, Reisen scrambled out of the cockpit as bullets deflected off the windshield.
She almost lost her footing as the ground started to shake. Trenches were formed to supplement the ones being dug by the engineers. The radio spoke again, ?Some of the SDM magicians have sent a series of trenches to your location. We?ve also received reports of even more enemy units heading towards you. You?ve picked a great time to create a bulge in their line.?
?Maybe I should have kept on pounding mochi,? Reisen mutters to herself as she rolled into a trench. Princess Yorihime hopped in next to her, she was breathing heavily and had a few bruises and cuts.
?Don?t be like that, Reisen,? she wipes some blood from her mouth. ?I haven?t had this much fun in a long time. I wonder how Sis is holding up.?
?As soon as that support comes, we can go find out.?
?They?re here!? One of the rifle rabbits shouted. True enough, a legit Panzerkeil was heading towards them. Twenty late World War II era German tanks had loaded HE rounds and fired them into the middle of the enemy infantry. The loaders worked quickly to have another round ready. Rockets deflected off of their front armor, doing nothing to slow them down.
Behind the wedge, another regiment was marching in formation. This regiment was the 73rd Regiment of Night, and was spoiling for a fight. Their commander released them and flew over to Reisen and Yorihime. He looked them from head to toe, noting their condition. He hands them some rags to wipe themselves off.
?Sorry we?re late. We?re here to relive you.?
?About time.? Yorihime said. ?Are you prepared for this??
?I?m confident that we can push them back. Both of you look like you?ve taken a good amount of abuse.?
?Be warned, Colonel.? Yorihime waved at the craters in front of them. ?The humans have finally started to bring their best to the table. Two regiments might have problems with all the forces looking to plug this gap. Come, Reisen. We need to get the 4th to the rear.?
Behind the Lunarian main line, Japan
A platoon of the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot were filling up on ammo and other equipment. They had been grabbed by Eirin before the rest had exited the field. All that, she told them was that they were needed for a hunt that was vital for their side. Naturally, the rumor mill kicked into high gear and was creating every kind of rumor known to moon rabbit. But what sobered many of them was that Eirin had got them herself. Usually they would have heard about it from their platoon commander, not the regimental commander that happened to hold a royal commission.
Once they were ready, the platoon sat down and waited for their new commander. Even the officers from the richer families had held their tongue. They knew that Eirin didn?t suffer fools lightly. The story of how she had sent a tenured two star packing and on his way in less than ten minutes played in their minds. His family had been angry until she paid them a visit and half of their mansion mysteriously burned down during a fight.
The Colonel walks out from behind the riot shields that were protecting the impromptu command post while tossing a box of rations at one of the senior sergeants. He catches it and looks inside, only to have a look of disgust appear on his face. He waves his fist at Eirin, only to have her wave him off with a grin. Another sergeant started to laugh at the first, only to have a cup of coffee thrown on him.
A few seconds after that, Sakuya exits the command post as well. She takes a bite out of a large cracker and puts the rest back into her pocket. A junior officer raises a new canteen towards her, which she gratefully accepts. Her gloves are covered with oil, grease, and gunpowder, showing everyone that she had gotten hands on with her tank. The Tiger (P) was back at the SDM, undergoing repair and her crew had been ordered to sleep in preparation for tomorrow.
Eirin walks to be in front of the seated platoon and takes her service cap off. She runs her hand through her hair and sighs. ?I?m sure that most of you have some sort of an idea of why I called you here. This is an important matter, but the Special Developmental Group isn?t available to deal with it. They?re on their way to recapture the colors from the 195th. Hauptmann Izayoi and I will be leading this operation.?
She throws a scroll on the ground, activating the projecting feature of the paper. What could only be described as a beast was made visible to all.
?This is called a rake. We have very limited information due to the fact that it shouldn?t exist.? Eirin paused to let that fact sink in. ?According to the information that we do have, it is a very aggressive and dangerous beast. Our mission is to eliminate it before it can escape the area. Any that wish to back out now can do so.?
To the credit of her old regiment, none did so. Even though were nervous, they kept their mouths shut.
?Good. We have a rough description: about 6 feet tall when standing, looks vaguely humanoid, pale, grayish skin, no nose and large eyes. It is a confirmed carnivore, and according to Lady Yakumo, has begun to attack any moving thing it sees. It has taken down an entire company of enemy infantry and eaten half of them before it escaped. American military intelligence has locked down the scene and are keeping a tight lid on it. But rumors and speculation have spread and the entire force is now in a state of unrest. I wouldn?t doubt that they would have one hundred percent security all night and no one gets a lick of sleep.?
?Colonel,? a young lieutenant raised his hand. ?If this beast has killed just human forces, why are we going to hunt it down??
?It might develop an appetite for Lunarian flesh if we leave it alone. There is also another reason, but that is only for Hauptmann Izayoi, myself, the princesses, and Lady Yakumo to know at this time. Perhaps even Lord Tsukuyomi might have to step in.?
At the mention of the founder of the Lunarian civilization, nervous murmurs could be heard. Even though the 1st were the closest to the Royal Family as a whole, they still never met Lord Tsukuyomi. The last time he had taken direct command of a regiment, it was during the worst civil war that the moon had seen. About half of the population had been wiped out and something had to be done. It was the only time so far in the history of the Lunarians that the preservation clause had been put into effect.
?So far, we have no data on its weaknesses. What we are planning is to destroy it with everything we have. There will be no capturing or trying to reason with it. If you see it, you shoot at it. We?ll chase it to the end of time if we have to. I cannot guarantee that we will get out of this unharmed. If what Lady Yakumo had told us is right, there is a high risk of danger for everyone involved. Since that is the case, I will be leading you in this operation myself. ?
She threw another scroll down. This one showed an updated view of the entire battlefield.
?The first attack took place in a rear staging area. It was close to a command post, so the staff are easily on edge. The area is now under extremely heavy security, so I doubt the monster?s still there. So far, we haven?t received word of another attack but-?, she was interrupted by another shaded area popping up beside a separate command post. ?Called it. This one seems to be in the British area.?
Eirin frowned when the expected text didn?t show up. ?Operations, where?s the text??
?That?s all we know right now, Colonel,? a moon rabbit poked her head out from the command post. ?It?s an attack, but we haven?t gotten any more information. The scouts were taken down as soon as it started.?
?Hmmm,? Eirin tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. ?I don?t like this at all. It was the British that got to Tenshi on her home turf. There should be no way that they know about the scouts. They?re hiding something, and I don?t like it.?
?Colonel, could it have been the beast that took it out?? Another young moon rabbit spoke up.
?That seems to be the more likely explanation. But Lady Yakumo assured me that her scouts were well hidden. Operations, what do you mean they were taken out as soon as the attack started??
?It had taken down one of the humans and then we stopped getting information. The weird thing is that the beast wasn?t anywhere close to them and all of the scouts were taken out at nearly the same time.?
?A synchronized attack that found and took out her scouts.? Eirin shook her head. ?The British know something after all. I hate being wrong. Anyway, we?ll be moving out in a few minutes. Our first objective is to reach the site of this new attack before it gets locked down. Once we get there, look for anything that can give us any idea of how to kill it. If we run into any intelligence units, wipe them out and see if they have anything on them. I doubt there?ll be any survivors there, so we won?t worry about it. At least, for now. I assume you are all loaded with armored piercing rounds.?
The platoon nodded. Eirin inspected her own rounds. She had an equal number of armor piercing, incendiary, and fragmenting rounds for her sidearm. Her gut feeling, however, told her that her saber would most likely be what kills it.
?Once we find the beast, fire a flare and try to restrict its movement. All we have are our weapons for this, the GDF won?t be able to support us with their armor or artillery. Avoid close combat at all costs, if what I?ve heard is true, you?ll get ripped apart in seconds. If we don?t find anything, we?ll turn back. Any questions??
A moon rabbit raises her hand, ?Colonel, what if we meet enemy forces on the way? Do we engage??
?Depends on the size and makeup of the enemy. It also depends on how time we have left, this is a time critical operation.?
?Colonel, what?s the lowest percentage for continuation?? One of the young officers asks.
?We require at least seventy five percent of our force to continue. I would like to have at least ninety percent left when we make initial contact. Any more questions??
Everyone shook their heads and began to stand up. Eirin loads her sidearm and draws her saber. The platoon loads their weapons and attaches cleaned and sharpened bayonets. The junior officers draw their sabers and follow Eirin. To save time, they fly towards the objective while staying extremely close to the ground. To their sides, they can see the night regiments pushing forward against artillery. They kept flying until they passed a weaken part of the enemy line and continued on while working to keep themselves unnoticed.
"You know, there is someone that could kill it with one glance,? Sakuya was flying next to Eirin.
?If you?re talking about Flandre, Yukari doesn?t want her using her power unless she has to.? Eirin sighed. ?It would be a lot easier, but I?ve got a feeling that doing that would make it worse in the long run.?
?That?s preferable.? Sakuya felt a sense of relief that her younger charge wouldn?t have to deal with something like this. ?But won?t things like this spread? Yukari made it sound like it was only the beginning.?
?I?m sure that we?ll get paired up again. I don?t mind it, I have to provide an example for my troops after all.? Eirin shrugged. ?I heard about how you repelled an attack with one of our companies.?
?I hope I didn?t overstep my bounds.?
?Quite the opposite, I was impressed. Lunarians don?t tend to follow commanders that they don?t trust. Should the need arise, would you be open to leading another Lunarian formation??
?I would, but I don?t want to make any of the commanders feel that I?m taking their job.?
Eirin smiled. ?Don?t worry about that. I?ll make them see the light. Let me ask you one thing, do you know what one of a Royal Officer?s duties are??
?To serve as commanders of the Royal Regiments??
?That?s one, but an even more important one is deciding who sits on the throne.? Sakuya tilted her head in confusion. ?The human equivalent would be the Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire. Should a monarch not live up to the expectations of the Royal Officers, we could make them go away. It?s always been the unofficial duty of the Royal Officers to make sure that only the best candidate sits on the throne.?
?Is it as bloody and treacherous as the human version??
?Not when my former students were involved.? Eirin frowned as she thought about her answer. ?It seems that the monarchs that I served as tutor for tend to fare better than the others. None of them have had problems with keeping the Royal Officers from drawing their blades. It might have something to do with the fact that I would take exception if they tried. Especially if Toyohime and Yorihime were concerned.?
Once they reached the outskirts of the objective, they touched down. The platoon separated into several groups that began to spread out. They had their rifles up, alert for any signs of movement. The young officers were visibly nervous, with death grips on their sabers. Eirin frowned as she heard nothing except the distant sounds of battle. The map indicated that they were near a staging area. There should have been signs of machinery and vehicles, but all they met was relative silence.
They move slowly, keeping an ear out for any sounds. Behind a group of trees, a damaged Humvee could be seen with a broken windshield. Eirin moves to inspect it and can see claw marks all over the vehicle. Fresh blood stains could be seen all over the seats and the steering wheel, along with bullet casings. She moves to the rear of the vehicle, finding two bodies with deep slash marks through their body armor. The doctor lays two fingers against the side of their neck, checking for a pulse.
Standing back up, she can see more vehicles in disarray. More bodies were in various states of mutilation. Eirin started to feel a sort of pressure on her temples. She hadn?t felt something like that since she had seen a rip in reality during one of the Lunarian civil wars. Gripping her saber even more, she looks over the bodies closely. One of them moves slightly, causing her to jump a little.
She plants her saber and takes a knee next to the dying soldier. Taking a pack out of her pocket, she places one of her bandages against one of the larger wounds. But to her confusion, it doesn?t stick. The soldier groans when he feels the pressure from her bandage. Eirin grits her teeth when she realizes that she can?t save him.
?Soldier,? the doctor tries to reassure him. ?You?re going to be alright. What happened here??
?Uh?it popped out of?nowhere. It cut right through?the armor,? He started to cough up blood. ?It took?out the commander?s?heart and ate it. I shot it?and it still kept on attacking. What was?that thing??
?It?s called a rake. Don?t worry, we?ll here to kill it.?
?But?we?re fighting against you?why are??
?Because it?s not the lower ranks? fault that this war happened. There is a puppet master pulling strings and sending all of us to the battlefield. For that, we hold no ill will towards you. Don?t worry yourself, you?ll be alright with a night?s rest. Take it easy and go to sleep.? Eirin stayed with him until he stopped breathing a few moments later. She stood back up and pulled her saber out of the ground. Without a word, she motions for the Lunarians to follow. Sakuya averts her gaze as she walks by the bodies.
The question of why there were American troops in supposedly British area was placed on the backburner for now. As long as they didn?t run into a Scottish regiment, they didn?t have that much to worry about. Eirin pulls her bow and holds an arrow at the ready. She kept sweeping her eyes around the area as she quietly moved forward. Sakuya had her Karabiner 98k at the low ready, she was worried about having the power needed to kill the rake.
A chilling roar called out to the night sky, raising hairs on everyone?s necks. Eirin switches to her flare gun and fires a shot. The bright green light illuminates the area, causing the trees and damaged vehicles to cast long shadows. The doctor picks up her bow and arrow, pulls the arrow back and releases. The arrow flies about thirty feet before it splits off into pieces. The pieces glow with a faint blue light and disappear into a bush.
Before anyone could respond, the rake had jumped out and bit a junior officer in the throat. He couldn?t scream before the beast had dragged him into another bush. The rest of the Lunarians open fire, but nothing was there. They start to look around, listening for any sounds. The body of the dead officer flies out from behind a tree and slams into a squad. From the other side of the clearing, the rake charges out and cuts down two moon rabbits.
?Form a square and hold your ground!? Eirin shouted out. ?Try to concentrate your fire on the beast!?
Sakuya lands a round that rolls the beast, but it keeps moving. Eirin switches to her sidearm and lights an arm on fire. The rake doesn?t even notice, but the fire serves to give the square a way to aim. More and more rounds hit it, but several of them deflect off. Even the heavier rounds from the designated breakers bounced off. The fact that it reminded Sakuya of armor plating gave her an idea. She grabs a round that Patchouli had made for her and loads it into her rifle. This round had the property of weakening any protective material with one hit at the cost of not being able to inflict death. Sakuya?s about to pull the trigger when the rake jumps into the middle of the square and kills the rest of the junior officers. The innermost rank of moon rabbits turns around and pins the monster to the ground with their rifles. They light it up with their entire load of rounds, hoping to take it down now.
The rounds inflict a good amount of damage, but the rake wasn?t about to give up. It breaks some of the rifles in half and rips out the throats of some of the moon rabbits. One of the survivors tackles it, only to be greeted with a claw across her face. With the number of Lunarians down to twelve out of thirty, the rest were starting to waver. They had never fought an enemy that could move and kill so fast and easy. Only about a quarter of their rounds had gotten through the tough skin and done damage. With only one shot, Sakuya had to hit it on the first go. Knowing full well that doing so was suicide, a moon rabbit stabs the rake and pins it down. Taking the chance, Sakuya lands the round and can tell that it took effect. The rake instantly begins to go into a frenzy, tearing the moon rabbit apart and going for the rest.
Ten more had fallen before Eirin and Sakuya landed another hit. The remaining moon rabbit kept firing rounds at it, but couldn?t land another hit. With the fall of the last moon rabbit, only Eirin and Sakuya were left. The rake jumps towards Eirin, only to have Sakuya land a knee and send it rolling. The doctor fires off a quick arrow that hits its right arm. Falling down, it bites and pulls the arrow out before biting through it. Sakuya doesn?t give it much time to recover as she jumps in front of it and attacks with her knife. The pair trade blows while Eirin circles around for a clear shot. It tries to overpower Sakuya?s defense, but seems weaker. Trying to intimidate her, it rises to its full height at about 6 feet tall.
Seeing the opening she needs, Eirin fires another arrow that hits the lower left part of the chest. It instantly doubles down while jumping back and throwing a punch to buy time. Eirin notices that the wound from the arrow strike earlier was healing at an extreme rate. Sakuya notices it as well and presses on the attack. The rake jumps straight up, using the flare to hide itself. Half a second before it would had rammed into Sakuya, she manages to lock her knife with its claws.
The rake jumps up and rams its feet into Sakuya, sending her backwards. She flips back on her feet only to lock again with an incoming attack. It head butts her, causing her to lose more ground. Her grip on her knife is weakened, letting it get swatted out of her hand. Before the monster could take advantage of that, Eirin had closed the distance and driven her elbow into its throat.
It staggers back, coughing as it struggled for air. Eirin draws an arrow and steps forward. She stabs it in the chest and quickly draws her saber for another strike. Sakuya lands a kick from the side, knocking it off balance. It responds by failing and knocks her to the ground. The doctor launches a strike, only to have it parried away. Using the momentum from the parry, she spins and lands a kick of her own.
Out of nowhere, a large cannon round flies close by. The rake drops to a crouch and snarls at them, trying to figure out what happened. Eirin?s communicator charm lights up faintly as she receives a message.
?Colonel, there?s a platoon from the 15th Night nearby. They?ve gotten eyes on that thing and have a wall puncher ready to go.?
Eirin shot another arrow that hit the rake in the leg. ?This thing is too fast for a cannon to hit. It?s already taken out my support and its holding its own against Hauptmann Izayoi and myself. If you do want to take it down, you have to do it in one shot. It has shown to have a very high rate of regeneration.?
?Colonel, it?ll be difficult to land a shot. If you can slow it down, we?ll have a better chance.?
?Don?t you think we?re trying to do that?? Eirin couldn?t help but let a little sarcasm drip into her voice. ?Damn, I just thought of something. Wait for my signal.?
She chastises herself for not thinking about it soon. The fact that she had let an entire platoon fall while under her command added to that weight. Infusing one of her arrow with her ?Galaxy in a Pot? spell card, the doctor draws back the string. She has to be careful to make sure that Sakuya wouldn?t be caught in the trap. Eirin releases the arrow and hopes that she choose the right time.
-
Lunarian Main Line, Japan
?Ready up!? Nazrin?s loader shouted as she slammed a round into the breech of the Maus? cannon. Both the 128 and 75 mm cannons were loaded and ready to go. All over the super heavy tank, members of Eirin?s personal unit were seating and enjoying the slow ride to their objective. Nazrin had her upper half out of the turret and was conferring with the temporary group leader. Behind them, a column of Panzer IVs, Panzer VIs, StuG IIs and a lone Sherman Firefly were moving along with infantry sitting on top of them.
The LDC and GDF personnel were mingling in together, trading packs of food and candy. A high ranking officer from the human military would have a heart attack if they saw this scene. The amount of Risk Assessments and Safety Briefings being disregarded with this action would have senior officers foaming at the mouth. If the moon rabbits had worn at least three reflective belts and had ground guides, then it would be different and everyone would be happy.
Shou was humming a tuneless song as she shifted gears. She had finally gotten the hang of a manual transmission and was having a bit of fun with it. As long as the gear shift didn?t detach, there was no chance of her losing anything.
?So far, the 56th Night?s cleared a lane for us.? The Lunarian physicist that had been appointed as the group leader in Eirin?s absence pointed at a line on the map. ?They?re pushing forward to give us more room, so we have to hurry.?
?What have they pushed back?? Nazrin?s ears wiggled as she thought. ?I would hate to run into surprises.?
?It looks like just infantry and mechanized infantry. I doubt they have anything that would pose a threat to your armor.?
?Then what?s that over there?? Nazrin pointed at an American and British pair of companies that were set up. ?Go ahead and have your troops hop off. Stay behind us and we?ll take care of the rest.?
The infantry jumped off with a fair amount of fake complaining. All of the tanks in the column closed their hatches and started to spread out. The Panzer IVs were faster in getting in their spots and opened up with their machine guns. High explosive rounds also started to cut through the dug in enemy. The crew service weapons make prime targets for the cannons while the scattering foot soldiers are cut down as they tried to move to cover farther away. One of them had an AT4 rocket that succeeded in bouncing off of the Maus? front armor.
Once everything goes quiet, the Lunarians move forward and confirm that they?re all dead. They checked the unit patches to make sure that they hadn?t already jumped the target. After they?re done, they hopped back on the tanks and kept on their trip.
?Have they told you the biggest drawback of the Maus?? Nazrin asked the group leader.
?Isn?t it a big target??
?That makes it easier for air units to hit it. Just like a hawk?s always on the lookout for field mice, airplanes are on the hunt for a Maus. So far, the tengu have managed to clear the sky enough for us to poke our heads out of the hole. But I?m more worried about those planes that fly by themselves.?
?Don?t worry too much about them. We have a lot of fun shooting those things down. It wouldn?t do for us to skip target practice. Anyway, how far are we from the point??
?We should be coming up to it in a few minutes. From what I?m getting from this map, they?re on the move and are separated from any support. Once we get close enough, we?ll be set.? Nazrin petted the field mouse that climbed on her shoulder. For some reason, the pair had a craving for some cheese or peanut butter. Almost on cue, the gunner threw up a pouch of peanut butter.
The Lunarian sitting next to the hatch pulled out a pack of crackers and helped her spread some on them. Feeling philosophic, the Lunarian calls out to their resident thinker, Eirin?s senior enlisted advisor.
?Hey, top. What do you think about this here war??
?You sure you want to do this, doc?? The battle worn Lunarian smiled slightly. ?Alright, here?s my thoughts on it. I don?t mind ripping some poor grunt?s throat out, but would that really change the overall situation? I mean that there are three criteria for a just war: someone has to be threaten the normal balance, that the war has to have a clear directive, and it should only last as long as needed. I can?t tell you how many times I?ve had this discussion while shooting a traitor to the crown in the face. But would shooting enough people in the face really change things or would it lead to more? If you look at it from the nobility?s point of view, they like pointless wars. They don?t have to be out here in the thick of it, they just send their troops and claim the credit for their work. I know the Constitution says that they have to serve, but it doesn?t say that they have to fight. If they saw the elephant, I?m sure they wouldn?t have their heads stuck up their asses.?
?I?ve always thought that you Lunarians had a paradise up there,? Nazrin says as she hands him another peanut butter cracker and then hands some to her crew.
?A paradise?? He laughs, along with every other Lunarian in earshot. ?We?ve had more wars than this planet will ever see. The way our government is set up is always asking for a civil war. Especially with the trouble that popped up when Colonel Yagokoro left. Every few years, some battle tested noble wants to take the crown for themselves and moves against the Royal Family. Most of the time, the Royal Regiments are enough, and sometimes the Royal Guards have to do something. If we get called in, something?s going down. We might look like a paradise, but there?s a large military machine keeping the unsteady piece. The majority of the people love the Royal Family, but you always have that one.?
?So, how big is Colonel Yagokoro over there?? Nazrin felt a little behind asking something she felt was so simple.
?Well, where do I start?? Top ate another cracker. ?She?s one of the founders of our civilization, the most decorated person in the LDC, she?s served as the personal tutor for most of the Royal Family, she?s punched Death in its face and threw him out of her lab, she?s shown disregard for the natural laws of nature and medicine by bending them to her will, and she won?t shy away from a fight. To many of us Lunarians and moon rabbits, she?s a hero that we would follow into hell and anywhere else. She?s spent many of her early years traveling around the moon to stomp out every disease we could think of. The people love her. It wouldn?t be an understatement to say that she holds more power than the Royal Family. I?m sure our political master would agree.? A Lunarian carrying a hunting rifle behind them nodded.
?So, she could be the leader of an entire civilization and ends up being happy making medicine in the Bamboo Forest.? The mouse youkai couldn?t understand it.
?Once you seen some of the things she?s seen, you would want the same thing.? The temporary leader jumped in. ?I was at the court once, and I?ll say one thing: never again. It was the most toxic environment I?ve ever had the misfortune to be in. I was a hair away from choking some teenage noble, if I didn?t get dragged away. But I still got that fool back later that night. I heard they?re still finding teeth across the town they found him knocked out in.?
?His father did try to get you canned,? the Lunarian called Top said. ?He might still be to this day.?
?Let him try. He might fall down the stairs in a mysterious accident and land on a bullet.?
The pair kept on going back and forth while Nazrin nibbled on her cracker. This continued on for about fifteen minutes until sporadic pings could be heard from the lead tank. Recognizing the sounds as deflecting small arms fire, the lead tank opens up with its machine guns.
Stuffing one last peanut butter cracker into his mouth, the Lunarian motions for the rest of jump off of the tanks. Nazrin drops down into the Maus and closes her hatch, just in time to hear the number of pings increase. Unbeknownst to the Lunarian, she had grabbed the crackers before she dropped down. Then one loud ping shook the tank a little, making Nazrin frown.
She looks through her viewport and sees a trio of M1 Abrams that were expertly hidden right in front of them. In response, Nazrin has the driver angle the tank and gives the gunner the liberty of free fire. First, the gunner tracks the leading opponent with the coaxial 75 mm and then lands the main round through the turret. The Firefly blows the cannon of another and a StuG tracks the last one.
Something waving captures Nazrin?s attention. Paying attention, she makes out the faint shape of a flag being carried away. She wasn?t the only one to see it, the Lunarians had saw it and were advancing. Instead of forming up in line infantry formation as normal units, the Lunarians instead rushed the ISA operators en masse. The main difference between the two groups were the makeup of the weaponry used. The Special Developmental Group had no issued weapons, they all fought using their personal weapons. This gave them an advantage in that they were more comfortable and unpredictable. Several Lunarians were dual wielding sidearms while some were using custom built rifles that were more suited for hunting game. Many of the older members were content with using their sabers to cut the humans apart.
Five JSGDF Type 10s and three Type 90s had rolled up in the confusion and were unloading rounds at the Maus. Two Panzer IVs advance forward, trying to rush one of the Type 90s. The targeted MBT shifts into reverse, outrunning the two old school tanks. Nazrin?s radio came alive with some of the fairies? complaining that they were only slow because they had overeaten on candy. One shot from the 128 mm cannon tracks two of the Type 90s and damages the horizontal drive on the turret of a Type 10.
One of the Panzer IVs gets tracked, resulting in three of the idle wheels being destroyed. It slides to a halt, barely missing another round. Before a Type 90 could finish off the German tank, the Maus had slammed a round through its barrel. The Maus rams the nearest Type 10 and knocks its next shot off target. But this resulted in the enemy tank getting under the barrel. This was solved by a StuG ramming a round through the smaller tank?s engine.
On the ground, the Gray Foxes were trying to flank the advancing Lunarians. But the moon people weren?t having any of it. They kept on trying to engage them in close combat, negating the heavy firepower that the humans were bringing up. Grenades were flying in every direction, some of the Lunarians were swinging their rifles like bats to send them back. One Lunarian shoved his sidearm into a sergeant?s mouth and kept on pulling the trigger.
?Third squad,? one of the senior members shouted. ?Form up on a firing line! Load armor piercing fragmenting rounds! Fire until they don?t move anymore!?
A squad of five positioned themselves in a line and opened fire. Without having to speak, they concentrated their fire on the leading personnel of the Gray Foxes, trying to throw them into disarray. But that didn?t matter since the human trying to escape with the captured Regimental Colors was impaled and knocked to the side. The moon rabbit that did this lifts them into the air and waves them in triumph. Even though there were crates with captured weapons, the Lunarians paid them no heed.
With their main mission accomplished, all that remained was to withdraw. Even though this area was a good distance away from the main body of the fight, more and more units were moving towards them. Shou throws the Maus into reverse while the gunner picks off the remaining JGSDF tanks. She could almost hear the enemy tankers calling shenanigans on getting taken down by an antique that never saw battle before being canned.
One of the Lunarians fires up a flare that triggers artillery to rain down. Without armored support, the counterattack slowed down when they caught sight of the Maus. In the midst of the fighting, some of the Lunarians had hooked up the tracked Panzer IV to another one and were helping to pull it away. With the Maus attracting most of the incoming fire, the rest of the tanks were free to move back.
Nazrin looks down at the gunner.
?Kokoro, how are you doing down there? Are you feeling alright??
She was wearing her Fox mask, meaning that her emotions were bottled up for the time being. The general idea was to have her serious side do most of the fighting and hope that it wouldn?t affect her as much. So Byakuren and Miko had asked Nazrin to keep an eye on her and make sure that she was alright.
?I?m alright.? Kokoro said in a controlled voice. ?I can?t seem to get a clean hit on any of the enemy tanks anymore.?
?What?s your kill rate??
?It seems like I have killed about eight of them. One of them caught on fire and I saw the crew burn.?
Nazrin?s stomach was caught in the grip of guilt. ?Hey, switch out with me.? She should have seen it sooner. Even though Kokoro?s emotions had stabilized after the events of the religious wars, she was still at the risk of suffering from traumatic stress. Byakuren had asked Yukari to make sure that she wasn?t about to suffer irreparable harm.
?Loading complete,? the loader snapped Nazrin out of thought.
Ramming a round down the throat of a Type 10, the Maus continued its retreat. The autoloaders gave the JGSDF tanks the advantage in firing speed, but the rounds were unable to penetrate the German super heavy tank. A trio of rockets hit the front armor, only to be deflected like others before. High above them, a Predator drone was trying to get a lock on the slow moving Maus. But due to Patchouli?s spell, it couldn?t get a clear picture. In frustration, the remote operator fires a pair of Hellfires and prays they hit.
They land a few feet from the tank, sending fragments into the armor. The explosive force was partly absorbed by countermeasures that Yukari had mandated be applied to the outer shell. One of the Lunarians sees the missiles lands and spots the drone. Three shots send it falling to the ground in pieces amid flames. Another round from the Maus flips a Type 10 on its back like a turtle.
"Heads up, there's three Warthogs heading towards us.? The radio fairy called up.
Everyone in the tank groans when they hear. Nazrin knew that even with the upgraded armor they had, the Warthog would finish them off. But then the radio came alive again.
?Don?t worry about that, little field mice.? Yukari?s voice sang. ?I?ve sent some crows to watch over you all.?
A pack of five SU-47s flew over the tanks, dropping a series of bombs on the advancing humans before pulling up to face the Warthogs. Even to Nazrin?s untrained eyes, she could tell that they were suffering from damage. They fire a pair of missiles and break their formation, leading to a dogfight that the A-10s were outclassed in. Since the human pilots were concentrating on staying alive, they were unable to focus on the withdrawing armor.
Nazrin looks at Kokoro, only to find her staring off to the distance. Another shell hit the Maus, rocking it more. The mouse grits her teeth and places a shell through the enemy?s driver hatch. The coaxial round destroys the vertical drive, causing the next round to fly over them. The two shots were followed by a shot from the StuG that blew the turret off. Since the humans? tanks? brew up countermeasures were useless, it made for interesting fireworks.
A lonely AT4 rocket misses the mammoth tank, eliciting disbelief from the human forces. Switching to HE shells, the withdrawing tanks let loose on the approaching infantry. This new volley made them reconsider their advance, especially after the ease the shells had in penetrating vehicles. Propping down behind the Maus? turret, two Lunarians set up a heavy machine gun and were lighting up the front with solid streams of tracer rounds.
One of the hunting Lunarians crawls up to a 2nd lieutenant and slices his neck open. Then he rips the rank off of his IBA but scoffs when he sees the West Point ring. The military academy was well known to the Lunarians, and not many of them had high regard for it. The LDC didn?t believe in just giving anyone a commission just because they went to a special school. They either had to be born into it or earn it on the battlefield. And even then, it was a tough road unless a family member pulled strings.
The Maus had put a good amount of distance from the human reinforcements, so the Lunarians fired smoke rounds that obscured the area and let them escape. Once the smoke cleared, the only combatants left in the area were the battered American and British forces. The Gray Foxes had taken heavy losses and were trying to figure out what to do. Even though they still had the bodies and equipment of the fallen Lunarians, they were more focused on the captured colors. Several of them were wondering how they could use the story at the local watering hole.
Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
Remiu and Marisa were forced by Yukari to return to the mansion to rest up for the next day. As soon as the pair had plopped down on the first available bed, they were out. Many of the humans had returned to the village to rest and leave the night combat to the youkai and Lunarians. The drivers of the Katyusha launchers had driven into the forest and decided to fall asleep in the cabs. Many of the daytime staff that stayed back had gone to sleep in the rear while a reserve regiment was guarding several locations past the shrine.
Yukari walked out of a gap in Voile and sat down across from Patchouli. The witch pours some sake that Remilia had brought back from the shrine for the both of them. The gap youkai accepts the glass gratefully and takes a sip. The pair sit in silence until Yukari breaks the fragile state.
?How much do you know about medicine??
Patchy raises an eyebrow. ?I don?t think breaking a nail counts as a medical emergency.?
Yukari sighs. ?You?re sharp tongued as always.?
?I have to have something to keep me going through everything that happens in this house.? To emphasize her point, the witch chugs her glass in one shot. ?Hand me the bottle, I need some more.?
?Anyway, you still haven?t answer my original question.?
Wiping off some sake from her face, Patchouli frowns. ?I know some, but if you need medical advice, wouldn?t Eirin be a better choice??
?She?ll figure it out on her own.? Yukari tucked a loose hair behind her ear. ?But let me ask you one thing. What do you think is worse: a cold or the body?s response to the cold??
?Don?t tell me you have a cold. Remember, I have asthma. Even if it?s under control.?
Shaking her head, Yukari smiles. ?I?m just using that as an example.?
?I would say the body?s response.?
?How so??
?Most of the time, the body overreacts whenever it senses something off.? Patchouli pours herself yet another glass. ?In my case, just a little bit of wolf hair was enough to knock me off of my feet. Momiji probably still feels bad about that, but it?s not her fault.?
"One more example. Whenever a person gets cut by a blade, what?s one of the first things to converge around the wound??
?Wouldn?t it be white blood cells, clotting agents and antibodies??
?Exactly. What I would like to concentrate on are the antibodies. What are their purpose??
?To prevent infection in the wound.? One more glass was chugged. ?You keep on like this and I?ll finish this bottle.?
?We?ve already established that reality is being ripped apart by this conflict. But did I explain why we?re facing the things we are??
?Since you put it like that, those unnatural beasts that you told me about are reality?s immune system. But like in most cases, they?re overreacting.?
?You left out one important part.? Yukari frowned. ?The antibodies. From what I?ve figured out, they?re emitting some sort of field that negates magic creation. It works by suppressing the creation of magic around it, however, magic created outside the area of effect can still hit them. For some reason, magic doesn?t seem to be natural. But not being able to use our abilities close up does put us at a disadvantage. At least until it starts to affect all magic everywhere, then we?re straight up screwed.?
?I?m surprised you haven?t figured out something to counter it.?
?If I did, do you think that I would be here talking to you about it??
Patchouli smiled, already feeling a little tipsy. ?So it?s hurting you that you haven?t figured it out. It must be a new feeling to have all of your plans thrown into disarray.?
?Keep on, bean sprout.?
?I?m not a bean sprout,? Patchouli is interrupted by a hiccup. ?I?m purple, how can I be a bean sprout??
?You need to go to bed, you?re drunk.?
?I?m fine.? The witch pulled out another bottle. ?In exchange for my asthma, my body goes through alcohol quickly. I?ve be back to normal in the morning. Even with Eirin?s medicine keeping my asthma in check. It?s not like I?m a drunk, not at all. All these empty bottles around here just happen to show up around me.?
?You would get along well with the oni.?
For the first time in a while, Patchouli paled. ?Don?t say things like that. I?m nothing like them.?
?You get worked up so easily.? Yukari smiled. ?Do you want to hear how the battle is going??
?Sure.?
?So far, the Lunarians have pushed back the humans from the new barrier. We?ve managed to field out newest arm, the armored units. Russian and Chinese troops were withdrawing when the battle was starting. I?ve got the feeling that they?re going to strike at whoever looks the weakest at the end of the battle. Since the Lunarians are finally getting on their war footing, I doubt we?ll be the ones having to worry about the next attack. Iku was taken down by a sniper and caused Tenshi to go on a rampage. I managed to knock some sense into her and she went back to oversee the Celestial artillery. With Eirin taking out the joint force commander, the NATO forces are splitting apart. But that doesn?t mean that this battle is over. The Lunarians have switched from line of battle to mobile warfare and tend to wipe out any human that even looks at them. From what I?m hearing, our tanks are taking some good hits. Still, even though they?re tanks from almost seventy years ago, they?re still matching the modern tanks.?
?I?m happy to hear that my charms and spells are working so well.?
?You did a good job with the Tiger (P) and Maus. They?re serving as the foundations of our advance.?
?Good. I would hate for Sakuya to command a deathtrap that I could?ve helped.?
?How are the repairs going??
The witch downs yet another glass. ?We?ve replaced the damaged armor with stronger parts and the kappas have tweaked the engine some more. Koakuma has added another layer of a water charm to the cannon to increase the firing rate. There?s a chance we could up the round, but I doubt that we can.?
?I think that the cannon it has now is fine. We can leave the heavy stuff to Nazrin. Our tengu friends have been burning through the modern fighters, so we?re stuck with having a majority of propeller driven aircraft and our own power.?
?The mansion?s defense grid should be enough to pick up the slack.?
?Hopefully. I rather not have the mansion blown up since I don?t feel like letting the human bombers have free reign. Anyway, the Lunarians have pushed about fifty miles at the farthest point since the start of the battle. From what Yuyuko has told me, our little skirmish has tipped the scales of the global stage. We can use it to our advantage.? Yukari stopped when one of her crows landed on her shoulder and offered a rolled up scroll to her. ?Hmm, this is interesting.?
Patchouli didn?t respond since she was chugging the bottle. Koakuma had come in from working on the tanks and made herself some tea. She looked exhausted and was nodding her head due to sleepiness. Eventually, she made her way to a nearby couch and knocked out. Her snores could be heard throughout the entire library.
?The states of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan have just been united under a single government.?
Patchouli stopped drinking. ?I thought that the region was going to be stuck fighting forever. How did that happen??
?From what I?m seeing, Iranian forces have overwhelmed the vanishing Iraqi security forces. There?s even rumors of them throwing their weapons and equipment down as they ran away. The same happened in Afghanistan. But I doubt they?ll hold it for long. Word is that some in the Pakistani government are uncomfortable with them on a larger part of their border. The thing is that those are in a minority. And if they don?t do anything, the insurgents in the captured territories will have something to say to their new overlords.?
?What about China, since there?s a strip of their land now bordering them??
?No idea, but I?m sure that they?re still mad about the UN sanctions a few years back. It would be good to bolster their small feud, but I don?t think it would amount to anything useful. But you never know.?
?Is this connected to the damaged reality??
?I think so. In most cases, people?s common sense would stop them from trying to upstage the status quo. If this really is the tear?s doing, we could be at risk ourselves.?
?Aren?t we all crazy in Gensokyo anyway?? The witch threw her head back with another glass.
?I rather not have any of us go off the deep end.? Yukari frowned. ?Reimu has enough on her plate right now to be worrying about keeping the peace.?
?How are you planning on ending this battle??
The gap youkai paused. ?I could end the battle anytime I want, but if we don?t show the humans that we can make them pay for every time they even imagine of attacking, it?ll be useless.?
?Is this why we?re having this protracted battle??
?This is the best way to get them to understand. I?ll be pulling our forces from the front while letting the Lunarians have the lead. Their nobles prefer this method since they can get glory for themselves.?
?Playing their political games too, aren?t you??
?I?ve visited their court before, so I know how they work.? Yukari remembered some of the nobles that had tried to flirt with her, only to be shot down mercilessly. ?If I can?t keep the Lunarians where I want them, there might be a third war.?
?Another war with us out of position could end us.?
?Especially if it?s with the Dragon God.?
Patchouli dropped her glass in mid chug. ?How can you even imagine going against him? You?ll be wiped out in an instant.?
?Don?t underestimate me. I still have some surprises still hidden.? Yukari?s eyes got a hard glint. ?If I have to bring down reality on his head to get what I want, I will.?
The witch could only sit in silence after hearing that. But that silence was cut short when a few strands of Yukari?s hair were cut out of thin air. Patchouli scrambled up, pulling out a few of her spellcards. The gap youkai just smiled and spoke into her phone.
?So, you?re still listening to me. Why not go ahead and get rid of me now instead of just cutting my hair? You?re panicking, I can tell it for sure.? She smiled again. ?How does it feel? You?ve probably never had your plans derailed this much before.?
Paying close attention, Patchouli could feel a faint presence in the library. Then it suddenly disappeared, leaving only emptiness. The slowly falling strands of hair were the only evidence of the confrontation. He?s not sure what to do now. As long as he?s like this, I can take him down. Even if he takes me down at the same time, at least Remiu and Marisa will be able to have peaceful lives after this.
Still with the smile on her face, Yukari taps the map on the table. The purple box that indicated the Lunarian command post started to flash, indicating a line to them was activated.
?Princess Toyohime, could I ask a favor??
The princess sighed from the other end of the line. ?It depends on what it is.?
?I just want to borrow three of your regular regiments tomorrow morning.?
?Why would you need three regiments, we can handle the human attack.?
Yukari still kept her smile. ?I?m going to go ahead and march on Tokyo. Once we get them to surrender, the JSDF will have to pull out. That?s about ten percent of the attacking forces and thirty percent of the supporting ones. And the rest of the human forces won?t be able to resupply or reinforce.?
?It makes sense, but what does Master Yagokoro think about it??
?She?s still busy, but I?m sure she would agree with me. I?ll make sure to ask her when she?s free.?
?I suppose I can put three of the daytime regiments on standby for now. But will they see reason and surrender??
?If I have Colonel Yagokoro with me, it?ll be a sure thing.?
?Alright. The 1st Royal Regiment of Foot, 44th Regiment of Foot, and 66th Regiment of Light Foot will be standing ready for you in the morning.? The line cut off after that.
Yukari sat back down and drank from her glass. Patchouli took one last look around and sat down as well. The pair sat in silence and watched the blue squares advance. The most heated areas of the battle were expanded in and showed every single person taking part. One of the Lunarian regiments had arranged themselves into formation and were firing by rank. A company from the 4th Infantry Division tried to flank the regiment, only to cause the regimental commander to order a pivot. The entire formation kept in perfect form as the over 5,000 Lunarians performed the movement smoothly while under fire, firing back and reloading.
Across the field, a certain Hourai immortal was burning entire platoons alive. Even vehicles weren?t safe from her wrath since she cooked the crew inside. The sheer heat distorted the light around her and created air drafts that affected incoming bullets. Yukari was distracted by the loud snores that started to come from Patchouli. Taking a sip from her glass, she closes her eyes.
?I know your there, Rin.?
???
?I know you shouldn?t be here, but you could at least try to make conversation.?
???
?Did I strike a nerve? I wonder how the Scarlet Mist Incident would?ve turned out if you actually showed up.?
??? A figure appeared behind Yukari. The girl had blonde hair and yellow eyes that complimented her white blouse and red skirt. She held an erhu and bow that seemed to be an afterthought. But as before, she kept her peace.
?I know what you?re thinking. But shouldn?t you stop by and visit Remiu and Marisa. I?m sure they would be happy to see you for the first time.?
?You know the exact reason I?m here and yet you still play around??
?Now she speaks.? Yukari offered her a glass that the other youkai ignored. ?I had hoped that I would never have to see you again.?
?I see that you?re still mad about not being able to play me like you do everyone else.?
?I?m not so arrogant that I can?t admit that I found a match in the game.?
?Someone has made a grave mistake.?
Yukari stiffened. ?You can tell from over there??
?I can tell from the atmosphere.? Rin Satsuki absentmindedly inspected her instrument. ?This land was never meant to see war like this. The damage caused by this war brought me back. But you should know all of this already.?
?I do, so do you have any advice. Or are you here to gloat??
?I rather not call it gloating, but I did have my suspicions.?
?So, how does it feel like being back on this side??
?How does it feel being older than civilization itself??
Yukari had to make a concentrated effort to keep from bursting the glass in her grip. ?It?s not polite to insult a Lady?s age.?
?The only Lady I see here is passed out drunk on the table over there. The thing talking to me is nothing more than a honey worded monster that only thinks of herself.?
As soon as the words registered to Yukari, she tried to open a gap. But the youkai froze when her power didn?t work.
Rin smiled. ?It?s always disheartening to have the power you rely on so much fail to work, isn?t it??
?So, you?re part of them as well.?
?Don?t worry, I?m not here for a fight. I just stopped by to give you a friendly warning. It?s happening faster than you?re expecting. If you don?t figure out something soon, then your last go around will be for nothing.?
?Then what do you suggest that I do??
?It would make things easier for you if I did, so I?m letting you figure it yourself. But if I see some use in giving you a hint, I hope you?ll listen.? With that said, she turn and began to walk away. Before she had taken three steps, she had completely disappeared. Yukari waited some more before she tried to use her gaps. She drew a knife that she had taken off of a certain dictator she had poisoned during the Cold War and planted it in the table.
She remembered every single person that she had killed to get events to converge at this point. Of how many empires and kingdoms she had built and destroyed on a whim. Of how many fortunes she had ruined and taken for herself. Of how many armies she had destroyed with her own hands and all the blood she had spilled. She had done too much to hope for a peaceful life.
-
GDF-Lunarian Main Line, Japan
While most of the Lunarians were happy with shooting the human forces, Flandre and Remilia were content with tearing into them. Remilia was able to concentrate her power and apply it with precision while Flandre just blew them away. But the younger one started to realize that her medicine was starting to wear off. She had realized that when she started to feel laughter caused by impaling and exploding a retreating private. Noticing the change, Remilia tried to calm her down but had to focus on a Bradley that showed up and fired missiles at her.
Drawing a spell card from her pocket, Flandre activated Leviathan. The bright red wand grew to full size, casting a sinister glow on the area. Swinging it, Flandre utterly destroyed anybody that she hit with it. An up-armored Humvee?s turret gunner opened fire on her, trying to take her down. The rounds connect, causing her to transform into a swarm of bats. The swarm then went to attack every living human in the area. Soon the screams of terror could be heard all around.
Reinforcing troops came to halt when they saw the scene and decided to leave. But before they could turn around, they were blocked off by an array of green bullets that made a grid formation. Several of the humans were mesmerized by the movement, at least until larger yellow bullets started to head towards them. These bullets brunt straight through their armor and bodies, causing excruciating pain if it didn?t kill them instantly. Several of them went into shock instantly.
?Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage, when will you come out?? Flandre?s voice echoed around them.
The air above them exploded when Flandre crushed the eye of the air. Since Patchouli had taught her about the composition of air, the vampire was able to sense the different gasses and destroy them. Several of the humans started to grab at their throats, trying to save themselves from suffocating from the temporary lack of air. The air returned just before its absence would have kill them, but that didn?t do them much good.
The fires that had been caused by some of the bullets hitting the ground were killed by the recent lack of air. Three doppelgangers of the vampire landed nearby and quickly ripped throats apart. The little vampires gave no heed to the number of chevrons or bars on the human forces, both enlisted and junior officers found themselves facing the same fate. Grabbing a fallen M249, one of the doppelgangers broke the weapon by slamming it down on a sergeant?s head with full force. Needless to say, the sergeant?s headache was the least of his problems.
Reforming back into her usual form, Flandre punched a Captain, leaving only a stain of blood on the ground. Even his weapon and equipment were destroyed. A foolish Humvee tried to break through the green bullets, only to meet the same fate as the infantry. Remilia was forced to give Flandre space due to the amount of energy that she was throwing around. Spotting an M1 Abrams trying to line up a shot, the older sister rams Gungnir right through it and has it explode in the interior.
Once the sister of the devil had wiped out the soldiers that were caught in her spell card, she landed back on the ground. But as soon as her feet had touched the ground, a lone Humvee tried to run her down. Instead of being splattered on the windshield, she punches through the engine and flips it on its side. The driver and front passenger were dead with broken necks while the gunner?s head was split in two.
?Onii-chan, let?s play some more.? Flandre said with a crazed look on her face. The two surviving passengers had their eyes wide in terror and tried to shoot her. One of them was reduced to a stain on the seat while the other was grabbed by the collar and dragged out. She drops him and then grabs him by the leg when he tries to crawl away. Then she starts to slam him into the wreckage again and again, not stopping when he gets quiet. She gets bored and decides to look around for something else to beat him into.
Seeing the remnants of a squad trying to escape, Flandre throws the body and knocks down two of soldiers. In a blink of an eye, she?s snapping the neck of the last one and stomping the two that had fallen. A 120 mm shell flew above her, alerting her to the presence of another Abrams. Not giving them the chance to reload, she lands on the tank and grabs the cannon. Pulling it up, she destroys the vertical aiming motor. She keeps pulling, bending the barrel into a U shape.
Jumping on top of the turret, she rips the machine gun off and punches through the weaker top armor. The commander was the first one to have his limbs ripped off. Then the gunner was the unfortunate soul that was beaten to death by those limbs. The engine chose that time to die, plunging the inside of the tank into darkness. The surviving crew wet themselves when all they could see two red dots in the darkness.
The infantry outside the tank stood with their mouths agape when Flandre punches the turret off the tank. It lands on a group of wounded Spanish troops, ending their suffering and terror. Jumping out of the tank, she punches an American sergeant so hard that only his uniform and equipment were left. The sight of one of their own just disappearing from a punch finally broke their fighting spirit. Ignoring the shouts of their field grade officers, the enlisted folk began to flee. The field grade officers, who thought they were safe being so far behind the line, were threatening them with judicial punishment. One of the senior enlisted men told them what they could do to themselves with graphic detail.
A trio of Bradleys were trying to cover the retreat when they fired their TOWs at the rampaging vampire. She swings her Leviathan, destroying them before they had flown half the distance. The IFVs that fired them were ripped to shreds on the second swing. Flandre looks up when she hears the roar of an Apache flying over her. It flies past her and begins to turn to strafe. She picks up a rod that was lying next to her and hurls it. The pilot of the helicopter only saw the rod for half a second before it broke through the cockpit and impaled him in the heart.
The rod kept going past the body, hitting the tail rotor. Spinning out of the control, the Apache comes to a halt when it meets the earth. A volley of missiles curved in the air, heading towards her. With one squeeze of her hand, Flandre annihilates every single one of them. As a result, the retreat became even faster and more frenzied. Grabbing the wreckage of a Humvee, she tosses it towards the most concentrated part of the group. Inside, the last survivor was about to lose consciousness when he felt himself flying through the air.
It lands and takes out about twenty of them. More of them are knocked down by the impact of the projectile. Flandre seems to teleport into their midst and smiles like a predator that found a large slab of meat. Several of them opened fire, not worrying about the risk of hitting their own allies. Taking a step back, she activates another spell card. Three more of her appeared, sending the humans into further panic. Without any degradation of speed or raw power, the set of four created even more destruction and death. This time, the bullets were deflecting off of her.
Entire battalions were fleeing from the destruction caused by the vampires. Units from other nations were trying to fill in the gap, but ended up colliding with the retreating American and British forces. The newer troops hesitated to fire at Flandre, but ran for their lives when they saw what she was capable of. Artillery was called in extremely close, but only slowed her down a little. Remilia had backed away from the main line and was slinging Gungnir at further targets. She was throwing them one right after another, picking up speed with each throw.
With word of Flandre?s rampage spreading, the entire flank was about to collapse. Requests for close air support were denied due to the amount of tengus still in the air. One of the younger vampire?s doppelgangers tosses her wand in an arc. It lands and creates an explosion larger than any conventional artillery round. Once she saw how effective it was, she did it again and again. Landing on another Humvee, she rips the armor right off and crushes the crew with her bare hands.
She comes across a hastily prepared fortification made from plywood and a hole in the ground and smiles. ?Kyuu.?
None of the defenders escaped alive from the explosion that Flandre caused. Ripping a helmet off of a dead body, she uses it to beat another solider to death. Several of the more experienced veterans were firing at her with M203 grenade launchers, only to have her bat them out of the sky. Smoke grenades began to fly and obscure the area. In response, Flandre transforms into another swarm of bats with a thirst for blood.
In the area that she had just left, a Lunarian regiment had stopped when they saw all of the managed bodies and destruction. They see more explosions and red pillars of light from the direction of the heaviest fighting. Before they could move there, they hesitated when they heard the sound of maniacal laughing. Changing their mind, the regiment slowly backs away while keeping their eyes on the pillars of energy flying around. The unified thought that was going through their heads was that they weren?t paid enough to deal with whatever was over there. The officers and senior enlisted weren?t going to argue against it anyway.
Humvees suddenly took to the sky whenever Flandre punched them, letting the infantry earn their jump wings before they clocked out one last time. She punches the ground, sending a large shockwave that broke any pair of legs that were hit by them. Several of the companies saw a forest nearby and decided to take cover in there. An incendiary artillery round lands near them, lighting the trees on fire. A simple modification of Leviathan gave Flandre the ability to bend the fire to her will. Throwing the fire as far as she could, two battalions of French infantry were cut off from the rest of the line.
Flandre poured more power into the flames, cooking the infantry alive. If the heat wasn?t bad enough, the toxic fumes from the vehicles added to the hellish atmosphere. A scarlet mist began to form around Flandre?s rampage. Parts of the mist had thicken enough to produce small sparks that grew into lightning. A majority of the NATO troops on the ground believed that the Book of Revelations was happening right in front of them. Radio signals were blocked by the thick cloud, terrifying the humans even more.
Slamming the ground again, she knocks a few squads off balance and kills them in the blink of an eye. Changing the properties of her wand, she switches to blunt force. The bodies of the struck troops flew high into the air and landed everywhere. It was literately raining men outside of Gensokyo. She started to make a game out of it, trying to send as many as she could into the air with each swing. Once she got to the number she wanted, she worked to increase their distance.
A platoon of British infantry dropped their weapons and raised their hands when Flandre started to turn towards them. Before she could raise her wand, Meiling had appeared and grabbed her from behind. The vampire was about to break her arms when she smelled Meiling?s trademark flower scent. Today, it was a light lavender smell.
?Young mistress, they?ve given up.? She spoke softly into Flandre?s ear, calming her down. Seeing the chance of survival, more and more of the NATO troops laid down their weapons and raised their hands. Three fairy maids had followed Meiling and were rounding up the surrendered forces. Per Yukari?s orders, they would be housed at a quickly erected camp near the human village. ?Don?t worry about anything else, I?m here.?
Flandre couldn?t remember any of what had just happened. But she saw the destruction that was all around her and knew what happened. Even though she had enjoyed it at the time, she had broken so much. She was reminded of the pet rabbit that she had loved but ended up hugging too hard one day. It had taken the combined efforts of Marisa and Eirin to help her come to terms with how delicate life was. She wanted to make sure that the rabbit?s death wouldn?t be meaningless and promised to be more careful with living things.
Before the battle started, she had visited Eirin and asked her how she could keep that promise on the field of battle. The answer she got was that it depended on how she fought. If she did so while keeping her psychotic episodes under control, she would be keeping the promise. But with how she had just fought, she felt that she had killed the little white rabbit for no reason.
?Young mistress, I think you should rest now. You look tired.? Without preamble, she picks her up and places her on her shoulders. ?I think a nice bath and some milk will do wonders for you.?
This was the last straw for the vampire, she broke down in tears. Meiling took her off of her shoulders and decided to hold her as she flew her back to the mansion. The gatekeeper didn?t mind the blood that was getting on her clothes. The mist began to dissipate as Flandre didn?t have the energy left to keep creating it. Even though she still had plenty of physical strength, she had run through all of her mental strength.
The rhythmic pounding of the Lunarian artillery could be heard in the distance, causing Flandre to slowly grow sleepy. The panzerkeil that was supporting the center of the main line were kicking up enough dust that the cloud was visible at that distance. Tracers made colored lines that intersected in every possible manner. Their area of the sky was relatively quiet, the propeller driven aircraft of the GDF had managed to push the NATO air power past the advancing line and were dancing around the air defense artillery.
Lunarian infantry had reformed their formations and were concentrating fire on every NATO troop and vehicle they could see. One regiment had been flanked and responded by switching to the infantry square. They managed to fight off a few battalions but had taken some major damage in the process. As they dug in, another regiment took the heat off of them by marching in front of them and fanning out.
As the pair got closer and closer to the mansion, the sounds of gunfire could be heard. One of the rear Lunarian companies had intercepted a small ground that was trying to destroy the air defense grid. With most of the occupants of the mansion asleep, it made a prime and easy target, at least until the Lunarians stepped in. But what really weighed on the Lunarian company commander?s mind was the fact that the attacking group had mismatched equipment and weapons. This was in sharp contrast to the skill and ferocity in which they engaged the moon rabbits.
The Lunarian company had been forced to switch to light infantry after the initial attack had almost broken their formation. Initially offended by the fact that the company had almost broken, the commander slowly began to realize that the human group had much more experience than the other front line troops they had faced earlier. Once he realized that, he finally began to be able to match them.
Holding their ground, the moon rabbits were able to check the advance while they got themselves together. Meiling looked down and saw the crisscross of tracers in the forest around the mansion. Quickly making her way to the front of the mansion, she whisks Flandre inside. Yukari had come up from the library and was waiting for them in the foyer.
?It happened, didn?t it?? Yukari took a handkerchief and started to dab Flandre?s face.
?I tried so hard to keep her from going crazy, but I let her get so far.?
?How did she stop??
?I had to grab her from behind and hope she wouldn?t rip me apart.?
?Did she see what had happened??
?She saw the results of it.?
Yukari sighed. ?I hope that doesn?t knock her back to before she had the talk with Eirin and Marisa. She was making so much progress.?
?I should get her into the bath, she needs to get some rest.? Meiling stopped when Flandre squeezed her, a clear sign that she didn?t want to let go. ?Don?t worry, I?ll help you. I?m sure Yukari won?t mind helping too.?
The gap youkai smiled. ?Of course.?
As the trio went upstairs, Meiling took a look outside the window and saw the tracers in the distance.
?They?re not regular troops.? Yukari pointed out. ?They?re private security contractors, hired by the American State Department to do their dirty jobs.?
?What?s a private security contractor??
?A civilian that does one of the jobs of a soldier. They?re useful because they tend to have more experience and can be cast off if they become a liability. The Americans are relying on them more and more lately.?
?How does that work??
?They?re disposable and said to be cheaper. And the fact that some of the more important contractors have their hands in the higher levels of government. I wouldn?t be lying if I told you that some governments have been taken down by contractors. And the most disturbing thing is that they aren?t held accountable under their military or local laws.?
?So they can do what they want??
?As long as they say it was needed to complete their objective, then yes. It has happened before and it?ll happen again.? Yukari looked outside again. ?For now, all we can do is treat them like the conventional troops and wipe them out if they insist on challenging us.?
Behind NATO line of battle, Japan
The loud snarls of the rake echoed through the clearing that Sakuya and Eirin had lured it to. The chief maid of the SDM had stayed in close combat with the beast while Eirin had been trying to figure out the range of its nullification area. Five, ten, fifteen meters, it still nullified her spell cards. She could feel herself slipping and was starting to get annoyed. Sakuya had to rely on her hand to hand since she couldn?t bounce her knives as well as she could. She had to revert back to her very old days where she couldn?t stop time as well.
Seemly catching its second wind, the beast began a series of attacks that were designed to break Sakuya?s defenses. It finishes with a tackle that knocks her off of her feet. Before it could bite her throat, she brought her knife up to block. Kicking it off of her, Sakuya rolled out of the way as Eirin let loose another arrow. The projectile hits the rake in the chest, but still has little effect. Since the arrow was fired within the nullification zone, it didn?t activate any other effects.
Using up her last arrow, Eirin is forced to draw her blade and get in close. She analyzes the beast and lands a few hits on its legs. Her strikes cause severe damage to the tendons in its legs, slowing it down a great deal. But for some reason, it wasn?t healing as fast. Taking advantage of this, Eirin aims for the tendons on its arms. But instead of blocking them, it takes almost no damage from receiving them head on.
Then another piece of the puzzle clicks in her mind. The rake?s regenerative ability was dependent on its energy levels and could be used to harden parts of its body. But it could be worn down and the beast knew it. Noise from behind them forced Eirin to divert her attention for a split second. An Australian company had arrived and surrounded them while they were fighting. Even though they could have opened fire, they had waited due to a gut feeling.
Seeing the easier targets, the rake puts out one last burst of speed as it jumped over the pair and aimed for the medical personnel. It would have gotten a few if it wasn?t for Sakuya landing a knee on it in midair that a certain bounty hunter and racer would be proud of. The rake is slammed into the ground and disappears into the tree line. Seeing the supposed enemy save their necks from a savage beast caused some to become hesitant to open fire on them.
Eirin pulls out one of her arrows from the ground and pulls the string. She passes over the troops as she hunts for signs of the beast. ?If you?re going to survive, I would suggest following my lead. Your affiliation doesn?t matter right know. That beast will tear you apart without regard of human or Lunarian blood.? Stepping into the forest, she?s followed by Sakuya and then the Australians.
Moving out into a wedge, the Aussies keep their eyes open. For all they knew, the pair in front of them would turn on them as soon as the beast was dead or it could be a trap. But the way that Eirin and Sakuya shown them their backs disproved that. On the battlefield, that was showing someone one of the ultimate forms of trust. Several of the more experienced humans felt that as long as they respected that trust, they had nothing to worry about.
?What we found out,? Eirin calls back. ?Is that the rake is intelligent and its attacks can?t be treated with enhanced medicine. There?s a high chance of death with each attack and it nullifies our abilities. Be on the lookout.?
Smoke from the battle away from them started to obscure the moon, forcing the Aussies to rely on their night vision even more. One of them opens fire when he sees movement. His reaction is justified when a snarl could be heard from the thick bush. Grenades flew towards the bush and sent a flash through the area. The rake was sent flying through the air, but landed on its feet without much damage.
One of the humans drew a machete and forced the beast to back off when it tried to close the distance. Everyone could tell that it was exhausted from earlier combat but still had the will to keep going. Eirin readies one of the arrows she had picked back up and tries to land a hit. It misses vital organs but makes it slow down until the arrow gets ripped out and crushed. More grenades are thrown, and this time, they draw blood.
In response, it takes out two of the Australians by cutting through their body armor. The pair were still alive and could be seen trying to bring their weapons back up. Eirin and a sergeant step forward and drag the two away while Sakuya distracts the rake with close combat. The wounded are instantly set up by medical personnel, but as Eirin had warned them, their bandages did little to stop the bleeding.
Noticing one of the soldiers with a Claymore antipersonnel mine, Eirin grabs it and begins to fumble with it. Once she has the detonator and cable worked out she takes a long glance at the beast. Following her gaze, some of the Aussies are confused on how she was going to make this plan work. There was only one way, but it was too crazy to even think about going through with it.
?If this thing?s hungry, we?ll just have to feed it.? Eirin?s taunt caused some of the humans to pale. None of them had ever wanted to be within throwing distance of a Claymore.
?Um, you do know what that thing is, right?? A Private Proficient asks her.
?A Lunarian Royal Colonel doesn?t allow notions of sanity to cloud their judgment.? Eirin smirks. ?I dare this thing to regenerate after eating a landmine.?
?What are you planning to do??
?Ram this thing down its mouth and pull the trigger.? She crouches down, getting ready for a sprint. ?Try to not fire at it when I?m close by, I?ll need to have my complete concentration.?
With a powerful step off, she closes the distance and lands a punch with the unconnected detonator. Hoping that the impact didn?t break it, she tries to force the rake?s mouth open with an elbow to the face. Somehow sensing her plan, the beast does its best to keep from giving her an opening. She head-butts it, forcing it back a few more steps. It swipes at her, making her step back a few feet as well.
Since she was clear, the Aussies open fire. The rake brings its arms in front of its face and charges forward, aiming for the closest human. It throws an attack and gets hit with a bullet in the eye. This sends it into a frenzy, taking down three soldiers before Eirin and Sakuya could get in range again. Grabbing one of the bodies, it throws it towards another group and jumps into the air. Sakuya throws a knife that hits it in the leg, throwing off its jump.
Hitting the ground face first, it gets dazed. One of the humans rushes up with a FN Minimi and pokes it in its face. Before he can pull the trigger, it was knocked off target by a strike that broke his leg as well. Knowing that he was done for, he pulls a grenade out and tries to grab ahold of the beast. Seeing this, everyone turns and runs to avoid being caught in the blast wave. But the rake knocks it out of his grip and pushes him on top of it.
While most of the force was absorbed by the human body on top of it, the grenade still managed to injury the rake. Blood began to seep out of the sides of its head, indicating ruptured eardrums and a significant loss of balance. It also begins to cough up blood, showing that the past two fights have finally begun to take its toll. Out of the Australian platoon that had started out, only a squad was left.
A high velocity round rams into the rake?s side, sending it staggering. A lone squad of Lunarians had been close enough to hear the fight and had arrived. They rightly saw the beast as being more a threat then the humans surround their commander and acted accordingly. Three of the moon rabbits instantly set up moving the dead bodies out of the area of the fight with two humans helping them.
Pulling an arrow back, Eirin sees Sakuya move to the side. The doctor releases it, hitting the rake in the stomach. Sakuya uses the fire from the two sides to cover her dash forward and leaves a deep cut in its shoulder. Eirin picks the landmine back up and tries to time a throw that would work. It becomes obvious that a throw won?t work and that she would have to physically ram the mine down its throat.
Taking a chance, she throws a punch that forces the rake to open its mouth. Sakuya pulls out her Walther P38 and pistol whips its teeth to keep it from biting Eirin?s hand or even arm off. Its screams of pain were intense enough to hurt the pair?s ears. Eirin stuffs the landmine into its mouth, putting all of her effort into getting it in as far as possible. Another pistol whip dazes the rake again, letting the pair kick the beast down and run. Before it could start to remove it, Eirin activated the clapper.
The back blast from the explosion sends dirt flying into the air, blocking everyone?s vision. No one lowered their weapon, even though they all believed that nothing could have survived a Claymore going off at that range. The next few seconds seemed to go on for eternality. Only the sounds of faint radio traffic could be heard from the Australian squad leader?s radio. Eirin draws an arrow and Sakuya readies another barrage of knives. Then Eirin felt herself regaining her magical powers back, giving her the confirmation.
But once the dust settles, the mess that was once a rake was still twitching. Seeing this, everyone opened fire until their magazines were empty. And it was still twitching and an arm was moving around. Disbelief was rampant in everyone around the mess. The rake had survived being attacked by almost an entire company of troops from both the moon and the Earth, along with having a landmine shoved in its mouth.
?If you have anything that can create fire, pull it out now!? Eirin shoots an arrow infused with her Galaxy in a Pot. ?We have to kill it with fire! It?s the only way to make sure!?
?All we have left is the bursting white phosphorus!? The Aussie squad leader shouted. ?We can?t throw that!?
?Give it here,? Sakuya takes it and throws it. ?We can?t afford to hold back.? She flicks her fingers, wanting to not have to worry about any residual white phosphorus. Her gloves had come into contact with it, but Patchouli?s magic prevented her from getting severely burned.
The grenade lands next to the mess and explodes due to the hazardous filler. Some of the Lunarians throw incendiary grenades that force everyone to move back due to the sheer heat. Eirin can see the dying beast withering in the flames and moves her spell bullets closer. Deciding to finish it off, she sends them all into the fire. The bullets explode when they make contact, adding to the flames.
?There should be no way that it survived that,? Eirin strains her eyes to see if she was right. ?Fire should be able to kill anything.?
But instead of waiting, she pulls out another arrow and focuses on finding its heart. She spots it and releases her arrow, hoping that it makes contact the right way. It hits directly in it heart, inflicting critical damage. A death rattle could be heard over the flames, then nothing else. Eirin feels something irritating her eye, only to figure out that it was a cold sweat from the entire time. Once she lowered her bow with a sense of finality, everyone relaxed.
The next few seconds saw an adrenaline crash in the Australian soldiers. Several of them could stand up and fell on their rears while being between laughter and tears. Even the more seasoned humans weren?t immune from it. It wasn?t just the fight that had triggered that response, it was something about how unnatural it was that sacred the living crap out of them. The Lunarians kept their weapons pointed towards the ground, not wanting to attack without orders.
The senior most Aussie looked at Eirin, wondering what they were going to do now. Eirin tucked yet another loose string of hair behind her ear, she didn?t feel right having to fight against them since they did help them out.
?Now comes the hard part,? Eirin says. ?We both know that we?re on opposing sides of this conflict and it?s our duty to fight, but even duty can go against logic.?
?We?ve seen what you can do,? the Aussie NCO replies. ?We rather not have to experience it firsthand.?
?So we?re in agreement then.? She nods her head. ?So let me ask you one thing why do you think you?re here??
?We honestly don?t know. We were told that we had to support the American forces for some reason. We just got back from the Middle East a few months ago.?
?What if I told you that we?re all dancing to someone else?s tune??
?I wouldn?t be surprised.? He shook his head sadly. ?War is just old men sending the young to die for their own selfish reasons.?
?Spoken like a true enlisted man.? Eirin smiles sadly as well. ?I?ll let you in on a secret. There?s someone in the background pulling strings across all governments around the world. I have really good reason to suspect that it started with the Americans. I bet that most of the American people didn?t want to go war again, especially after that dragged out war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I don?t know if you heard, but there was an entire clean sweep of the upper levels of the American government and then this war started. After all, the acting President wasn?t elected in any way, so could he even be called a true president? But before you think I?m lying to you, think about it. You?ve fought alongside me and had my back, it would be a grave insult to lie about something like this to you after that.?
?It does make sense,? one of the other Aussies spoke up. ?The news was going on about something like that before they suddenly stopped and focused even more on gossip. I?m not saying that there?s something going on, but it wouldn?t hurt to think about that possibility.?
?Even though the Americans invaded the moon, we only kick them off the moon instead of razing the planet like some in our noble classes wanted to.? Eirin continued. ?Those bombs in the embassies that we were blamed for, do you really think that such a small area could muster that much manpower without being detected? This land was a paradise, a heaven that was content to be left alone for the rest of time. But the thing that kept us hidden was destroyed and now we?re here. Even I don?t know how that happened or why. But ever since the war has started, things haven?t been right. I?ve lived through multiple wars, but this feels off. I would go as far as to call it a final war.?
?Doesn?t everyone call the next war that?? The NCO asked.
?But like I said, something is extremely wrong with this one.? Eirin looked at the sky towards the battle. ?Even with the magic that we can use, there?s no way that old human weapons could be pushing you back. Our Lunarian weapons can tear you apart, so that?s different.?
The humans kept quiet after this. Even though they had a feeling that the Lunarians wouldn?t lie to them, a small part of them still held a little suspicion.
?I can see your disbelief,? Eirin said. ?I?m not telling you to turn against your nation. Australia and the rest of the world will need troops after the war. We may end up being allied with each other, things do have a funny way of working out like that. All I want you to do is to just think about how all of this happened. Bring it up to your superiors, with your families if you can. Many of our nobility want to face you in battle, but I rather not shed needless blood. Ask questions.? With that, Eirin turned around and began to walk back towards the line. On her way back, she and Sakuya took one last look at the burning body of the beast that should never have stepped on this plain.
?Was that necessary?? Sakuya asked her.
?If we want to keep the fighting to the minimum, then yes.? Eirin sighed. ?Even though we Lunarians look down on humans as a whole, I can?t really say that they?re all like that. The human village is an example. At first I thought it would be a zoo of filth and savagery, but then I saw them build a small society out of almost nothing. Then they started to help me with some research and conducted some of their own. There is a legend that the first Lunarians were from the earth, but after all, it?s only a legend.? Eirin knew the truth since she was there, but her pride as a Lunarian wouldn?t let her say it.
?Do you know something about what?s coming up??
?I have a feeling that the outside world won?t be our worst opponent. Yukari has told me some things that don?t sit well with me.? The pair took flight with the rest of the moon rabbits following at a distance. Both of them were unusually sore from the fight. ?Remember what Meiling told us? I did some research and found that this was predicted before.? She sighs again. ?I knew that I would be able to see the end of days with my own eyes, but I wasn?t expecting it this early.?
?Care to explain better??
?Have you heard about the War in Heaven??
?Do you mean the one in the Book of Revelations?? Sakuya tilted her head.
?That one. But it appears in many other religions and mythologies. The basic premise is of the forces of light and darkness having one last fight that wipes out everything. It all makes sense, reality breaking down, monsters appearing, things that were never meant to be coming into existence. If we take into account the first war that had taken place before even I was born, then we?re in the beginning of the Second War in Heaven.?
?Sounds quite poetic.?
Eirin laughs. ?Soldiers do make good poets.?
?But if what you say is true, why stay on the planet? Wouldn?t it be safer for the Lunarians to return to the moon??
?If the God of Disaster is really the head of the most militarized faction on this planet and has access to magic and science, we might not be that safe on the moon after all. Asteroids do fly around and have the tendency to head towards our more populated areas. The sun could shoot out a flare at the wrong moment and fry us. As long as he?s in power, we won?t be able to withdraw. If he can take over entire national governments, imagine what he can do if we brings them together.?
?Can they really reach the moon??
?Yukari?s messing around with the boundary did leave some lasting damage.? Eirin looked at the distance when a tank was flung through the air by an oni. ?The humans have invaded the moon before with very primitive technology. They might be able to do it again with more effectiveness if they put effort into it.? She spots a command Humvee trying to sneak past them with its loud engine and exhaust.
Eirin dives down the Humvee and slams her feet down on the turret gunner. She grabs the body and rips it free from the harness to throw it out. Instead of jumping in, she drops an arrow that explodes into multiple bullets that tears the occupants into shreds. Once it gets quiet, she sticks her head in through the turret. She frowns when all she could see were enlisted stripes, she had used one of her best arrows for what she thought was a field officer.
Picking it back up, she recharges it. Sakuya looks off towards the heaviest part of the battle, wondering how her young charges were doing. It was past midnight, the perfect time for vampires to go on a rampage. The maid doubted that the human forces would be equipped with the proper tools to repel a vampire, so maybe her worrying was unfounded. Eirin switched out another arrow and drew back the string on her bow. She can see an American infantry company about five miles from their location. Anyone else would call the shot impossible, but they didn?t know that Eirin?s been practicing with that same bow longer than most nations have been in existence. She releases it and rains fire down on the unfortunate humans.
-
Situation Room, White House, Washington, DC
The room was silent as the map on the television screen updated in almost real time. The coalition forces had been pushed back about twenty miles from the beginning of the battle and it looked like it would continue. The commander of the US Pacific Command sat shamefully when he learned that his air units were being swatted out of the sky like mosquitoes and his modern armored units were being taken out by antiques that his grandfather had fought alongside of.
Scrambled video showed the Lunarians ripping into the most highly trained troops on the planet with impunity. Calvary cut through fortifications and defenders almost like it was a game. Losses were quickly approaching unacceptable levels and would force the leaders to make rash decisions. It wasn’t limited to just the United States, most of the NATO forces had found themselves in similar situations. The only forces that had escaped that had left before the battle really started.
Taisui Xingjun was more worried about the fact that Russia and China had withdrawn their troops. He had several of his minions infiltrate their governments and was convinced that he had bent them to his will. Grinding his teeth, he had to rethink his entire plan. He did have most of Europe under his thumb, with just Switzerland resisting his power. If he could concentrate his power, he could do away with international law and just nuke Gensokyo off the face of the earth. He was sure that Japan wouldn’t mind getting nuked again, Godzilla was a cash cow. Who didn’t like a giant mutated lizard that wrested other large monsters with oblivious special effects?
His aides were arranging files on his desk, letting him see what kind of hardware that the enemy was using against them. Japan had sent in forces when his agents had brought several of the minsters under their control and tapped into the small but vocal militaristic base. But even they could lose their appetite for war if they saw devastating defeats again and again. The majority weren’t really prepared for a prolonged war and would exert considerable pressure to pull out or open negotiations. Martial law would be extremely difficult, unlike in the United States. All he had to do was mobilize every single National Guard unit and bring the militarized police under his control.
Xingjun nods his head and takes one last look at the television screen and pulls out his cell phone. He sneers and snaps his fingers. At once, one of his aides gives him a file.
“Gentlemen…and women, as you can see on the screen in front of you, we’re in serious need of different types of warfare. Our unconventional troops seem to be doing better but not by much. So, I want to reactivate the 6th, 8th, 11th and 12th Special Forces Groups. But instead of training them in our usual manner, I want them to specialize in countering this magic. I would prefer to keep the other already made units in their usual operations, at least for now. And we may need to consider the nuclear option.”
The room chilled instantly. Several of the attorneys shifted in their seats, not wanting to be the first to speak up.
“Yes, yes, I know how international law and custom works. But wouldn’t the world be forever grateful if we wipe off this terrorist stare off on the planet?”
“How will Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea react?” One of his aides asked. “If we show a willingness to drop nuclear weapons at our whim, they’ll follow suit. And that doesn’t even take into account that we’re dropping them on another nation, especially an ally.”
“They won’t mind.” Xingun smiled. “I can guarantee it. I did take the liberty of getting authorization from the Japanese government.” He took a folder from the briefcase next to him and waved it around. “I do have powerful friends in governments everywhere that are grateful for what I’m trying to do.”
Several of the aides and military members were concerned that the acting president had overstepped his boundaries. “Don’t worry about that, Congress will see it the same way I do. If they don’t, they’re un-American and will be dealt with. And if the wrong party comes to power in the Middle East, we might accidently drop a nuke in their general area.”
His smile kept the room from speaking up. The Pacific Command head rubbed his face, wondering if his career was over and if one of the defense contractors still had his offer on the table. A grainy video on the wall showed a P-47 diving in on a Humvee and climbing back up in a classic example of a Boom and Zoom. One of the American patrol bases on the map started to flash, indicating a struggle for control. Video from there showed a group of onis ripping troops apart with their bare hands and throwing them around. One took a set of eight rounds to the center chest but shrugged them off.
Another video showed what looked like a flamethrower being used against a trench. The flames made a bird shape and spread even farther than the camera could see. Then the camera was kicked down and showed a pair of red pants with charms before it went to static.
“I’m planning on issuing an executive order that will make it easier to deal with them. It’s an extension of the civil forfeiture principle that we use in the War on Drugs. That means that anyone suspected of being un-American will have their assets seized and used for the common good. This will apply to everyone in our sovereignty.”
“Mr. President,” one of his lawyers spoke up. “Such an executive order can be interpreted as trying to set up a tyranny and dictatorship by the Supreme Court and the people. And I doubt that the public would be willing to stand idly by.”
“You have a good point.” Xingun rubbed his chin in thought. “How about we make sure that we help to increase their safety? I want to issue another order that buys up all surplus military grade ammunition. We’ll keep buying them even if our warehouses are about to burst. Without all of this dangerous ammunition floating around, I’m sure that crime will go down and the need for a normal citizen to have a firearm will be gone.”
“Sir, any more restrictions on weapons will have right leaning groups calling for your impeachment.”
“Then we have the police forces arrest them. Aren’t most right wing groups extremists and advocates for violence? While we’re at it, we’ll take the left wing groups down as well. I won’t stand for bleeding hearts advocating for the rights of criminals. Did I miss anyone?”
“Is this martial law?” The Pacific Command general asked, resigned to his career being over.
“I prefer to think of it as a state of emergency,” the god of disaster replied easily. “We’re doing this for the safety of the people. Gensokyo has already proven that it’s capable of withstanding our attack and responding in kind. I would also like to make sure that the Posse Comitatus and Insurgent Acts are repealed and that my office has the authority and ability to call upon our troops to be ready to go anywhere, including within our own boarders.” He spreads his hands. “I can tell that many of you are not happy with this. So, I’ll go ahead and let the cat out of the bag.” He smiled, showing all of his teeth. “All of these executive orders have already been signed by yours truly and all of you have been designated as enemies of the state.”
He snaps his fingers and CIA agents walk in and begin to arrest the advisors. Even though the CIA were prohibited from operating on domestic land, they just did what they want. With their former director now the head of the executive branch, they basically had the power of the government behind them. At the Pacific Command Headquarters, MPs arrested the PACOM commander. The legislative and judicial branches were infiltrated by Xingun’s agents and were bending to his will.
With the room finally empty, he sends a quick text and waits. A few minutes later, another group walks in and takes the empty seats. All of them were personally vetted by him and would follow his orders to the last breath. Each of them had a dull look in their eyes, the result of a charm that was cast in order to serve as a failsafe.
“How does it feel,” Xingun asked all of them. “All of you are now the proud leaders of the most power country on the planet and history. But we are a crossroads in the path of the nation. We must ensure that the nation is secure and safe from the foreign enemy. Like I told the group of traitors a few minutes ago, we are buying up all the ammunition in every store we can get out hands on. Any civilian found with armor piercing or hollow point rounds will be arrested on charges of treason.”
“What about the rebellions that will occur because of that?” His new National Guard liaison asked.
“Crush them with everything you have.” He started to spin in his chair. “Several of my people in the Senate and the House are pushing a bill to resume production of the A-10 and more heavy vehicles to suppress dissidents. The ones not under my control will be brought up on charges of treason due to un-American activities and replaced with those that have the interests of the nation at heart. This paper in front of me”, he held up said paper. “Is an executive order bringing down martial law on all of our sovereignty. It goes without saying that I’m still retaining power.”
The room broke into applause. The democracy that had survived for almost 250 years was being killed with a single signature on a piece of paper. Political scientists across the nation (and by extension, the world) felt a sharp pain in their chests at the same time as the god of disaster signed on the dotted line. Even though it was a tragedy, political scientists would faint if this had happened to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was no small secret that many of them considered that system to be the best ever devised and would be reduced to wondering around lifelessly if it were to be struck down.
“Now that I think about it, why pay for that ammo when the nation is in dire need of it? Homeland Security, send your personnel to confiscate all ammunition in civilian stores. If they give them trouble, bring in the National Guard or active army. Use deadly force if you have too. National Guard, coordinate with the states that have a registry and begin to confiscate all privately owned semi-automatic and bolt action rifles. Tell the owners that we will be sending the weapons to our troops and compliance would be appreciated. When our people are there, search the rest of their homes to make sure they’re not holding out on us.”
“What about when they start to shield themselves with the Constitution?”
“I don’t care about that document anymore.” He replied nonchalantly. “President Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus during the Civil War for national security. We’re doing the same thing. They want to complain about the next to last president being a dictator? I’ll show them what one can be.”
Xingun signals to the aide stationed at the communications station. A few seconds later, an encrypted broadcast channel is opened. Only his agents were able to access the channel where he issued orders and demanded updates.
“Agents stationed in Central and South America, continue with your infiltrations and place a priority in crushing organized crime or bringing them under your control. Agents stationed in Africa, continue with attempts to destabilize the region. I know for a fact that South Africa still has some of their nuclear material, do what you can with that. Just make sure that it doesn’t go nuclear. European agents, focus more on the defense contractors more than the governments, especially H&K and Sig Sauer. Middle East agents, you’re doing good so far, so keep it up. Agents in Asia, try to rile up China and North Korea some more. Agents in Russia, I think the Soviet Union is due for a comeback, so help them out. Australian agents, pick a group and make them the scapegoat for whatever you need to do. So far, Russia has taken over 90 percent of Ukraine and are eyeballing some of their neighbors. The Middle East is a hair away from nuclear war, one that we would be better off avoiding. If any of you can make their nuclear weapons disappear and reappear within our borders, there’ll be a bonus in order. To the agents in NATO command posts, dragging your feet would help our plans in the long run.”
Making a slicing motion, Xingun has the call cut. “Now that I have my people abroad working on what I needed, we need to decide on how to keep on going here.”
“Mr. President, it would help if we bring utilities under our control.” The Secretary of the Interior said. The Secretary of Energy glared at him sideways.
“What do you define as a utility?”
“Power, water, railroads, roads, gas, internet, television, radio, schools, hospitals, and public transportation.”
“Then get on to it. Bring them all under our control and staff them with workers that we know will not betray us. Anyone else have ideas?”
“Stop all entitlements and public benefits.” The new Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“I do see fraud happening a lot. Discontinue all benefits at midnight, tonight. If they want to eat, they have to work. I have a feeling that riots will happen, so be prepared. We need to get rid of all dead weight as soon as possible.”
“Reducing the unemployment rate.” The Secretary of Labor chimed in.
“How?”
“If they don’t work, they don’t eat. We need everyone to contribute to the war effort. Close down all soup kitchens and shelters. If they can’t work, let natural selection take care of them. It’s the same as batteries, thrown them out when they’re useless.”
“Do it. If they can’t work, they don’t pay taxes and drain the system. Keep up the good work.”
“Withdraw our troops from non-combat environments.” The Secretary of Defense said.
“Hmm, explain.”
“We need as much manpower as we can get. Let other nations deal with their own problems, especially if they won’t help us help them.”
“Good. It’s approved. Make sure our foreign aid to other nations is stopped right now. And bring up a bill for all the money that we have lost. If they won’t pay, we’ll force them to. And stop grain and food shipments to nations that have mouthed off to us. One last thing, if our opponents are on the verge of getting nuclear capabilities, crush them.”
“What about the legal branch?” The Attorney General asked.
“I want the Justices to be placed on home arrest until they can be made to disappear at a better time. And lock down the press, I don’t want them spreading rumors. Use the Sedition Act as justification. If they call us terrorists, kick them out of the country. It would be good if we them take out on a ship and dump them in the middle of the ocean with a bag of their belongings and tell them to find somewhere else to live. Implement it.” He stands up. “Good meeting. Do everything we talked about and we can take our country back.”
Xingun leaves the room and heads to the Oval Office. He was internally laughing at how he was able to play various political factions against each other and allowed him to pick his supporters. The fact that they had latched on to him for their own political gain had made laughably easy. As long as his agents followed his orders, he had nothing to worry about from the human side of things.
He opens the door to his office and steps in side. After he locks the door, he sits in his comfortable chair and sighs. Two taps on his desk opens a drawer with three files in it. Taking them out, he lays them in front of him.
“While I’m not worried about the humans, you three are a concern.” The three pictures are of Yukari, Eirin, and Sakuya.. “The Mastermind behind the Spiriting Away, the Hourai Pharmacist, and the Maid of the Evening Storm. Three beauties that can derail my plans and seal me back like that student did so long ago.” He throws a knife that hits a picture in a secret compartment behind a moveable book case. “The nameless blonde college student with gentle and bright blue eyes. So what if I killed your best friend in front of you, you still got in my way.” He leaned back to stretch. “If only I knew what your name was, I could get the entire US military to hunt you down.
He pulls a satellite phone from his desk and dials a number. Two rings later, someone picks up on the other end.
“Darkcreek USA, it’s me. I need some help with a problem. I have four targets that my normal and special troops have failed to take out. If you’re willing to do me this favor, I can guarantee a bonus of at least 200% and priority on future contracts. Sound good?”
“We’ll do it. What’s the info on the targets?”
“Good, good. This cannot get out, ever. Three targets are legitimate military threats on the battlefield at this moment. One is the leader of the enemy faction, the second is a high ranking member of an enemy ally, and the third is a tank commander that has destroyed many of our top of the line tanks. The fourth is a civilian target that will grow into an extremely dangerous threat. The first three, we’ll pay 1 billion for each, before the bonus. The last will get 10 billion.”
He could hear the other end suck air in amazement. “Yes, you heard me right. 1 billion per target, billion with a capital b. 10 billion for the last. And that’s before the bonus I’ve promised. I’ll send you the data in a few minutes, but I need this done as fast as you can. And I need proof in my hands.”
Lunarian line of battle, Japan
The early rays of the dawn sun were casting a surreal atmosphere on the battlefield. During the night, the NATO forces had been pushed back even further. The Lunarian night regiments had played on the wired in human fears of the troops. The youkai that had fought during this time also saw an improvement in their performance. Spell card bullets also had the added benefit of overpowering night vision goggles.
Trying to turn the tide of battle, the NATO forces had begun to call in more contractors. Their idea worked great at first, until the Lunarians had begun to grow tired of them and ran them down like animals. Captured contractors were executed by officers due to the Lunarian disgust of civilians playing soldiers. Even though the contractors were prior service, the Lunarians didn’t care about the past.
Word of the contractors reached Toyohime, who agreed with the summarily executions. She issued an order that unlawful combatants were to be given the same punishment if they fired on Lunarian forces. Several unarmed contractors that had been capture were released when they promised not to fire on moon troops. The arrangement was unavoidable with the large amount of wrecked vehicles that civilian wreckers were sent out to retrieve. After the first few hours, the two parties settled into a somewhat comfortable co-existence.
With the sun coming back up, the horn for the shift change was blown again. The night regiments formed up and began to march back to their portals. Sakuya and Eirin had taken a short nap to regain their strength and to get their minds off of the rake. Remiu and Marisa had woken up and were ready to head back on out. The shrine maiden had gotten over not being comfortable with killing, with major help from Yukari.
Tenshi had also benefited from some sleep and was able to get her thoughts together. The pain from watching Iku get killed in front of her had been dulled by a sense of disbelief. She had expected her to be behind her whenever she had been arguing with some upstarts that were trying to undermine her authority. Eventually she just snapped and beat them to a pulp to have them serve as an example. Her father was so proud that she was taking her job and status seriously.
The Porsche Tiger was fully repaired, thanks to Patchouli’s and Koakuma’s efforts. Even though the witch had always criticized her harshly whenever she messed up, her words never had any real malice. She was the one that spent extra time adding armor and safety spells to the vehicle, even pushing herself to point of an asthma attack. Waking up from a drunken stupor didn’t help any either. Sakuya had made sure to bring her a cup of her favorite tea and snacks to help her rest, and also made her go to sleep in her bed.
She laid a hand on the wall next to her. The maid had never felt such a strong feeling of fortitude from the combination of magic and steel. “Danke Fraeulein Patchouli.” (Thank you, Miss Patchouli) Sakuya whispered. Even passed out in a mixture of drunkenness and fatigue, the witch smiled when she felt that gratitude. The Tiger (P) turned on with a powerful growl. The crew could feel the power that the engine had, even in idle. Ever since the fight yesterday, Sakuya had been fighting to keep from reverting back to speaking German. But now, she couldn’t help it. “Panzer vor.” (Armor forward.)
The fairy driver shifted gear, guessing at the command in a foreign language. They traveled without incident for about twenty minutes before they came upon a convoy of Humvees. The convoy were made up of uparmored Humvees that were designed for frontline combat. Most of the Bradley IFVs had been damaged in the fighting the day before, so Humvees had been pressed into other roles.
“Sprenggrenate! Laden und sichern!” (High explosive! Load and lock it!) Sakuya shouted. The loader slams a high explosive round into the chamber. The gunner, loader and radio operator were regular workers at the mansion, so they had learned some German from the few moments were Sakuya had lapsed due to stress or sheer annoyance. It did help that the type was written on the side of the shells.
“Sprenggrenate geladen und gesichert!” (High explosive loaded and ready!) The loader called out, indicating that the proper round was in the chamber and ready.
“Zwei Uhr! Sprenggrenate! 1000 Meter! Feuer!” (2 O‘clock! High explosive! 1000 meters! Fire!) Sakuya watches the round leave the cannon and hit the lead vehicle. Impacting the armored car, it unleashes a large explosion that incinerates the first half of the convoy. The rest turn to the side and try to scatter. Firing a volley of BGM-71 TOW missiles that hit the Tiger (P) in the front.
“Scheisse!” (Shit!) Sakuya cursed at the impacts rocking the tank. “Erledige das, so schnell du kannst!” (Take care of them as fast as you can!) She wanted her gunner to prevent a second volley of missiles. The loader slams another round and taps the gunner on the shoulder. The second shot destroys four Humvees, causing the rest of them to turn around and speed off. “Du koennen jetzt gehen.” (You can go now.) Giving the driver permission to move, the maid feels the failed prototype accelerate.
While waiting for the loader to ready the next round, the gunner opens up with the coaxial machine gun. The bullets rip through the uparmored vehicles, leaving only one left. Then a lone M1 Abrams appeared, but something was off about the tank. “Nun sieh mal einer an!” (Look at what we have here!) Sakuya was sure of the incoming round bouncing off of her tank. “Sei nicht so bloed!” (Don’t be so foolish!)
The tank comes to a complete stop and turns its turret towards them. It was slower than the others that they had fought before, somehow this sent a chill down Sakuya’s spine. The turret stops and the maid can finally tell what gave her that feeling. Instead of a regular cannon, the turret had four parallel rails pointing at them. Before any of Sakuya’s crew could blink, an impact lifted the heavy tank about an inch into the air. She recognized the weapon as a railgun and was lucky that the round had hit the group in front of them instead of head on.
“Mein gott,” (My God.) Sakuya barely saved herself from slamming her head into the wall. “Bewegen Sie schnell!” (Move fast!) The driver shifted gears and began to move. Grinding her teeth, the maid knew that they had just stumbled upon something major.
Yuakri’s voice came into her ear at that moment. “Hauptmann Izayoi, there’s a fellow prototype tank in the area. From what we can tell, it seems to have an almost finished railgun as its main armament. I doubt that the charms that Patchouli used are enough to take a projectile like that head on. I’ve scared up some stats, so pay attention. The reload time of the railgun is 10.1 seconds due to the generators having to recharge. This has slowed down the turret traverse rate to 6.2 degrees a second. Due to the strain, the top speed is down to 26 miles an hour. It’s roughly the equivalent to a Tiger 1. Especially since the stabilizers were removed.”
“What’s the crew like?” Sakuya had to make a conscious effort to switch to Japanese.
“Still the normal makeup.”
“Zielen Sie auf die Seite!” (Aim for the side!) Sakuya called out to the gunner. The fairy nods and fires a shot that deflected off of the turret. Resisting the urge to kick the gunner, the maid was about to call for another round when the railgun fired again.
A Panzer IV Ausf. H had tried to link up with the Tiger (P) but instantly brewed up when the railgun projectile hit it. The faint shape of the fairy commander could be seen being ejected by the superheated jet of gas breaking through the hatch. A second or two later, the turret flew off as well. From personnel experience, Sakuya knew that the crew was more than likely instantly killed. At least they wouldn’t have to suffer being burned alive.
The two original tanks began to turn on each other, trying to get a clear shot at each other’s rears. Both turrets were having trouble traversing fast enough to stay on target. Sakuya’s gunner didn’t want to waste another shot, otherwise she would get a kick in the back of the head. The railgun operator was concerned about the state of the generators, so he was holding until he was sure of another good hit.
The Tiger P’s radio operator opens up with the machine gun, only to have all the rounds obviously deflect off of the tank. The drivers were balancing turning and forward acceleration. One mistake would lead to either tank slowing down enough for the other to flank it, meaning certain death.
The railgun suddenly fires, hitting the Porsche Tiger in the side of the turret. Sakuya hears something fizzle out and the scent of smoke fills the area. “Was haben sie getroffen?” (What did it hit?)
“Es traf den Horizontalmotor!” (It got the horizontal motor!) The loader shouted back while disengaging the gear and switching the ring to manual. The gunner tested out the hand crank, the turret moved slower than before. Now Sakuya had to make a choice: to keep going on with the turn battle or to break and try to find cover. If she wanted to stay in the turn fight, she could be stuck in a stalemate until either of them made a mistake. If she broke off, she would probably get a railgun to the rear.
“Rueckwaerts auf Hochtouren!” (Reverse at full speed!) Sakuya yells out. The Tiger (P) stopped suddenly, causing the M1 Abrams to overshoot. Throwing the gear into reverse, the tank lurched backwards as it picked up speed. Turning the hand crank as fast as she could, the gunner lines up a shot and manages to knock out one of the M1’s generators. While it wasn’t a disabling hit, the round had the effect of increasing the recharge time.
“Guter Schuss!” (Good shot!) Sakuya praised the gunner. The loader slams an armor piercing round into the breech and pats the gunner on the head. Looking through the sight, the gunner could see and angle of 15 degrees at the point of impact. If the gunner pulled the trigger now, it would more than likely deflect. But the Tiger (P) was going in reverse at full speed, making it more likely that the shot would miss altogether.
“Biegen Sie Rechts ab!” (Turn to the right!) Shouted the maid. The driver reacted instantly, saving them by causing the incoming round to deflect off of their sides. Even though it deflected, the tank still shook violently with the impact. The radio operator slammed her head into the side of the tank and instantly fell unconscious. It was good fortune that if one crew member had to be knock out, it was the one that wasn’t responsible for keep them alive. Sakuya crouched down beside her to make sure that she was still breathing.
The gunner fires another shot, bouncing off the front armor. The loader quickly readies another round and break open the tool box. Grabbing a wrench, she set on the broken motor. She was able to remove three out of the four bolts before having to reload. Once the cannon was reloaded, the fairy removed the last one and let the motor fall to the floor. A large budge could be seen where the railgun had almost penetrated the armor and damaged the motor. The motor’s power cable had been cut, so she removed the damaged wire and threw it to the side.
Sakuya grabs a replacement from a storage container and throws it up. Catching it, the loader was able to hand tighten the four bolts before having to grab another round. Once the action slammed shut, she tightened them down with the wrench and had the gunner test out the motor. The turret began to move faster and smoother, signifying a successful repair. Climbing back to her seat, Sakuya sees the Abrams adjusting its turret.
Her gunner fires off a quick round that slams head on in the front. The impact caused the modern tank to rock, throwing off the railgun. The projectile left a small gorge on the top of the turret as it flew into the distance. Sakuya was waiting for the loader to slam the next round but it didn’t happen. The casing had expanded and jammed inside the breech, causing the loader to grab a crowbar and try to pry it lose.
“Schauen Sie sich ihre Koepfe!” (Watch your heads!). Sakuya called as she took the crowbar from the loader and stabbed the bottom of the casing with it. Once she made the gash big enough, she flipped the crowbar over and inserted the curved end. Planting her feet on the wall, she gets a good grip and bulls the bar. A second or two later, the shell pops out with a crack in the side. The loader opens a hatch and throws the useless and almost fatal casing outside.
The back of the Tiger (P) hits a tree and breaks it like a twig. The next railgun round hits the tree and is deflected enough to miss the open hatch. The loader slams the hatch close and rams a fresh round in the cannon.
“Warten Sie auf mein Kommando.” (Wait for my command.) Sakuya instructs the gunner. She pauses and leans back to prevent from firing the cannon accidently. “Sich naehern.” (Get closer.) She instructs the driver.
The Porsche Tiger lurched forward, picking up speed. Sakuya knew that they had a chance of getting stuck in a turn fight, which would be the next worst thing to getting blown up. If the gunner could get the turret ring, they would be set, but the ground was too rough to get a steady shot. They were about fifty meters away when the pair began to turn into each other again.
“Warten, warten, warten.” (Wait, wait, wait.) Sakuya kept repeating to the gunner. Sweat began to form on her brow again, but she was too focused to notice it. The Abrams was able to move itself in way that countered Sakuya’s higher speed. The human driver knew his machine well and was a worthy opponent. What Sakuya didn’t know was that in order to make space and power for the railgun generators, many of the features that assisted the crew had to be removed. This meant that the gunner had to rely on the cross hair on the gun sight instead of a firing computer and the driver had to watch RPMs and gears himself. The commander had to switch his own channels and codes instead of letting a computer do that for him.
At the moment, the Tiger (P) had the advantage in loading time since it didn’t rely on generators that could be damaged by a good shot. But the Tiger (P) had one crew member that was knocked out, even if that crew member wasn’t directly contributing to the fight. The prototype railgun Abrams had the advantage in firepower, since it was highly likely that a single good shot would penetrate the Porsche at this close range.
The fact that the pair were dueling near a hill almost escaped Sakuya.. But she saw it and got an idea. Just like a high school league Tankery match, going down the hill would turn this into a more mobile battle. As long as they didn’t let themselves get hit by a railgun round, they should be able to maneuver better. And if they were able to get into an open field, it would be better still.
“Feuer!” (Fire!) Sakuya shouted. The armor piercing round glazes the front armor of the Abrams, The return round hits the ground beside the Tiger (P) and lifted it into the air. The driver struggled to control the heavy tank when it landed and swerved. Sakuya’s loader loaded a High Explosive round so that they could try to destroy the enemy view ports. It lands right on the right most driver’s periscope, knocking it out. But since the round wasn’t penetrating, it only one of the three periscopes.
A railgun round impacted right in front of them. Sakuya had been counting the seconds between each round and was frowning when she got a lower count than the others. The only thing that could explain that would be that the damaged generator had been repaired and was coming back online. A group of rocks came into view at the bottom of the hill, giving the pair cover from each other. An outcropping on their side would force them to show their rear if they didn’t time this right.
Taking the turn so fast that they drifted, the Tiger (P) is about to zoom off when Sakuya can see the layout of the rocks. The only path was almost a straight line with the path that the M1 was on coming behind them. “Rueckwaerts auf Hochtouren!” (Reverse at full speed!) Sakuya shouts again. The Tiger (P) switches gears and speeds back. It hits about 40 miles per hour when the Abrams pops out from behind the rock. The two tanks collided with each other, causing the human gunner to fire his round too early.
Everyone in the two tanks were thrown out of their seats and spent precious seconds getting back in their places. The Tiger (P) turned to the side where it could force the railgun to point over it without being in the line of fire. Now the fight was turning into an all-out close quarter brawl.
“Sie zu beschaeftigen!” (Keep them occupied!) Sakuya said before opening up the top hatch and jumping out. Pulling her service knife out of its sheath she jumped on top of the other tank. Stabbing the .50 caliber machine gun on the top, she made sure to destroy as much as she could. The other one tried to turn towards her, so she crouched up it and stuck her knife in the chamber. She reaches the commander’s hatch and stuck her knife near the lock. The sword fight that happening with the cannons almost made her lose her balance.
Giving up on cutting through the different hatch, she thought about throwing a knife through the railgun’s barrel, but decided against it. She started to hear a winding noise and took a leap back to her hatch. Sakuya barely managed to close the hatch before the railgun fired again. Feeling a slight ringing in her ears, she decided to stay in the tank for the rest of the battle. Something about what had just happened didn’t sit right with her.
Her knife should have cut through the lock like it did on the others. The fact that it had a weapon that finally able to penetrate her armor, albeit a prototype, and had arrived the day after she had taken command of her tank meant that someone had planned it out well in advance. If weapons development was anything like it was back in Germany in the Second World War, then it would take some time. She thought about trying to call in a bombing run, but they were too close and her pride as a tank commander was on the line. A smile expanded on her face as she decided to finish this one by herself.
-
Lunarian Staging Grounds, Gensokyo
Three regiments of Lunarian line infantry were waiting in formation. The 1st, 15th, and 51st Regiments of Infantry were chosen by Princess Toyohime to march on Tokyo and negotiate with the Japanese government. Eirin and Yukari arrived and were conferring with Kanako and Suwako about the present state of affairs. One of Yukari?s crows lands on her shoulder and holds out its leg. Yukari takes a small paper form it and smiles a little when she reads it.
With a flourish of her fan, she opens up a series of gaps large enough for the individual regiments to march through. The 1st, 15th and half of the 51st would march on the National Diet Building would the rest of the 51st would find the Prime Minister and escort him to join the Diet. The Emperor would be left alone until either Princesses Toyohime or Yorihime wished to speak with him. Since the Lunarian troops were more heavily armed than the police and token military forces in the city, it would serve everyone well if shots weren?t fired.
Commands were shouted out by senior sergeants and the regiments brought their rifles to the marching position. Drum beats echoed through the area as the standard bearers lifted their banners into the air. Company commanders shouted orders to march, leading to the sounds of perfectly timed footsteps to ring out. The way the troops marched reminded Yukari of Panzerlied, which brought a set of memories back.
As soon as an entire row had arrived in front of the Diet building, they sprinted inside and began to clear it. Police officers instantly knew that they were outmatched and raised their hands in surrender. They allowed themselves to be pushed back until they made a perimeter around the building. The same thing happened to tourists. Several of the Lunarian troops had actually stopped at the souvenir stands and bought things before they had them leave.
Eirin and Yukari entered the building, taking their hats off out of respect. The pair continued until they reached the joint session. The room instantly fell into silence when the representatives recognized them and the troops that preceded them. Right after they entered, a portal opened and the Prime Minster was escorted right in. He was unharmed but annoyed that he had to eat his breakfast on the go.
?Ladies and gentlemen of the Diet, allow me to introduce myself,? Yukari bowed her head slightly in greeting. ?I am Yukari Yakumo, leader and head of the paradise known as Gensokyo.?
?I am Royal Colonel Eirin Yagokoro, former Chief Medical Officer of the Lunarian Defense Corps, former tutor to eight generations of the Lunarian Royal Family, and commander of the 1st Regiment of Royal Foot.? Eirin nodded as well. ?I will represent the Lunarians in these negotiations.?
The speaker of the House of Councillors stood up. ?Negotiations? Why would we negotiate with the enemy when they have forced their way into our capital? How many innocent civilians have you killed??
?None.? Yukari answered smoothly. ?All of your security forces and civilians were evacuated when we arrived. We took extreme care to avoid any bloodshed or inconvenience. None of your buildings are on fire or destroyed, they are all going on with their usual business. We would like to keep it that way.?
?Then why are you here? Is it really negotiations or surrender that you seek??
?Negotiations.? Eirin said. ?We want to speak to your nation as equals and end this conflict as quickly and bloodlessly as possible. We are prepared to offer you generous terms and conditions to meet that end.?
?Such as?? This time it was the Prime Minister.
?Withdraw from the war and we?ll be happy to sign a non-aggression treaty with you. We would even be willing to sign a Declaration of Friendship or alliance.? Yukari answered.
?You are fighting the United States, our biggest ally, to a standstill. I highly doubt that we would be at liberty to even discuss something like that.?
?What if I told you that several important officials at the top of the American government are thinking about dropping nuclear weapons on Japanese soil?? Yukari threw out.
The room instantly chills at that proclamation. Several of the representatives began to argue with each other over whether that the United States would even dare to think about it. Yukari waits until the speakers of the two houses restore order.
?If you don?t believe me, I would like to place a call to the Swiss government.?
?Who are you calling?? the Prime Minister asked.
?Die Nachrichtendienst des Budnes,? Yukari replied in perfect German. ?They have something that you might want to see.?
Without waiting for their permission, Yukari walks to the video conference interface and dials a number. The projector screen at the front of the room began to lower as a dial tone sounded through the room.
?This is the head of the Federal Intelligence Service, I take it that it?s you on the other end, Lady Yakumo??
?You are correct. Do have the documents that you have talked to me about??
?Yes. Do I have the pleasure of speaking to a joint secession of the Japanese National Diet??
The Prime Minister stood up. ?Yes, along with the Prime Minister. The Emperor himself is busy at the moment.?
?I?ve never been good at speaking with royalty, so that?s fine. I trust that you can advise him at a later time. To begin, we have had taps on top level American communications ever since we found out that they have tapped into ours. Last night, we intercepted a very concerning series of executive orders and requests from the White House. Several of them are designed to erode the natural liberties and freedoms of their people under the guise of security. One request for an opinion from unusual parties involves the use of nuclear weapons. One potential target would be the site of the current battle involving GDF and LDC forces, in the north of the country. Here are some copies of the documents that we intercepted.?
On the screen memos began to appear one right after another. Some were addressed to the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. The one to the Department of Justice was concerning possible laws in occupied territories, the ones to Homeland Security would be the subjugation of civilian populations, and the one to Defense concerned possible technologies to counter magic and large populations.
?Now, I know that the two of you are allies. But I am willing to bet that your own intelligence services should have dug up these documents by now. If you want to call them, I?m willing to wait.? The head of the FIS leaned back and began to slip some coffee.
The Prime Minister talked to one of his aides and sent him off. A few minutes later, the aide returned with a tablet and gave it to him. The Prime Minister?s face began to pale as he read the documents on it and then passed it off to the Speakers of the House of Councillors and Representatives. They two began to pale and placed the tablet on the stand in front of the emperor?s empty chair.
?I take it that I was right.? The spy master sat up. ?We have also received reports of the American government starting to buy out ammunition and weapons. There is also a shakeup of officers in the mix, especially in the National Guard. If I didn?t know better, I would say that martial law is in the works. But the question is how they plan on having the ability to wage war aboard and home.?
?I believe that I may have a way.? Yukari interjected. Everyone turned to look at her. ?Might I be able to ask if anyone here would be familiar with Project MKUltra??
No one in the assembly knew what she was talking about. Only Eirin and the FIS director knew. He leaned back and whistled, he knew exactly what she was talking about.
?MKUltra was a CIA program designed to develop and implement mind control in the 1950s. It was highly criticized when the fact that American and Canadian citizens were used as test subjects came to light. Some of the things that came out of this project were LSD, new forms of torture and blackmail. It was ?officially? ended in 1973, according to the CIA.? Yukari laughed. ?But like the rest of the programs that the CIA has ordered, it still continues to this day. There is one increasing alarming development, Director, if you would.?
?Of course. A few months before the incident in the United Nations, we intercepted an order for sensors to a company in Germany. It came from the CIA?s Directorate of Science and Technology, and it was so encrypted that we had only finished a few hours ago. It was an order for sensors that could detect something that was called ?magic?. We have no idea if that is a code name, but my personal feeling is that it was develop specifically against Gensokyo. Note that this happened before hostilities had happened or that Gensokyo was even known.?
?This ties in that the CIA knows about magic. I know that all of you probably think of magic as something out of a fairy tale or fantasy novel, but I assure you that it is true.? Yukari was about to continue, but the doors opened.
All of the representatives stood at once and bowed. Walking into the chamber was the Emperor of Japan, escorted by his two bodyguards and four Lunarian officers. The four officers stopped when they reached the doors and closed them. The Emperor of Japan took his seat and motioned for the representatives to sit. He had the wrinkles of age and wisdom all over his face with no hints of malice or treachery.
?I am the Emperor of Japan. I assume that I am speaking to my equal on the other side.?
?Somewhat, I?m only the caretaker of the Great Hakueri Barrier that separated Gensokyo from the outside. While I am the usually one that takes the lead in outside affairs, we would like to think of Gensokyo of having no real hierarchy.?
?I see.? He nodded. ?So it still is the same as the legends that I have heard.?
?It depends on which legends you have heard.?
The Emperor smiled. ?Doesn?t it always. But I think that the rest of the officials would prefer if we get back to the topic at hand.?
?Yes, it would be better. Would you like for us to bring you up to speed??
?I?m current with most of what we?re talking about. I would like a few minutes to confer with the Prime Minister and the two Speakers, but I would like to ask one question before I do.?
?Of course, what is it??
He turned to Eirin. ?I have heard rumors that the Lunarians are the source about the rumors of the Dragon Palace from our legends. Is that true??
Eirin took a breath. ?Those legends?are all true. The two daughters of the Dragon God are based off of my two best students, who are the reigning sovereigns of the moon. I raised the pair myself.?
?I see.? The Emperor nodded. ?Now I can confer with my advisors.?
For the next ten minutes, the Emperor listened to the arguments of the two houses. The Prime Minister interjected every so often to include relevant information. Even though the monarch only had ceremonial powers, he was still respected by the people and carried a bit of weight in the political arena. Eirin and Yukari were given seats by the Lunarian troops while they waited. Eirin was given updates on the battle, along with communications with Sakuya during her showdown with the prototype tank.
Yukari was getting the same updates and was frowning. The fact that counters to magic were being fielded so fast didn?t bode well for them. The director of the FIS could be seen speaking to someone off screen. With the bickering dying down, the Emperor began to frown in thought.
?I hope that we haven?t kept waiting too long.? He motioned them to remain seated. ?Please don?t worry about royal protocol, it would be faster if we kept this as practical as we can. Even though we are technically at war with each other, you did make sure that civilians and outclassed police forces were removed from the area and haven?t wiped out the entire assembly. Due to these facts, I am willing to hear the terms and conditions that you will place forward.?
?I am more interested in why you didn?t ask what would happen if you refused our terms.? Eirin spoke.
?I am confident that if the negotiations did break down, you would withdraw.?
?I hate having my bluffs called,? Yukari sighed. ?So our terms are that you withdraw from the war and sign a non-aggression pact.?
?I see. You do realize that doing so would make us enemies with the United States. We?re already at odds with Russia and China, even though the United States did ask us to allow them to help with the enveloping of the shrine.?
?So I take it that you really did give them permission to travel in your territory.? Eirin asked.
?It was with the insistence of several members of the Cabinet,? the Prime Minister said. ?Even though I was against it, they kept on insisting.?
?Did they have a glazed look in their eyes?? Yukari looked around.
?A few of them?? the Prime Minister trailed off. Eirin tapped her foot and Lunarian troops began to inspect each of the Diet members? eyes. The ones that were glazed over were immediately dragged in front of the negotiating parties at gun point. Eirin stood up and grabbed one by the cheeks to force him to look at her. Grabbing a spell card from a pocket, she slams it on his forehead. The sound of glass breaking could be heard and he collapsed amid an aura of dark energy.
?Hmm,? Eirin said thoughtfully. ?That was easier than I expected, so it must be a prototype batch. You four, don?t run away just yet.? She threw more spell cards that connected and broke the spells. ?There?s the proof that MKUltra is still up and running.?
The ones that were released from the spell began to pick themselves off of the ground with dazed looks on their faces. Lunarian medical personnel began to administer to them, but found that they just need a few minutes to get themselves together.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this does show that the American government has been trying to interfere with your internal affairs. I?m not saying that they?re in the wrong, but they?re in the wrong.? Yukari said.
The Emperor nodded sadly. ?How can this be the same government that helped to correct our misguided nation during the war? They have done so much for us and then this happens. How??
?It?s not the same government,? Yukari answered. ?It?s only the United States government in name. Someone has manipulated their way into the lead, and they did so publicly. Everyone here knows that the current president isn?t elected, nor has he even talked about elections after the last elected president was injured. Don?t feel that your country is the only one that has been infiltrated. I would bet my entire fortune that every important country has been infiltrated.?
"How could this happen?" The Prime Minister asked.
?They have had to come in contact with American agents under the CIA?s payroll.? Yukari watched the awaken representatives stumble around. ?It could have been in the course of official duties, or it could have been accidently bumping into someone in the street.?
?If I could interject,? the FIS direction asked. ?Both the United States and Soviet Union have had their agents kill each other in third party nations during the Cold War. There were reports of Soviet agents having caches all throughout the United States in case of war. I wouldn?t be surprised if it was happening here. They were spying on Germany, one of their closest allies. They even wiretapped their chancellor.?
?So the Americans don?t care about sovereignty or customs anymore?? Feeling light headed, the Prime Minister had to seat down.
?Not the ones in charge.? Eirin sighed. ?But with the magic and technology that they?re combining to make this type of mind control, it won?t matter if the lower ranks don?t see that way. If they would treat their own soldiers like this, imagine what they would do to the civilians.?
?But the United States is one of the largest gun loving nations on the planet. And they?re not exactly some of the most reasonable people either.?
?That instability can make them even more susceptible to this magic. Nobody can use a weapon if their resolve is broken and they become used to the status quo.?
?Mein Gott,? everyone turned to the screen on the wall. ?We intercepted another set of orders, this time to Krauss-Maffei Wagmann GmbH & Co. KG. Take a look of them for yourself.?
A series of blueprints appeared on the screen. It was a design for what looked like a powered suit. ?From what we can tell, this an armored suit that has been designed to match the power and endurance of many of the combatants that the NATO forces encountered during the First Battle of the Hakurei Shrine. The materials being ordered also seem to be interesting. Something called SPHINX, which stands for Special Purpose High Inhibiting and Nullifying eXtract. What it?s extracted from, I don?t know. But it?s specified to be able to resist magic at close range and disrupt spell circles.
?Has it been tested yet?? Eirin asked.
?I can?t say, but if I were a betting man, probably.? He shrugged. ?Against what, I don?t know. My recommendation would be to assume that it is effective against your magic and plan accordingly.? Someone else spoke off screen. ?It does seem that way, Madame President.?
As Yukari had requested, the entire Swiss Federal Council was sitting in on the call and waiting for their chance to jump in. ?Prime Minister, it would have been improper for us to have a meeting like this without representatives from our allies. The Swiss head of state is the entire Federal Council, so they?re all here.?
?So, back to the negotiations,? Eirin jumped in. ?Withdraw from the war and we?ll let you keep your sovereignty and help you out from time to time.?
?If we were to withdraw, the Americans would take that as an act of war and invade us.?
?You see how we can fight them to standstill.? Eirin responded. ?If you were to agree to our terms, we would be happy to take care of that problem. The Lunarians are happy to have allies rather than captured territories. We?re not above occupation, however.?
?If we don?t have the support of the United States, Russia and China will see that as an opening. Even more so after we showed them kindness in letting them help with the blockage in exchange for withdrawing territorial claims.?
?Do you really believe that either of them will stand by their word?? Yukari scoffed. ?You?ve seen what they have done in Ukraine, in Vietnam and Korea, and even in Afghanistan. Look at how they played with Germany during World War II. The only way to make sure that they respect that agreement is by showing them that it?s in their best interest to. China is full of arrogance, they won?t understand until they touch the fire and realize it burns. They have one aircraft carrier that they claim is the best technology has to offer, when in fact they had bought an old husk from Russia. What bodes ill for you is they still hold a grudge over the war. Like Colonel Yagokoro said, we can help with that easily.?
?I cannot doubt your combat abilities, but how can you expect to hold off one of the largest nations on the planet??
?They may be the largest on the planet, but Lunarian troops are skilled enough to counter that. Did you really think that we would throw all of our troops into the beginning of the war?? Eirin asked. ?We have hundreds of line infantry regiments, hundreds of cavalry brigades, hundreds of artillery divisions, dozens of Royal Foot regiments, and tens of Royal Guard divisions. Each Lunarian solider is more than a one on one match with an American soldier. The only thing that would prove to be a problem would be a nuclear strike, which may be likely.?
?Does international law not matter anymore??
?Have you seen the latest press conference from the White House?? Yukari asked. She gets all head shakes and nods to the Swiss. The image cuts out to a press conference in the White House Press Conference Room.
Hours before, James S. Brady Press Briefing Room, West Wing, the White House
The room was full of more reporters than usual. Rumors of the new executive orders and changes in leadership had been spreading faster than the E-4 Mafia rumor mill. Ammunition sales had spiked during the night, and warehouses were working at overdrive to ship out every last possible box. Mail and delivery vans were carrying vast amounts of those orders. As soon as sporting goods stores and gun shops opened, they were swarmed by crowds wanting to buy every last weapon. Bank accounts were cleared out by those fearing an IRS crackdown and exchanged for material goods believed to have value in practicality.
Home improvement stores were facing a run, with shovels, pickaxes, and other hand tools being scooped up in seconds. Grocery stores also saw a dramatic increase in the purchase of nonperishable foods and water. Protests were being discussed, but only by those that couldn?t make it to the stores. The vast majority of the people were preparing themselves for something big. Conspiracy theorists were reveling in their perceive confirmation and were trying to make book deals or score interviews.
Homes and neighborhoods were beginning to be barricaded and those with weapons were organizing defense groups. Police stations called all of their officers back to work, and began to issue live ammo. National Guard and Reserve units were also being placed on standby, but the vast majority were being to doubt if they were on the right side. Homegrown militias were gathering all of their members and double checking their equipment.
The door to the Press Room opened, and Taisui Xingjun walks in with his press secretary. He walked with a smile on his face and his hands out, almost expect a hug. Instead of walking straight to the podium, he greets the reporters in the front row, calling each by name and asking them about their families. While this was happening, the directors of the Departments of Homeland Defense, Justice, and Treasury walked in and stood next to the stand.
Once he was done, he walked behind the podium and rested his elbows on it. ?Good morning, my fellow Americans. How are y?all doing? I know that some rumors have being going around, so I decided that it would be best if I set the record straight. But I?m going to do things a little differently. Why don?t all y?all start this by asking what you want to know??
Hands immediately shot up. Xingjun picks one of the reports from the front. ?Mr. President, what is the purpose of the executive orders that you have signed??
?Good question. We?re in a war against a rogue nation, I would even call them terrorists. They did bomb every embassy on the planet. You might be wondering how they did that, I know I did at first. But, get ready for this, it was magic.? The room gets quiet out of disbelief. ?I?m being dead serious, they can use magic. If you don?t believe me, stop by my public affairs office and we can show you the footage of the battle we?re right at this moment. But as I was saying, we?re in a war. Out boys and girls downrange need every little piece of support we can give them. What better way to do this than by giving them the ammo they need? I?m actually in discussions with the Joint Chiefs of Staff about letting them bring their own personal weapons. They almost had a heart attack when I first said it, but they?ll come around. The one about the weapons is a misunderstanding. If you value the 2nd amendment so much, then you should help out our service members by letting them use yours, or even joining them on the front line. Most people with tacti-cool weapons brag about being able to hit a target at 600 yards, so we?re willing to pay for them to go join the fight and test their skills out.? He was stopped when one of his advisors whispered in his ears. ?Well, this actually works out perfectly, get them on the line.? Xingun smiles. ?The Iranian excuse for a navy has just captured a cargo ship from one of our Pacific island allies in international waters. They fired warning shots and escaped before one of our carriers could get there. We?re opening a line to Tehran right now and y?all are welcomed to sit in on it.?
Once the call connects a gruff voice comes over the speakers, speaking in heavy accented English. ?What does the bloodthirsty cowards of the Western World want??
?Whoa, easy, easy.? Xingun said with the same smile on his face. ?I just wanted to talk and catch up. How have you pig lovers been??
The sound that came from the other line could only be described as an expression of pure anger.
?So, I heard you?ve been talking shit and took one of our allied ships hostage.?
?That ship belonged to a company that owes our government money. It is none of your concern and we only speak our minds.?
?I?ll make this quick.? Xingun put a hard edge in his voice. ?You have thirty minutes to release the crew unharmed with their cargo untouched. If this happens, we?ll overlook this offense. If not, we?ll wipe your miserable wastes of life off of the map.?
?You wouldn?t dare.?
?Is that a challenge? We don?t appreciate the attack on a cardboard box you used as an aircraft carrier earlier this year. If you want to train against us, we would always welcome a straight charge on the high seas.?
?Our allies will help us.?
?Then it?s a challenge.? He turned to the directors. ?Any and all Iranian assets and citizens are now to be placed under government control and detained. Send a message to our carriers in the Persian Gulf that Iran is now a hostile target and the rules of engagement are as follows: leave none alive, move with utmost speed, and reduce our casualties. There will be no restrictions placed on those that are doing the work.? He turns back to the microphone. ?This time next week, I?m going to be seating in the chair of your Shah in Tehran. Either that, or your country will be just a parking lot of glass. Enjoy what little time you have left.?
Before the line got cut, he throws up his arms and yells, ?War Powers Resolution, bitch! I got 90 days to finish this! Congress ain?t got nothing on me!?
The room sat in stunned silence after the outburst. Xingun adjusts his tie and leans back on the podium. ?How?s that for your next scoop??
?Mr. President, how are you going to raise an army large enough to fight Iran with the current crisis?? A reporter in the second row asked.
?Well, we?re thinking of bring back the draft. After all, basic?s been a joke since the cycle after I graduated. I mean, we used to get flogged, even if we didn?t break the rules. These new guys have it easy, so no more stress cards and especially ice cream in the chow halls.?
?Sir, if I could interrupt,? a reporter chimed in. ?It was my cycle that was the last hardest, at Fort Jackson in 2008.?
?Fort Jackson?? Xingun laughed. ?I ain?t heard of no Fort Jackson, only Relaxing Jackson. Go on the Stairway to Heaven at Fort Benning and then talk to me about having a hard basic. I carried more weight than a pack mule and learned how to fly helicopters and kill people with my thumbs there. I saw a Drill Sergeant eat some poor private?s soul in formation. What did you do? Sing songs around a campfire and campus beautification? If you ain?t infantry, you ain?t shit. And don?t get me started on the Air Force.?
Unbeknownst to him, every infantry soul across the world cheered when they heard that. ?The only real problem would be the funding that we need. So, we?re looking at reducing social programs, but only on a temporary basis. As soon as the current conflict is over, they?ll go back to normal. We?re also looking to take care of the Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp by neutralizing those prisoners permanently. That would create a safer nation and cut costs immensely. And the added bonus would be that we won?t have to worry about accusations of torture anymore. I know that a lot of you are concerned, I feel you on this. But we have a lot of this under control and the ones we don?t, we?re taking care of them. It takes a strong government to admit when it has trouble, and we?ll admit it when it happens.?
Xingun sighs. ?Since the War Powers Resolution requires me to meet with Congress within 48 hours of military action, I?m going to have to deal with those selfish fools. But if they don?t see things the way I do, then they don?t love America. Everyone here has to know that I?m doing this for our great nation. Iran will be a threat if we let them build nuclear weapons and complete their seizure of more land in the Middle East. Israel is doing a great job of pushing back invading forces, it?s out duty as an ally to help them. In the First Gulf War, it only took us 100 hours to destroy the Iraqi forces? ability to fight. If we unleash the dogs of war with no restrictions, we can beat that record. We owe the Kurds an apology for leaving them out to dry in the past, so we?re going to finally fight alongside them. I am giving them my word that they will have their own state within six months. If they want, we can give them the area where Iran is going to vacate.? He smiles and points at the camera while bring a microphone up.. ?That?s all the time I have today. I have to get back to running a country and leading the world police. This is the start of a new age. Just as the end of World War II saw the fall of fascism and ushered in an era of prosperity, we are at the beginning of growth and development. Once we wipe Gensokyo off of the map, the world will finally know peace.?
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Rising Moon Preparatory School, Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
As the bell rang through the lecture hall of the school, students quickly found their seats and took out their writing materials. They were in the lecture hall for the required Lunarian history module. But this lesson was one that everyone had been taught at an early age. Some would go as far to say that it was the definite bedtime story. It was considered one of the greatest stories ever told anywhere.
An old Lunarian officer makes his way to the podium and seats down. Since he was in the service for so long and nearing retirement, he really didn?t care about being late and such. The school didn?t have evaluations for teachers anyway. He was famous for doing whatever he wanted, sometime to the point of canceling class and giving everyone a pass or fail examination based on logic and reasoning. One time, he even canceled class so that he could climb on the table and fall asleep. When a civilian parent came into complain, he threw off his rank and insignia to challenge him to a fight.
?Settle down, settle down,? he took a drink from the glass that he brought. ?We?re at everyone?s favorite part. Today, we?ll be talking about the unification of the kingdom and the only time that the First Royal Army has ever been fielded. You two in the back, wait until you?re in private before doing that. I won?t lie to you, I wasn?t old enough to be there. But I have gone through the records of the battle and have a pretty good idea of how things happened. I have spoken with veterans of both sides of the conflict. I have also written a few research papers and books on the subject. So, we have to start with some history to set this up.?
He opens a book and taps on the table. Behind him, a complicated diagram that focused on tie colors appeared. There were a number of group insignia that were label and had different colored ties under them. They changed as he spoke about each in turn.
?During the Third and hopefully Last Lunarian Civil War, there was an explosion of new ideologies that challenged the Crown. Republicanism, Socialism, Despotism, Democracy, Aristocracy, Theocracy, Khakistocracy, and Plutocracy were adopted by various groups that raised regiments and began to carve out pieces for their own empire. To be able to distinguish the forces from each other, each adopted a different tie color. The Royal forces wore the red ties that they continue to wear to this day, the Republican forces wore black, the Socialists wore green, the despots wore blue, the Democratic forces wore purple, the aristocratic forces wore white, the theocratic forces wore yellow ties, the Khakistocratics wore brown and the plutocratic forces wore pink. At the beginning of the war, many of them fought against each other. Eventually they recognized that the better equipped Royal forces were more of a threat and allied themselves with each other. Their combined forces were enough to turn the tide of the war and gain large amounts of territory. District after district fell to the combined forces, sending the Red Ties into a retreat. Entire cities and metropolitan areas were razed to the ground after they fell. Entire rivers and lakes were drained and forever destroyed. It was a dark time for the Royal forces. With the complete fall of the Brave Regiment outside of the Capital District, the Royal forces were pushed back to the gates of the Capital. It was at this time that the enemy forces gathered all of their troops and threw them into capturing the Capital and the Royal Family in one last battle.?
Another tap and a map of the Lunar Capital and surrounding areas appeared.
?It was obvious to all sides that the Royal Forces were getting desperate. They held only one city and it was their Capital, which was next on the list to be attacked. During this time, the twenty five Royal Officers had been noticeably absent from the battlefield. Rumors were flying around that this was a sign of displeasure towards the current regime. Even a Royal Second Lieutenant was more than a match for an entire division. With most of their troops already dead, the Royal forces had pressed the development wing into releasing all of their working prototypes. For most of these prototypes, this was the only time they would ever see battle. Civilians were given weapons and instructions to slow down the enemy advance if they broke through the walls. Even though the plan was to stall the advance of the enemy forces, there was no consensus about what was to happen next.?
Last Lunarian Civil War, Hundreds of Years Prior, Dark Side of the Moon
The Royal Forces had been pushed back to the Lunarian capital. The republican Black Ties had joined forces with the socialist Green Ties and the rest of the rebelling forces in order to counter the loyalist forces. Both sides had taken massive causalities, but were still stubborn on the field of battle. Royal Rifle Regiments had dug in and were firing at full auto while magicians were calling down hellfire and lighting. Muzzle loaded cannons were being reloaded as quickly as possible, stopping cavalry from getting too close. Airborne troops were sniped out of the sky, serving as a reason to stay on the ground.
Line regiments had formed up on both sides and were advancing towards each other behind cast iron shields. Gatling gun fire was being deflected off of the shields, but not before making the holder stumble from the energy of the rounds. Once the two lines had gotten close to each other, they would trade fire until running out of rounds. When they ran out, they fixed bayonets and charged. Before the battle, the royal forces had set up an imaginary line around the Capital. Once the enemy forces had crossed it, they fired off an extremely illegal weapon.
Chemical shells flew over the walls and landed directly in the center of the enemy formations. The shells were filled with something called Hourai gas, which affected every victim differently. Some fell to the ground convulsing due to seizures, others screamed due to having their eyes and throat burn intensely, and a few began to bleed profusely. Friendly troops quickly fell back, they knew that the firing of the shells meant they had lost too much ground.
The loaders for the cannons reloaded as quickly as they could, but were careful to not risk getting the gas on themselves. It was a heavy gas, so it stayed close to the ground and was a good weapon for area denial. But it would only last a short time before it dissipated and would have to be reapplied. Cannons from the royal forces were being pulled back, but a few were too far gone to save. They were rigged to explode and pushed towards the advancing forces.
Every experimental weapon that the loyalist forces had were being brought out. Breech loaded cannons were firing faster than their recommended pace, resulting in some of their barrels to glow red. Cavalry steeds were at the point of near exhaustion, while some collapsed on the battlefield. Armored carts were being used to cover the retreat to the outer walls, and sometimes tried to shield them.
Black Tie magicians had crafted golems from the ground around them and were throwing them against the walls. Theocratic Yellow Ties were shelling the outside districts of the Capital from long range, not caring about civilian deaths. Return fire flew into the air as flares that rained down behind the enemy?s line. Fires resistant to water magic popped up, forcing entire companies to fall back. On top of the outer wall, moon rabbits appeared with should launched rocket launchers and fired.
They were explicitly ordered to aim for the officers of the enemy formation, so any large and fancy piece of headgear was a prime target. Bodies flew through the air as the explosions rocked the advancing line regiments. Seeing another chance, the Green Ties had launched another wave into the sky. Spotting the incoming formation, the Gatling guns opened up again. Tracer rounds flew into the leading personnel, dropping them out of the sky and into certain death upon hitting the ground.
Depressing the breech loaded cannons as far as they could, the loyalist forces open fire with the Hourai gas again. Scores of Black Ties became afflicted with total organ failure, hyper sensitivity to random triggers, hemorrhagic shock due to clotting being rendered inactive and being combined with usually minor wounds, and bursts of insanity that resulted in them attacking their own allies. For the units that had gotten close to the main gate, flamethrowers were used to force them back.
The Green Ties had finished setting up heavy siege artillery and were double checking their calculations. Once they were complete, they loaded explosive rounds. The rounds flew into the walls and detonated. The defenders on the walkway above the explosion fell to their deaths after getting disoriented by the explosion. With an open path into the Capital, the enemy troops began to pour in. The windows of the surrounding houses opened up with their occupants pulling out their weapons. Even though they were civilians, they were managing to slow the advance.
Slowly advancing through the hole, the cast iron shields were taking massive punishment. A royalist artillery cannon on the street was punching neat holes into those shields, but was overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Magicians had arrived and were throwing fire down the streets, catching any Black Tie that had been too slow to get out of the way. Several of them continued to advance before their bodies realized they were melting.
A prototype of a laser battery was wheeled into the plaza near the hole. With two cannons, it was capable of double taps with only a single pull of the trigger. Every time the shots landed, it caused an explosion like an HE round. One Black Tie that was hit was lifted onto the air and landed harshly on his back. Anyone could tell that his back was probably shattered. Smoke grenades were thrown forward, in preparation for a charge.
Since the defending forces had the skies locked down by snipers and Gatling guns, the only way to the Lunar Palace was by the ground. The laser battery held its ground and switched to maximum power. The Black Ties charge forward, trying to get a lucky shot before the battery could get them. Opening up at full speed, the battery rips through the infantry. Disorientated by the close explosions, several of them tripped into their allies.
Keeping up such a rate of fire started to make the barrels glow red, but the crew had no choice but to sustain it. One of the buildings nearby was hit so much that it collapsed on itself. The space vacated by the collapsed building provided the opposing forces a good area to launch airborne units since the anti-air units couldn?t hit them there. Green Tie magicians created golems that moved forward to distract the battery.
The lasers punched through the golems, but this gave the opposing forces enough time to close the distance. One of the battery crew members draws her saber and engages five of the attackers by herself. The fight was short lived when a boulder landed on all of them. Seeing no other choice, the remainder of the crew threw a box of gas that fueled the laser towards the advancing mass. It lands right behind the first few moon rabbits and the laser fires at it. The explosion was large enough to level the entire block and wipe out the battalion that was about to overrun them and themselves.
On the hills around the Capital, a group of figures appeared. There were twenty five of them and they were walking like they were on a causal stroll. When they reached the top of the hill, they stopped to take in the scene in front of them. Giant golems were attacking each other while their magicians were shooting and throwing punches at their counterparts. Entire formations of airborne troops were disappearing into red mist and black clouds. Infantry were fighting for control of the hole in the wall amid flames and artillery fire. Rockets flew in every direction, tearing apart anyone unlucky enough to be near their impact. The Royal Banner at the Palace was riddled with bullet holes but still flew proudly.
?So, I turn around to gather research samples on a mountain and the entire kingdom is brought to its knees,? Royal Colonel Eirin Yagokoro sighed. ?It?s just like babysitting children, they can never take care of themselves.?
?Mama,? a Royal Major said. ?What?s your plan?? All of the Royal Officers referred to her as such due to the fact that they shared such a close bond. Every Royal Officer was sent to her to be tested and trained when they received their Royal Commission. Those ten years of intense training across a multitude of subjects was more than enough to shatter any normal service member. During that time, they were broken down completely. The life of luxury that officers led came back to bite them when Eirin took them to the mountains. She forced them to provide their own meals, either by hunting or gathering. She taught them much of the knowledge that she had acquired on the Earth and the moon. They all walked on the razor?s edge of danger every single day of those ten years.
Any assignment that was given to them was one that Eirin had complete dozens and even hundreds of times before. If they showed pride, she stuffed it out of them mercilessly. If they showed a lapse of judgment, she made sure to make them pay for it. At all times, she enforced discipline and bearing. By the time they thought they had made a groundbreaking discovery, she had already written entire books on it. She put them through grueling combat tests, effortlessly beating them down again and again.
But once they figured out the reason behind all of her actions, they improved dramatically. She wasn?t trying to kill or discredit them, she wanted to make sure they were ready. She wanted to be on a different plane than the rest of the LDC. She wanted them to be able to watch over her two best students when she wasn?t there. Once they were almost done, they felt the responsibility of their office. But that was nothing compared to the thrill of combat they felt alongside their teacher and commander.
?Hmm,? Eirin tucked a loose hair behind her ear. ?Why don?t we do our usual??
?Mama knows what we want,? This time, it was a Royal First Lieutenant that laughed. ?Any priority targets you want us to take care of for you??
?Nothing that pops out right now.?
Another Royal Major pulls out his saber and stretches. ?I wonder if this?ll be fun, not like the bore from the last two civil wars.?
?Who was it that got the most kills,? A Royal Captain asked. ?If you weren?t so busy reading poetry, you might have won that bet.?
?Mama, he?s complaining about that bet again.?
Eirin smiled at the bickering. ?Last time I checked, someone still owned me a beaker after that chemical mishap.? The two that were arguing stopped and pointed at a Royal First Lieutenant. The Royal Officer in question took a few steps back to hide behind another one.
Facing back to the battle, Eirin takes a deep breath and raises her bow. She places an arrow with green fins on the string and pulls it back. Releasing it, it flies up with a terrifying screech. When it reaches 1000 feet, it explodes in a bright green light. The bright green light overpowered the sun and casted a green tint on everything. Every single soul under it stopped and looked at the trail coming from it. The enemy forces froze in terror when they recognized the standard of the First Royal Army next to Eirin.
?Alea iacta est,? (The die is cast) Eirin called.
Cheering, the Royal Officers lifted their weapons and charged forward. Twenty five Royal personnel against 16 divisions does seem like a little bit of overkill, but it was the 16 divisions that were the prey. A Royal First Lieutenant punches the ground, creating a large fissure that swallowed an entire battalion. The Royal Major from earlier creates a ball of St. Elmo?s fire and tosses it up into the air. He kicks it into a company that was firing at him and watched as they were all lit on fire. A Royal Captain stops and raises his arms to call lighting down that stuck down another battalion.
Eirin jumps over a formation that was reloading and spins when she touches the ground. Her saber easily cuts through their uniforms, breaking the formation apart. She continues her spin, creating a hail of bullets that took more of them down. Seeing that they would get in the way, the Royal forces fell back to the wall. Another laser battery had been wheeled on top and was taking pot shots at the approaching forces.
Gatling gun fire landed on the ground near Eirin, in response she grabs a nearby enemy and uses her as a shield. The Colonel breaks her neck before throwing the lifeless body to the side. Planting her saber in the ground, she pulls out an arrow and hurls it at the crank turner. It connects with his arm and severs a vein. With that opening, she destroys them and the gun.
Artillery fire began to rain down around her and the next opponents. A majority of the artillery pieces had switched to aiming at her, giving the defending forces breathing room. Eirin was about to read the shells? trajectory and danced between them. All she had to do was keep going since the friendly fire was taking care of most of her targets. Instead of firing their weapons, a battalion of Black Ties decided to overwhelm her with sheer numbers by charging at her.
A Royal Captain throws a sledgehammer that knocks an entire platoon off of their feet. He had attached a chain to the end of it that allowed him to cover a larger area. It didn?t matter that enemy troops were hiding behind cover, he just slung it around behind them. Once he got tired of throwing it around, he let go of the chain and watched it grown through a squad.
At the very front of the attack, a Royal First Lieutenant was dancing around bullets while she threw wires around. When she was done, she snapped her fingers. The wires instantly ignite and explode, sending shrapnel everywhere. Then she pulls three small missiles from her equipment belt and throws them. They lock on to gunpowder barrels and cause massive explosions to erupt. A Royal Second Lieutenant brings up a rocket launcher throws it at her. She catches it and sticks a spell card into it. She fires it at a regiment that was bringing their rifles up to bear. The rocket hits the center and causes a small flash. Black Ties closest to the flash look at the small orb that had landed there with confusion. Then the small orb exploded, sending a concussive blast wave that lifts half the regiment into the air.
The Royal Second Lieutenant from before loads another rocket while she loads the same spell card again. He taps her on the shoulder to signify that he?s done and pulls out his primary weapon. Jumping into the air, he pulls the trigger on his compact flamethrower and lights a charging group on fire. He starts laughing as he switches spell cards and fires blue flames next. Bullets deflect off of his uniform, doing little to stop his advance.
Eirin had gotten into a one on one fight with a Yellow Tie magician. The magician was throwing fire balls at her in order to limit her movement. A golem had tried to crush her, only to have the Royal Colonel intercept its signals and turn against its masters. With all the snipers trying to aim for her, the Royal airborne troops were able to get into the air and launch bombing runs. A trio of fireballs sped towards Eirin, she responded by slashing at them. They blew up, obscuring everyone?s vision. The Colonel started to march forward, but was grabbed by a Royal Captain that had teleported next to her. The pair disappears just as a captured laser battery fired at the area they had vacated.
Reappearing above the battlefield, she spots the battery instantly. It fires again, resulting in the Royal Captain teleporting again. Eirin lets go of him and points her saber out as she falls to the ground. Even though the airborne troops were flying around, there were still Gatling guns that had fired towards them. She didn?t feel like getting riddled with Gatling gun bullets. The laser hits her saber and is sliced apart. Landing, she pulls out her sidearm and hits the fuel canister that was being switched in.
The magician from before had gotten close enough to throw a punch. Eirin leans back a little and dodges the weak blow while digging her elbow into her stomach. She feels a few ribs breaking under the force of the blow and finishes her off by hitting her in the heart so hard it stopped. Switching to her bow and arrow, she fires off an arrow that changes to a rain of hellfire. It rains down on two regiments that were charging at her and inflicts massive causalities.
The dominant doctrine of the enemy forces was to overwhelm an enemy by massed organized fire. This played into the way the Royal Officers were fighting, since they were masters of large scale destruction. Anytime a regiment had formed up to take a shot at them, they were ripped apart. Several companies had broken ranks and ran into craters and trenches in spite of the shouting of officers and sergeants.
The ground began to shake was a large golem started to step towards her. Under the control of seven magicians, it took a great deal of concentration to balance the sources of power that were involved. Everyone vacated the area and was wondering if it would be enough to taker her down. Eirin scoffed, a giant moving mass of dirt wasn?t about to stuff out the highest ranked Royal Officer.
Swing its arm down, the golem gets blocked by Eirin?s saber. It tries to stomp her, only to have her step to the side and cut one of its legs. The golem falls to a knee, letting Eirin cut its arm off. When the monster leaned forward, Eirin throws her saber up. The saber smashes through the golem?s head and cuts it off from the control of the magicians. The lifeless body falls forward and astonishes the magicians.
Considering the golem a waste of time, Eirin swings her recaptured saber and sends bullets flying out. The seven magicians are killed instantly and their bodies are thrown into the air. A spell appears below her, signaling that someone was trying to trap her. Cracking her neck, Eirin shatters the spell and makes her neck feel better at the same time. The Hunter that casted the spell circle brings his rifle up, but the Colonel had already thrown an arrow into his eye.
A Royal Second Lieutenant had created a machine gun nest out of the scattered weapons laid around and was shredding entire companies with armor piercing rounds. Another one was reading scripture and raining down the light of judgment on the opposing forces. Shells of Hourai gas were falling around them, but the Royal Officers were immune to its effects. One of them even breathed it in on purpose to terrify the opposing forces.
Another Royal Second Lieutenant snaps her fingers and creates a large first rate ship using her powerful alchemy. The ship had 80 cannons in total, so only half of them were able to face the enemy due to its orientation. Grapeshot mixed with quick lime exploded from the cannons, ripping into the enemy regiments that had begun to fire. The lieutenant flew to the top of the deck and challenged the surviving regiments to face her. Artillery fire began to hit on the ship, so the cannons switched targets and ammunition.
A snap of her fingers was the cue for the reloaded cannons to fire again, causing the majority of the enemy batteries to run from the field in terror. Seeing that their artillery support was mostly gone, the Black and Yellow Ties were showing signs of hesitation. After sending another regiment fleeing from the field, Eirin fires off an arrow that turns into four lasers that home in on officers and explode.
She draws back another arrow and quickly fires into the sky. Orbs landed and sent electricity everywhere along the line of battle. One of Eirin?s specialties was manipulating the living body?s natural processes to her advantage. This spell started by using a small spark to throw the body?s natural electricity into chaos and kill the victim in a painful way. The sparks from the first victim would spread if they could make contract with another living being and spread.
By the time Eirin had lowered her bow, half a regiment had fallen to the attack. The shocks became larger and larger, sending more of the enemy fleeing in terror. Entire regiments were now dead bodies on the battleground, struck down by the twenty five Royal Officers. Abandoned artillery pieces and equipment were thrown about everywhere.
A sonic cannon opened fire on Eirin, forcing her to crouch down. She shakes her head to dispel the effects and throws her saber. It hits one of the operators, interrupting the reloading. Before the other one could react, Eirin had grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed it into the cannon. He instantly went limp permanently and was tossed away like trash. Disregarding the cannon as a waste of time, she cuts the barrel and moves on.
?Colonel Yagokoro,? one of the commanders of the few royalist regiments left spoke through their communication network. ?Our scouts have spotted a large amount of heavy troops heading towards you. It seems that they have brought their own laser batteries with them and are intent on trying to take you down.?
?Pull your troops back and plug that gap in the wall,? Eirin responded. ?I can take care of those newcomers.?
?We?re trying, Colonel.? The sounds of gunfire interrupt him. ?My regiment is down to less than twenty five percent strength and we?re starting to run out of ammunition. The 3rd Infantry has just been wiped out to the last rabbit. At this rate, we?ll be the only ones left.?
Eirin pointed at two of her subordinates, ?You two, give them a hand.?
One of them started to laugh as he kicked a body out of the way, ?My kill count is loving this.?
The pair were instantly at the rear of the charging enemy. They attacked with such violence that they were half way through the mass before the rest of them figured out that they were being slaughtered. But even if all of them had turned to face them, they still wouldn?t have been able to change the outcome. The remaining Royalist forces managed to create a solid line that blocked off the bottleneck at the wall. Several Yellow, Green, Pink and Black Ties tried to fly over the wall, only to have the anti-air Gatling guns depress enough to shoot them down.
The anti-air crews were working furiously to change barrels and dismount the guns so they could be brought to bear against the incoming infantry. But they were bolted to the top of the walls in order to discourage fleeing from battle. Cursing the cowardice of their predecessors, they had to beat the steel plates with sledgehammers until they cracked. One of the crew members threw the hammer and stuck a Black Tie in the face full force.
Eirin had stopped at the top of a hill and watched as the regiment of heavy troops were pulling laser cannons with them. She frowned since she had thought the technology had been stopped due to an accident that killed all of the researchers working on it. Her eyes narrow even further when she sees a familiar face among the crews. One of them was one of the researchers said to have been killed, but his body was never found. In an instant, she knew what had happened. In exchange for more money and power, he had betrayed the royal forces and taken the technology with him.
In response to this, she pulls out a deadly weapon of her own. While it looked like a fan, it had the power to completely wipe out the entire Lunar Capital with one blow. The laser batteries began to fire at her, but failed to make her flinch. She raises the fan straight up and takes a deep breath. Then she points brings it to the side and swings it in front of her. Wind is created by the motion and knocks the first few elements back. A tendril of bright light shoots forward and hits the center of the regiment.
A bright light envelopes the entire area. Sound is stuffed out of existence due to the sheer power of the blast. Eirin is forced to take a step back to the mushroom cloud that had vaporized the mixed Tie regiment. The battle had paused since no one was able to see what they were doing. Then the shockwave knocked almost everyone off of their feet. Parts of the outer ranks were launched and landed almost five miles away.
Dust hid the area and kept the fight from going on even more. Eirin had been forced to keep ahold of her service cap, something that didn?t happen every day. She grits her teeth while putting the fan away, she never did like using that weapon. She thought of her two young students that were at the Dragon Palace. Toyohime would be the one she would trust with it, since she did have a good head on her shoulders. Yorihime was too serious, something that would probably come back to bite her.
A beeping alerted her to an update on her map. Pulling it out, a new box highlighted the location of the headquarters for the enemy coalition. A note then appeared next to it, indicating that the leadership was making perpetrations to leave. The dust started to clear, revealing a large carter where the heavy regiment had once stood. She took to the air and saw some survivors of the blast struggling to get up, but failing due to their severe injuries.
Leaving the rest of her forces to wipe out the broken forces, she looks down and sees the small plantation that was commandeered by the enemy. Quickly shooting her arrows, she manages to collapse the windows and almost all of the doors. The token guards were frantically firing at her, but were cut down mercilessly. She lands and walks through the front door. Taking a spell card, she seals the door against opening from both the in and outside.
Drawing her saber, she cuts down a traitor that had raised her hands in surrender. Another one met the same fate when he tried to run into the living room. A bullet hits the wall above her head and she spins her saber to cut the follow up shot and knock it down to the ground. Then she inflicts three painful slashes on the attacker, aimed to cause maximum pain. The commander next to her backed away, only to have his lifeless body sent flying through the wall.
One guard ran to the sealed door and began to beat it with his rifle. He raised it one more time and fell forward when Eirin took his rifle and stabbed him through the back with it. Three steps bring her close enough to four more traitors that were cut down while begging for their lives. One traitor ran to the back door and was about to rip the door handle off. Eirin slowly walks towards him while swinging her saber to get the blood of.
?Stop! Noooo!? Eirin cut through his plea. He collapses and leaves a blood stain on the door. Five more of them were hiding behind a bookcase and were frozen with fear. She doesn?t slow down her insolent pace as she cuts all of them down. Running the numbers in her head, she knows that there?s just one left. The lone survivor backed against the wall and shook with terror.
?Wait! The war is over! Our master promised us peace! We weren?t going to hurt your students! I promise! Please, we only wanted to-? He was never able to finish his plea since Eirin stabbed him through the chest and pinned him to the wall with her knife and pulled the saber out. Leaving her knife, she took a rag from the table nearby and wiped down her blade. Destroying the seal on the front door, she walks out and surveys the landscape. On the wall of the Capital, she could the tattered standard of the Royal Family still flying. A single Royalist Cavalry regiment had arrived and were chasing down the fleeing rebels. None of them were offered the chance to surrender.
At the end of the day, over forty regiments of rebels were wiped off of the face of the moon in battle. Ten more were massacred as they tried to flee. Only three rebels were able to leave the battlefield instead of staying permanently. The Royal forces had almost been wiped out with only four out of seventy regiments surviving the war. The arrival of the First Royal Army was enough to turn the tide of the war, especially after they had unleased their power. When word spread, enemy held territories quickly changed sides to avoid being wiped out.
As a result of the use of the fan, Eirin entrusted it to Toyohime under strict instructions to not use unless absolutely needed. The threat of the fan was enough to stop rebellions in their path and usher in a period of peace. Laser technology was seen as a tool of traitors and cowards due to the actions of the turncoat researcher, prompting the Royal Family to pull funding from it. Gunpowder weapons saw a resurgence in prestige and cemented their position as the main weapon of the LDC.
The battle marked the first and only time that the First Royal Army had seen action. Since then, the wars have not been seen as serious enough to warrant it?s use, so the Royal Officers were called into action in small groups or individually. The wars that did pop up after that were caused by nobility that became too proud and greedy for their own good. At least until the current conflict that not even Toyohime or Yorihime recognized the full extent of.
-
Behind the NATO line of battle, Japan
In a large clearing away from the rapidly approaching Lunarian line, a mass group of helicopters were waiting on the ground. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had loaded up with troops from the American 75th Ranger Regiment and 10th Mountain Division. They jumped into the helicopters and started to strap in. Several of them had nerves due to the stories of a lone Lunarian wiping out entire Ranger companies. But they were given a mission to fulfill and they did not have the nerve of backing out of it.
Instead of the being sent to reinforce the retreating line, they were told to gather their equipment and get to this clearing. The company commanders were then gathered and taken to a tent. At least half an hour passed before they came back out again. None of them looked happy about their orders, but they still had them. Platoon and squad leaders were called and given general orders. With time short, they were forced to brief their own squads on the way to the drop point.
The familiar stomach lurch signified the helicopters rising into the air. The doors on both sides of the aircraft were kept open to allow the occupants to fire if they needed to. The warrant officer pilots kept them barely above the trees and pushed every bit of speed they could. At some points, they were hitting 190 miles an hour with only fifteen feet above the tallest trees. One Ranger was adjusting the stock on his rifle and watching the trees whiz by. It reminded him of the first time he had ever flown on a helicopter.
?All right, pay attention!? A Ranger squad leader made himself heard in the lead aircraft. ?We?ve been tasked with securing an extremely valuable medicine from a pharmacy deep in the Bamboo Forest. As you all know, this is the same area that Royal Colonel Yagokoro took out three of our brother companies by herself. But intel has it that she is at the front line, so the road should be clear for us. The plan is to land, make our way to the pharmacy, secure the medicine, and get to the extraction point. Since most of the Lunarian regiments are at the front, we should have light resistance. As we all know, a Lunarian solider is equal to us in power and skill, so do not engage them alone. If you can, remember the three to one ratio that we all learned in basic. We will have air support in a little bit to cover our extraction, mainly in the presence of A-10s and Apaches. The Bamboo Forest is extremely thick and it?s easy to get lost. Stay together and cover each other. As some of you have seen, we have the 10th Mountain here to help us. They know how to fight in difficult environments like this better than any of us. Make sure-?
He was interrupted by the helicopter next to them taking an 88mm shell through the front and exploding. The impact was strong enough to cancel the aircraft?s forward momentum and plunge it straight to the ground. Blue and red lasers appeared and began to be waved around. Dropping down until they were touching the trees, the remaining helicopters spread out. The trademark multicolored clouds of flak seemed almost too beautiful to be dangerous, but the shrapnel ripped through those close enough.
One Black Hawk took a shell to the tail rotor and spun out of control. The crew chief was thrown out of the aircraft but since he was attached by a rope, he was slung around. The squad leader had disobeyed common sense and was unbuckled, so he was launched from the craft as well. But he kept on falling and disappeared among the trees. One of the squad members whistled in disbelief as the ground came closer and closer.
Apache escorts launched rockets towards the source of the crisscrossing lasers, but more of them appeared to take their place. One attack helicopter was sliced in half and fell to the ground. Two A-10s that followed them dropped their payload and banked to the right, only to have Lunarian flight troopers chase them down and light their engines on fire. The Warthogs spun out of control and left a large crater in the forest.
"Pilot, how far until we're at the LZ?" The squad leader asked. He flinched when he heard the response.
?Who are you called a damned pilot? I work for a living, I?m not chair force. It?s aviator to you! We should be there in two minutes,? the mustang shouted back. ?Damned kids with stripes thinking they know better than their elders. I don?t care that they have Ranger scrolls, they?ll are the same. Back in my day, we actually did work.?
Fairies that were armed with shoulder launched surface to air missiles brought down more helicopters, bringing the remaining force dangerously close to the minimum requirement. Even with the amount of flares and other countermeasures they were using, the American forces were falling like flies. Return fire was negated by all the trees that covered the GDF and LDC forces on the ground.
?Apaches, can you clear that landing zone?? The mustang from before talks into the radio.
?We can try, hold on for a second.? One of the Apaches launches all of its rockets around the landing area, hopefully taking out any enemy forces lying in wait. Before the attack helicopter could turn around, it took a rocket through the belly and spun out of control. ?I can?t hold it, I?m going down!?
Two Lunarian magicians had taken to the skies and were creating a massive array of bullets. But the human pilots were lucky enough to be close enough to their drop zone and did a combat landing. Ignoring the g-forces that came with coming to almost a complete stop from such a high speed, the Rangers quickly dismounted and ran for cover. Knowing that their intel was wrong, they could tell that they were in for a bad fight and were eager to put some distance away from the enemy.
Mortars began to rain down around them, announcing the arrival of the Lunarian rear guard. Under strict orders to avoid the line infantry doctrine, the moon rabbits had sprinted and thrown themselves in the prone behind a small hill. One of them threw a stick grenade that landed next to one of the Rangers and took him out along with the nearest trees. More stick grenades followed the first, ripping more and more trees apart.
The Rangers began to spread out, prodding for a weak point to flank. The moon rabbits followed them in turn, committed to denying them that chance. A pair of moon rabbits had set up a mortar tube and were raining rounds down as fast as they could. Unlike conventional mortar tubes, the Lunarian tube bled off so much heat that it could keep a sustained rate of fire. An anti-tank gun was loaded with high explosive shells and was pressed into an artillery role.
One squad of Rangers had finally found a weak spot and tried to take advantage of it. They advanced a little, until they came face to face with an Elefant tank destroyer. The Panzerjaeger fired a high explosive shell that ripped the Americans apart. AT-4 rockets harmlessly bounced off of the front armor, giving away their firers? positions. None of the Rangers fired their rifles at the tank, they all knew that it would be useless. They felt the same fear that struck Soviet troops when they first ran into the tank killer back in World War II.
Flanking the armor, they fired rockets again. Then a 120mm AMP round hit the tank destroyer head on, shaking the crew inside. The armor held, but the impact seemed to have spooked the commander and caused her to order reverse movement. The Rangers cheered when they saw the Elefant pull back and an M1 Abrams join them. The main battle tank took the lead, protecting the infantry from the Lunarian return fire.
Then the ground collapsed under the tank, plunging it into a perfectly round hole that broke the cannon barrel clean off. The hole was about thirty meters deep, virtually guaranteeing that the crew wouldn?t survive the fall. Sitting on a tree a quarter mile away, Tewi laughed as she saw the tank disappear. She had had plenty of practice using Reisen as a test subject, so she was proud of her handiwork. At least she wouldn?t have to hide for a while after planting this trap.
A hidden 20 mm Flak 30 opens fire, operated by fairies from the SDM. They only manage to score one kill but severely wound many more. Lunarian rifles sprint past them while a few mercy kill them to shut them up. The Elefant moved forward again, ripping trees apart with its 7.92mm machine gun. HE shells cleared out hiding areas, further wrecking the Ranger offensive. The Panzerjaejer stopped just as an artillery shell landed right in front of it. The normal looking explosion instantly showed everyone who had fired it. More shells landed near the tank destroyer, pelting it with shrapnel and concussive force. A lucky shell damages the left track, immobilizing the tank.
With its left track damaged, the Elefant was in an extremely vulnerable state. Without a moveable turret, it was completely open to attack from the sides and rear. One of the fairies popped open a hatch and stuck a spell card out of it. Blue and red bullets spread out, keeping the humans from pressing the advantage. While they were low crawling, Tewi popped up behind them and straight up murdered one with her mallet.
The others brought up their weapons and fired, but didn?t hit. Tewi casually danced between the streams of bullets while she made her way to her next victim. Once she got close enough, she jumped a little into the air and brought the mallet on the man?s head. His helmet instantly collapsed under the pressure and then his skull followed suit. Her incredible luck kept her from being hit while attacking, scaring the humans.
Another group were being routed by the moon rabbits, who had brought Panzerschreks and used them to fling the humans into trees. The heavy rabbits operated in pairs and used the blast shields as cover against return fire. The loader carried a large rucksack stuffed with antipersonnel rockets, loading them in as fast as she could. The grass and other vegetation behind them quickly grew black from the back blasts.
Surviving Rangers fell back, trying to find an area for a defensive line. One of the advancing moon rabbits? ears twitch, she heard something heading towards them. Screaming at everyone else to get down, she hit the ground just as the first rocket hit the area. More followed, stopping both sides from moving any farther. The trails from the rockets showed that they came from nearby, but since everyone was pinned down, it was useless knowledge.
Low crawling to reinforce the Rangers, Navy SEALs were firing through the barrage. The initial strike disorientated the forward Lunarian units and gave the Rangers needed relief. Before they could take advantage of the opening, more rockets landed in the general area. But that gave the Lunarians the chance to close the distance when they spotted the pattern of the rocket impacts and cleared their heads. Once they were close enough, the engaged in hand to hand combat.
Seven A6M Zeros flew over the forest and started to strafe the rocket artillery. The moon rabbits and fairies looked in amazement and confusion as they recognized them as carrier based aircraft. Then the radio came to life.
?This is the GDF Atago, flagship of the First Carrier Division. Akagi has just launched another wave to chase down that rocket artillery.? Toyohime said from the bridge of the heavy cruiser. ?Lady Yakumo has asked Lady Saigyouji and me to provide you with some naval support while my younger sister takes over our ground units. We have the Atago, Akagi, and Kongou to bear on the enemy forces.?
?Princess, we have green smoke on target,? one of the Lunarian officers watches a smoke canister hit a Ranger on the head. Thick green smoke began to obscure the area. The smoke also had the property of being IR absorbing, robbing the Americans of the ability to use thier
?We see the smoke, get ready.?
Command bridge, GDF Atago, Gensokyo, Japan
For a ship that was over 70 years and sunk in battle, the Atago was in great shape. Carefully restored and updated with a mixture of Lunarian, kappa, and magical technology, she was easily the equal to any modern day naval vessel. Multiple 8 inch naval guns turned to face the green smoke that was rising above the forest. Lunarian personnel calculated the distance and angle that would be required to hit the area. In the middle of the battle, almost no one noticed the large gap that had appeared on the Misty Lake and the three ships that sailed out of it.
Fairies from the Forest of Magic loaded high explosive shells into the cannons and followed the instructions of the moon rabbits. Once they were ready, they waited for the order from the bridge. A sharp trumpet echoed through the ship, allowing the crews to fire their rounds. The water in front of the cannons was pushed down by the explosion of high explosive rounds. Seconds after the first wave of fire from the Atago, the Kongou joined in with her main cannons. Lunarian swordsrabbits on top of the structures watched the area around the green smoke basically explode.
"All batteries will reload and wait for the next volley,? Toyohime?s deck officer called out. ?Engines will remain at three quarters power and wait for further instruction. Torpedoes are to wait for further orders as well. Steering will maintain the current heading until otherwise instructed. All air defense guns will now mark fighters as priority targets and cover Kongou and Akagi. Main batteries will widen their areas of fire and load high explosive rounds. Wait for the command and target before firing. Fubuki will provide specialized air cover once she arrives.?
Opportunist return fire landed all around the ships but failed to do any damage. Water landed on the crew working on the deck, but they paid the incoming fire no heed. They continued with their assigned duties and sometimes cheering as the main batteries fired. The Lunarian swordrabbits were place in their areas a defense against missiles and rocket artillery. They would not be that effective against regular artillery.
Kongou fires again, sending waves all throughout the lake. Another area of the Bamboo Forest is ripped to shreds, killing everyone in that location. The animals that lived in the area were long gone, they had fled when they had heard the helicopters arrive. Several had even taken their stores of food for the winter with them as they ran from the approaching battle and destruction.
?How long until we can launch the rest of the fleet?? Toyohime asked her deck officer.
?About three more hours, Princess. All they require now is a portal to jump in once their final checks are completed.?
?We?ll have them soon.?
A wing of F-22s flew above the area, trying for a high speed pass against the carrier fighters. Their path took them over the Atago, where she shot down two of them. The heavy cruiser launches a F1M floatplane that engages the Raptors as they turn around. The floatplane executes a snap roll that caused incoming missiles to miss and begins to turn fight them. Trying to use their thrust vectoring, the Raptors got on the F1M?s tail only to overshoot seconds later.
Akagi launched another group of fighters, this time a wing of P-47s were flung into the air. The wing climbed as high as they could before spotting a target and diving in. Their target were two Raptors that were trying to cover the human retreat from the forest. 96 12.7mm machine guns with ground attack belts ripped into the two generation five fighters, ripping off wings and parts. The pair flew into the ground amid a ball of flames.
From the deepest part of the Bamboo Forest, a wing of A-29 Super Tucano turboprop attackers lined up for a run on Akagi. Atago moved to block them, forcing the wing to move to another location. Above the other side of the Misty Lake, Reimu and Marisa had begun to make their way to help the ships after being called off of the frontlines. The pair deployed their respective orbs to increase their firepower and took a deep breath.
Just as they reached the center of the lake, the A-29s broke their formations and charged the pair. 12.7 mm fire flew around the miko and witch as they separated from each other. Reimu pulled up in a loop and dived towards one that had started to turn around. Marisa banked to the left and opened up with her bullets. The ones that had gotten close enough to their target exploded, showering the aircraft with shards of heat and light.
Remiu had gotten behind one of the A-29s and was trying to shoot it down. It kept on dodging her bullets and kept on going on wild turns. It snap rolls, almost making Reimu pass him. She loops around behind him, slowing down and keeping him in front of her. The Super Tucano dives down and then goes into a loop, trying to shake her off. She stays on him throughout the maneuver, even when flak clouds appeared all around them.
Marisa had taken down one of the attackers and was forcing two of them into dodging her attacks. Her Omnidirectional lasers kept the other fighters from getting too close. An A-29 tried to ram her but missed. As soon as she saw it come around for another pass, she jumped off of her broom, grabbed her mini-hakkero and dunked on the pilot, complete with the overhead swing. The magical furnace broke through the cockpit glass, the pilot himself and the bottom of the cockpit. Marisa dodged the elevator and rudder and divided down. Her broom came back to her and she caught her furnace.
Dividing down, she dodges a volley of gunfire from a passing plane. Going into the rolling scissors, the pair try to get a bead on each other but end up missing. Even with her Omnidirectional lasers, Marisa still couldn?t hit the attack plane. Then her charm began to beep rapidly, causing her to flinch into a turn. Her mini-hakkero orbs had emitted enough heat to be locked on by a Sidewinder that was now chasing her. She had never noticed the high amounts of heat since the orbs had vent them away from her as a protective practice.
Jumping off of her broom again, she freefalls in an attempt to lose the missiles. Anyone in their right mind would believe that only a tengu could outrun an air to air missile, but not Marisa. Her broom returns to her and she sticks her mini-hakkero into the bushy tail. She gets back on and crouches down before activating her speed boost. The high heat from the furnace let the Super Tucanos lock on her again and she had to contend with even more.
Dropping down to tree level, she weaves in and out of the forest. Missile after missile fails to keep up with her due to the fact that they couldn?t turn fast enough to avoid a tree. Diverting more power to the thruster, she reaches Mach 1, leaving the attack planes behind. Turning around in a wide turn, she takes down two of them in a pass. Then an F-22 decided to have a go at her and jumped in to the furball.
Speeding back up to Mach 1.5, Marisa can feel that any of her normal maneuvers could end with her losing consciousness due to the high g-forces. If she slowed down too much, the Raptor would be able to get a lock on the mini-hakkeros orbiting her and shoot her down. She didn?t understand how this one was able to get a lock on her while the one in the last battle had to try ramming her.
Back with the other Super Tucanos, Remiu had shot down the majority and kicked the last one through the cockpit. Exiting through the bottom of the airframe, she curls into a ball and straightens out into a dive. Turning back to go over the ships, Remiu has the anti-air guns take out a F-22 that had tried to hit and run. The human pilots had thought their high speed would be able to protect them from the guns, but found out the truth the hard way.
One last F-22 made the mistake of letting Remiu get on his tail and began to dance. The plane climbed into a loop, turning on its afterburners. Remiu follows the loop, seeing flak clouds form around them. Surface to air missiles flew around them, leaving trails from the Stingers that the American forces had brought. Rolling through the dive, she follows the dive to the left and keeps firing her bullets.
The fight turns into a turning engagement, giving Remiu the advantage. Leading her shots, she tears into the body of the plane and leaves the engine on fire. The fire quickly spreads to the fuel tank and causes the plane to blow up. A wing flies off and almost hits her as she dives under the falling wreckage. The shrine maiden shakes her head to clear the effects of the shockwave, looking for the flagship of the fleet. Spotting Atago, Remiu can see Yuyuko and Toyohime discussing something over a map.
Landing on the bridge, the miko opens the door from the balcony and steps inside. Yuyuko and Toyohime were watching a real time rendering of the fight in the forest, trying to spot where the next volley was going to be called for. The 18th Regiment of Foot had completely stopped the American advance and were forcing them back hard. To anyone that knew the 18th, it would come to no surprise. This was to be their last battle action since they were to be transferred to the Gendarmerie for their ability.
The Atago fired again, shaking the entire ship. An entire enemy square instantly disappeared from the map, letting elements from the 18th split the group in two. Kongou followed suit, leaving another large crater in the forest. Akagi recalled several of her planes in order to refuel and rearm them, trying to keep the pressure on the enemy. A late addition, Fubuki, stayed close to Akagi. The small special type destroyer was firing nonstop on every aircraft that tried to come close, destroying a few.
On the board next to the captain?s station, a list of the ships that were currently at the shipyards at the Lunar Capital was flashing. A majority of the lists showed that the fleet was about to be launched at normal strength. The Misty Lake wasn?t big enough to hold all of the vessels, so it was being left up to Toyohime to find a spot for them. With the fleets hanging around the coast of Japan, it would trigger a major naval battle with the high numbers on both sides if carelessly deployed.
A request for fire came through the map, highlighting a fortified hill. Atago?s main batteries turned to face the area, loaded with high explosive shells. Toyohime points at a contested area and double taps on the red square. This signifies concentrated fire with friendly units close by. Taking the speakerphone, she calls out, ?Panpakapan!?
The crew in the cannons echoed her call as the guns fired. The Heavy Cruiser rained down death and destruction over the human units that were in that impact zone. Kongou turns to starboard in order to aim at an M1 Abrams that had tried to take out one of her turrets. It was obvious over kill when all batteries concentrated on the lone tank and scored direct hits. All that remained of the main battle tank was a large crater.
In contrast to the initial intelligence, the American forces were severely mistaken. No one on their planning staff had ever expected an aircraft carrier to ever appear so close to them. Nor had they expected a battleship to be in direct fire range.
?The Americans are down to ten percent of their original fighting force.? The deck officer was conferring to a printout from the map.
?Do we have enough range to reach the frontlines?? Toyohime asked.
?For the next ten minutes, but we haven?t received any requests for fire. I doubt that we?ll be much use for them.?
?What about the fleet near the mainland?? Yuyuko was look at a theater map.
?The American Seventh Fleet has been reinforced by their Third Fleet. They have at least five aircraft carriers and assorted support ships. Our fleet would be able to match them, but it would lead to a draw in most cases. Personally, I believe that a large engagement that we win would cause the American forces to concede ground. Losing their aircraft carriers would also be a primary objective.?
?So they have five aircraft carriers,? Yuyuko narrowed her eyes in thought. ?What about their bases??
?There is one in Tokyo Bay. The headquarters of the Pacific Command is at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.?
?So we might have to move on Tokyo Bay,? The ghost princess sighed. ?Hopefully we can get an agreement with the Japanese government before it comes down to that.?
?Master Yagakoro will have it, we just have to give her more time,? Toyohime replied. ?If we?re going to get into a large naval battle, we need to make sure that we get a good first strike. The humans still underestimate us and that is an insult.?
?I?m surprised that you haven?t used that fan of yours.?
?When Master Yagakoro gave me this fan, she made me understand the risks and rewards of using it.? Toyohime patted it. ?I?m only to use it if there?s no other option. So far, conventional forces are enough to solve this problem.?
Yuyuko pauses as an F-22 flew into the lake in front of in flames. ?I see your point. So what now??
?Deck officer, have Akagi recall all fighters. All ships are to prepare to jump back to the shipyards to link up with the rest of the fleet. Atago will recall her fighter and prepare to cover the jump.?
While Toyohime was giving her orders, Yuyuko stepped over to Remiu and lowered her head to listen to the shorter girl.
?Why was I called back? I don?t want to hear any lies.? Remiu had a deep frown on her face.
?Yukari doesn?t want you to stray too far from the barrier.? Yuyuko glanced at the window. ?Even though this is a new barrier, Yukari still needed to use you as a foundation for the spell. If anything were to happen to you, the barrier would break much faster than it is now. Even with the Dragon God?s power, the underlying problem that destroyed the first barrier is still there. Ran has been traveling all around Gensokyo but still hasn?t found it.?
?What about Marisa??
?Like Yukari already told all of us, she?s going to help by helping us get weapons and ammo. With the fleet that we?re about to flied in conjunction with the Lunarians, we?re going to need parts and supplies. Marisa has some experience with managing inventory and finding hard to find items. Rinnosuke and Yukari will help out when she needs it but, she?s going to have to travel a bit. If something happens, then we?ll bring both of you into it.?
?Then what am I supposed to do with everyone else gone??
?The villagers will need spiritual guidance after everything that happened. Sanae will help you since we?re leaving her too. Don?t worry about any counter attacks, we?re having the Lunarians leave a small group until Yukari gets the Japanese government to sign a deal. Once that deal is signed, you won?t have to worry about anything then.?
?All fighters have been recovered,? the deck officer called. ?Akagi will jump first, followed by Fubuki and Kongou. Atago will jump last and cover until she does so.?
?You should go ahead and meet up with Marisa.? Yuyuko opened the door to the balcony. ?Yukari has been worried about how you?ve been handling all of this. If she keeps this up, there?s a chance she could get blindsided. A lot of what has happen has thrown every backup plan out of the window. As of the beginning of the battle, she?s been having to improvise. She hasn?t had to do that in a long time, so she?s still getting used to. A way that you can help her is by putting up with her whenever she shows up at the shrine. She does think of you as a daughter and really enjoys spending time with you.?
?I suppose I can do that.?
?Good.? Yuyuko gives her a quick pat on the head and watches the miko take to the air again. She lowers her voice for her next statement. ?Yukari is a better parent than I am. I couldn?t even take care of poor Youmu after what happened this morning. It really is hard to believe that she?s the same child that was sacred of ghost lights in her younger days.?
She turns to see the portal that Toyohime created swallow Kongou, meaning that Atago would be next to return to the Lunar Capital. It was a pity that she wouldn?t have time to pick up any Lunarian sake since the last bottle she drank was masterfully brewed. The last time she was here, she was about to explore the Capital at will due to being classified as pure. It was humorous to her when she heard about the reactions that both princesses had when they realized she was the one that stole their sake during the last war. At the time, she had thought that it would have been her last time there. But now she was on official business with them as an ally.
-
Paititi, Southeast Peru
For her first expedition, Sumireko Usami was happy that it was so fruitful. The honor student had passed her entrance exams and decided to pursue a degree in archology at Osaka University. For the better part of a year, she had been part of a research team that had journeyed to the jungles of South America in order to find the lost city of Paititi. She was chosen to be part of the team due to a paper she had turned in that had detailed Gensokyo and its special properties. Her underlying hope was that she could find another mystical land and that she could study it as well.
After two weeks of what felt like wandering around, they had found the city and set up a small camp. The first few days weren?t easy on her, but once more permanent housing with a somewhat limited source of hot water and power were set up, it was easier to bear. The only thing that bothered her about her location now was the lack of an internet connection. But all of the findings that she had made were usually enough for her to forget about it for a while.
Even with all of the progress she was making, she still felt something amiss. For almost eight months, she hadn?t been able to go back to Gensokyo during her dreams. No matter what she did, whether it was a different time, laying down differently, or holding the deck she had been given, none of it worked. The lack of news from the world outside the jungle also made her feel a little bit of unease. But she was a firm believer of no news was good news.
In her free time, she had begun to develop her powers. At the beginning, she was having trouble holding up small rocks. But once she had accepted that her powers existed outside Gensokyo, it had taken leaps and bounds. She had learned on how to boost herself to the point that she could amplify her physical abilities. During this development, she would get headaches that were so bad that she had to retire for the day. But she welcomed them due to the fact that she had gained a new power when she woke up the next morning.
Since the research team was small, she was forced to get to know them and develop working relationships. It was difficult for her at first, but she finally got over it and was accepted to the fold. This was for the best, as a lonely existence in the jungle would be a sad event. In order for them to relax and have exercise, one of the researchers began to instruct them in kendo and fencing. Sumireko had taken a liking to it since it helped to clear her mind and organize her thoughts.
One day, when the locals had brought them the weekly supplies, they had also brought a letter from the university. Word quickly spread through the camp that a group of visitors would be arriving in a week to discuss a related discovery. Sumireko was among those that cheered and eagerly awaited their arrival. She could barely sleep the night before and ended up going over her research notes until she fell asleep.
She had a dream about floating in deep space. She looks down and sees a disk galaxy at her feet. Looking around, she senses something wrong. Then it hits her, the stars were going out. Sumireko reaches out to one, only to have it disappear before she can close her hand around it. It continued until only the center the galaxy was left, then it started to go dim. The temperature began to drop, causing her to wrap her arms around herself.
That morning, she had woken up around noon and frantically gotten ready. She rushes out of the hut only to find the rest of the research team sitting around, playing cards or reading a book. Sumireko sighs in relief and slows down. She grabs lunch and sits down to eat. She barely finishes when everyone stands up and moves to the front of the settlement. Quickly throwing her trash away, she makes sure to grab her bag with her tablet and research notes. A large group of people had just entered the clearing and were making their way towards them.
Something was off about some of them, raising the hairs on Sumireko?s neck. Several of them were looking around, but not out of what looked like curiosity. A few of them had a look in their eyes that she couldn?t place. The others were somewhat familiar to her, having gone to lectures hosted by the archology departments of other universities. Some of them were accomplished researchers that had specialized in searching for the secrets and knowledge of mystical civilizations. She felt her heart rate increase with the possibility of finding another Genoskyo so close.
Just as the leaders of both groups held their hands out to shake in greeting, gunshots rang out. She watched her fellow researchers fall before she was able to get her body to move. She ran back into her hut, locking the door behind her. More gunshots rang out, and the sounds of something being poured reached her ears. The psychic looks through the crack between the door and wall and sees flames dancing around in the center of the settlement. One of the generators had been hit and burst into flames.
She trips when she turns around, saving her life when bullets rip thought the hut. The attackers kicked down doors and ransacked research notes before lighting the huts on fire as well. One of them kicked down the door to the hut Sumireko was in and brought his TEC DC-9 machine pistol up. Refusing to go back to the helplessness that she felt when she fell in Gensokyo for the first time and was beaten in back to back fights, she grabs the weapon with her power and rips it out of the man?s hand.
Taking ahold of the weapon, she riddles him with the entire magazine due to an adrenaline rush. Realizing her mistake in using up all of her ammo in one go, she throws it to the side and stands back up. Quickly searching the body, she can?t find any more magazines but takes the sword that he was strangely carrying. She takes a deep breath and knows that she has to fight if she wants to survive. Grateful for the abilities that she had developed, she steps off.
Now taking a look at the sword, she recognizes it as a Spanish conquistador?s sword. It had a golden hilt with ornate engraving and a blade that was like new. If it was taken from a nearby ruin in that pristine condition, it would easily fetch millions should it be genuine. This pointed towards the conclusion that the research team was close to something big. The next question would be why someone would order a hit on them. The only thing that would have brought them attention would have been the paper Sumireko had published on the possibility of more places like Gensokyo. But many that had read that paper had dismissed that chance months ago when it first came out.
Running into another attacker, Sumireko grabs him with her power and flings him into the sky. Another attacker falls to a slice in the abdomen, letting her stare him in the eyes as he falls. As a result of a gut feeling, she levitates a box behind her. It stops a hail of bullets from another attacker that is then crushed by the heavy metal container. Before she can move, she?s stopped by visions of lighting.
Following the actions in the vision, Sumireko unleashes lighting that hits an attacker hiding from her and kills him painfully. She lifts another one up and throws the sword into him. It goes all the way to the hilt and she pulls back towards her. Then she lifts another one up and charges him with electricity before throwing him into a comrade. As soon as they make contact, the stored electricity was let loosed and killed the pair.
The fire had spread to the jungle, drying out the humid leaves so they could be lit up. The smoke had gotten thick enough to block out the sun in the immediate area, making look like it was nighttime. The ruins nearby were right in the path of the approaching flames, which meant that much of the knowledge inside would be lost. Sumireko gritted her teeth at the realization of the loss and the setback in her overall plan.
Looking to the top of the radio hut, she can see two of the attackers trying to get a signal for the radio. She feels something rile up in her and clenches her fists. Gathering all of her ability and concentration, she focuses on everything in front of her. The hut and the ground nearby began to shake, worsening as she concentrated. The birds that had not fled at the first gunshots fled when they felt that shaking and the cause behind it.
?Grab hold of something! Quickly!? One of the attackers shouts right before the hut is crushed into a small ball. The power generator had been caught in the destruction and exploded. But right before he would have been caught in the destruction, he had jumped off and left his comrade to his death. Unbeknownst to either party, he had lost his machine pistol while escaping. He lands in front of Sumireko and pulls out a sword identical to hers. She could sense the same kind of power in the man in front of her and steeled herself for the fight.
He charged her, going for a straight stab. Sumireko steps to the side and bats the blade away from her. She brings her sword up to strike, only to lock her blade with his. He begins to overpower her before she uses her telekinesis to increase her strength. Then she breaks the lock and kicks him back. Jumping forward, she plunges her sword into the ground but misses since the attacker had rolled to the side.
Sumireko gets pushed back by a telekinetic push, confirming her gut feeling of a fellow psychic in front of her. She returns the attack, it was strong enough to deform the ground as it traveled. They step towards each other, bringing their blades over their heads. Just like a pair of cobras, they circled each other while waiting for an opening. They pass each other, trading three blows before turning towards each other again. Both of them even started to hiss at each other during their resets.
They continue this again and again, with neither side gaining an advantage. Sumireko was the first to break the pattern, going in for a horizontal strike at chest height. The strike is blocked, forcing her to keep delivering attacks from other angles. She presses the attack, pouring her power into the blade. It begins to glow with a faint purple tint that gets stronger as time goes by, along with a faint hum that was barely audible.
The attacker jumped back, giving Sumireko the opening she was looking for. She twirls to gain momentum and unleashes a diagonal slash towards his neck. He barely blocks the strike and is almost overpowered. To prevent this, the man punches her in the stomach so hard she gets the air knocked out of her. The researcher stumbles back and knows that she had to do something fast. Hastily absorbing energy, she makes it explode outward to repulse the attack.
He?s sent flying into the side of a hut, letting her catch her breath. She can see that the fires had spread all around them, lighting up the jungle around them. The sounds of the displeasure of the native animals were loud amongst the flames, they were annoyed at having their homes burned to the ground. Before she can concentrate, a sword flew out of the hut and barely missed her when she ducked.
The sword flew back into the hut and the attacker calmly stepped out. He reached out to a flame and made part of it dance in his hand. Taking hold of sword once more, he digs his feet in and throws the fire at her. Sumireko closes her eyes and sticks her hands out, creating a wind current that parted the fire before it reached her. She flings lighting at him in response, only to have him reflect it off of his sword. Her mind draws a blank at what happened, since it should have shocked him. But then she sees the blade glowing in a red hue.
Running forward, the pair exchange savage blows that were designed to wear down the other?s defense. With some of them, it wasn?t much different from either of them trying to hammer a stake into the ground. Both of them scored some hits, but none of them were fatal or decisive. They broke off again, with Sumireko wiping blood off of her face from a bloody nose. The man spits out blood from his mouth and sneers at her.
Sumireko drops into a one handed high guard, with her blade held horizontally above her and pointing to the side. She half twisted her body and swept her hand across and down. Her opponent held his sword in the low guard. It was in his strong hand and held to the side while pointed down. His feet were shoulder width apart, with the blade pointed in her direction. He ran his thumb down the length of the grip, giving him the ability to have more accurate movements.
Letting the rush of the battle finally take hold, Sumireko runs forward. The man easily deflects the blows, relying on his fancy footwork to get him in position for the next strike. She knew that the style that she was using would quickly wear her down, so she knew that she had to end this quickly. The psychic charges up a repulse and releases it as quickly as she can. A heavy radio case flies towards the attacker, which he slammed down to the ground.
A burst of speed gets the man in close enough to head-butt her and that?s exactly what he does. Sumireko staggers back while shaking her head to clear it. Before she can fully get herself together, she feels a hand grab her by the neck. Her air is instantly cut off and she feels her grip on her sword start loosening. He starts bending her back, sneering as she struggles to free herself. He grabs her right hand and tries to force her sword into her face. She throws one last kick that knocks him out of balance. She makes him fall forward, scrambling to get back on her feet.
The man gets up and drops kick her, knocking her sword out of her hand and sending her flying backwards. She rolls back and gets back up again. He charges her, only to get kicked so hard he flips on his back facing the other direction. She summons her sword back to her hand and swings downward with a two handed grip. He barely manages to get his own sword back in time to block. Sumireko puts all of her force into the blade, trying to break through his defense.
The attacker plants his foot on her left leg and pushes off while twisting his body. As an added measure, he pushes her back telekinetically. She?s sent rolling and has to collect her bearings when she lands. Her neck still hurts from almost being crushed and she feels her limbs getting heavy. Calling on her ability, she keeps going despite the pain and exhaustion. The attacker is feeling the same as her, letting her know that she has gotten a few good hits in.
Taking a deep breath, the man runs numbers to bring this fight to an end. A prolonged engagement would be in his favor, if he doesn?t lose his footing or grip due to exhaustion. Retreating was out of the question, she had seen his face and would come after him. Add to that the fact that he was injured, and it would become foolish to travel in the jungle like that. He had just noticed that he had lose his machine pistol, so that was out. Now there was only one alternative.
Jumping into the air and bringing his sword above his head, the man tries to end the fight right then and there. Sumireko waits until he passes the apex of his jump and then slams him into the ground with a psychic push. She lifts him up again, pulling him up higher and slams him down harder. The last lift is higher than any of the other ones and gets a mangled shout of pain from the victim. Then she starts to choke him from a distance, only to have him throw his sword at her.
She catches the sword in her psychic grip, dropping the man and throws both of the blades at him. The handles hit him in the face and he becomes dizzy. He gets further disorientated as she charges up a full strength repulse and lays him out. She recalls her blade and lifts the man by his throat. The man tries to call his sword back, but Sumireko shatters his telekinetic grip.
?Who. Sent. You.? Sumireko had to stop herself from outright killing him. She had to force each word out through clenched teeth.
?I?m?dead?anyway.? He was clutching at his throat. ?You?won?t?get?anything?from?me.?
?Who. Sent. You.? She repeated again. This time there was no response, just a glare.
?You attacked a peaceful expedition for no reason! You murdered my colleagues and professors. I saw your men taking our research. I?m only going to ask one more time. Who sent you?? Getting no response, she increases the pressure. There is no change, so she drops him. Before he can catch his breath, he gets hit with a book in the face. Sumireko had summoned a book from a hut and hit him with an overhead swing. She?s about to give him another swing when he breaks.
?Alright! Alright! I?ll talk.? He seemed angrier about being hit by a book than the earlier fight.
?Who sent you? And for what purpose??
?I?was hired by the Americans. They wanted us to steal research into magical topics and to make sure the researchers couldn?t spread their findings. They didn?t care about how we did it, but it had to be permanent.?
?Why??
?I don?t know, honest. My group and I were given five hundred thousand American to do this. How could we say no??
?Did they know you have powers like mine??
?They were aware. That?s why they chose us for the job.?
?Who was your contact??
?Someone in Lima, I never saw his face. He just dropped off instructions in a chicken coop behind a bar. We were told to contact him when we had killed all of you and taken all of the research notes.?
?How did you know it was the Americans? And why would they want something like this??
?You don?t know, little girl? The Americans are fighting a war on magic at this very moment. They?re attacking some place called Gensokyo.? He couldn?t continue since Sumireko had lifted him into the air by his throat again. She clenched both of her fists as he floated in front of her.
?How do you know about that place??
?Who doesn?t? They managed to beat back one attack from a combined coalition and now they?re in the middle of another one.? The man laughs weakly while clutching at his throat. ?What, don?t tell me you didn?t know.?
?Let?s assume I haven?t had access to the news lately. What led to this??
?Some political games by the Americans. They claimed that Gensokyo was responsible for a string of bombings on embassies all over the world. Russia and China withdrew territorial claims on islands in the Pacific in exchange for Japan to open borders to help blockade the area.?
?Gensokyo was supposed to be hidden, how did they find it??
?Your guess is as good as mine.?
?Then what should-? She?s interrupted by the sounds of a helicopter getting closer. Her heart drops when rockets begin to hit the settlement. The Mil Mi-26 was painted in Peruvian Army colors, but had no insignia, meaning that someone had done a sloppy job covering their tracks or didn?t care. Gunfire ripped into the burning settlement, hoping to erase all signs of occupation. Sumireko grabs her bag and runs for the cover of the least burning section of jungle. Even if her colleagues were alive, there was no way she would be able to help them with the helicopter above them now.
As she runs, the area is filled with bullets. A rocket barely missiles her, going on to explode when it went through a hut. She turns around and reaches both of her hands out. Grabbing all of the rockets that were launched in a psychic grip, she struggles to flip them around. Once she does, she releases them. The pilot dodges most of them, but one hits the tail and lights the remaining part on fire.
Sumireko grabs the falling aircraft and slams it into the ground, sending storage boxes and other debris flying. One of them hits a surviving newcomer and sends him in a burning hut. The psychic turns around but sharply breathes in when another vision hits her. She was lucky that she had stopped where she did, or she would have been cooking where she stood. She was also lucky that she had wiped out all of the attackers or she would have been an easy target.
This one was of a large naval battle in clear blue water. A Zumwalt class destroyer had made the mistake of cutting in between two Takao class heavy cruisers and paid the price. An Iowa class battleship was engaged in a knife fight with a Nagato class, both ships trading broadsides at extremely close range. Torpedoes were everywhere in the water, striking countless ships. Aircraft carriers were swerving from side to side to dodge anything that came at them.
Heavy cruisers were dropping shells on each other, igniting fires that the damage control teams struggled to fight. Frigates and destroyers were blown out of the water, their crews flying into the air and landing on the wreckage. Submarines were engaging each other under the water, with their weapons creating splashes on the surface. Destroyer escorts were dropping depth charges, hoping to get rid of them before getting hit.
Bombers were flying extremely low, with flak clouds of all colors around them. Fighters from all eras were trapped in a furball of epic proportions. Tracer rounds filled the skies, sometimes leading to friendly fire. More and more ships were joining the battle, overwhelming her. Entire battleships exploded as their magazine compartments were hit by lucky (or unlucky) high explosive rounds.
Then the vision changes to one of a large city on fire. Tall buildings were collapsing all around, with large explosions filling the landscape. She spots herself locked in a fight with a shadow. The first time she notices is that she was losing ground by being forced into a retreating defense. Whoever she was fighting was taking advantage of an aggressive advance and wasn?t worried about defense.
What really struck her was that she seemed to be holding back during the retreat. Then she notices the look of betrayal and sorrow on her face. Even when the shadow got punches and kicks in, she refused to strike back. At this point, she was bruised and had tears flowing down her face. Even when she had an obvious chance to strike at the shadow, she refused to take advantage of it.
There were only two people that the Sumireko of the present would never strike against, but neither of them would ever strike against her. Especially with the ferocity and power behind the strikes she was seeing. Sumireko did see a great amount of skill in both of the combatants, which lead to the assumption that it was in the future. To the pair of them, the fighting and destruction around them didn?t matter at all.
Then she saw the floor of the American House of Representatives during a joint session of Congress. She couldn?t recognize any of the faces there since she had no prior interest in politics, but she knew something was going down. Applause rang out every so often, letting the orator absorb the atmosphere. Sumireko noticed that several of the politicians seemed displeased and were muttering amongst themselves.
?To ensure our security and continued stability, the American democracy will be reorganized into the first American empire, for a safe and secure society!? What felt like the entire room stood up and applauded loud enough to shake the walls of the chamber. Some of the critics of the move left the chamber in disgust, setting themselves up to be forced to disappear. She realized that she was watching the death of the world?s strongest democracy.
One of the politicians walks close to where Sumireko was standing. ?So this is how liberty dies?with thunderous applause.? Near them, a member of the Defense Intelligence Agency took note of the pair and scratched his ear. The first signs of a New World Order were becoming apparent fast, giving Sumireko a chill down her spine. This development combined with what she had just found out were too much for her to digest. She had to pause in order to keep from being overwhelmed.
Bracing herself against a tree, she tries to catch her breath. Even with everything that had happened, she smiles. She realized that her gut feeling of being special was right all along. That she was meant for something bigger than anyone else. A book that she had read a long time ago had said that everything happened for a reason, and now she felt that she finally fully understood it. Her abilities had evolved to help her change the tide of history. She was right to separate herself from normal people, those that wouldn?t or couldn?t understand.
The psychic knew what she had to do now. Sumireko had to get out of the jungle and get back to Gensokyo. She had to get in touch with Yukari Yakumo and lead her abilities to the land she had found. If she could prove to them that she was the key, then she would be able to study Genoskyo even more. She would be hailed as a heroine and wouldn?t have to worry about being fought at every encounter. She would finally find somewhere that she belonged.
Noticing that the fire around the settlement was spreading, she knew that her time there was short. She finds a scabbard and belt that she sheaths her sword in. Grabbing her bag, she finds her hat and dusts it off. Sighing, she puts it on and pulls out her cell phone. The signal was too weak for internet access, but it was enough for the GPS. She was surprised that she could take to the air, and looked for the closest city. Sumireko had to move quickly in case of more unwelcomed guests on their way.
If she remembered right, and if the GPS is good, there was a river that marked the boundary of Peru and Brazil. Staying in Peru for long wouldn?t be such a good idea since who knows how many other groups were ordered to continue the hit. If she could make it to Iberia, she could see about getting a flight to a random city and lay low while figuring out what next. She groaned when she remembered her Spanish wasn?t the best and hoped that someone there could speak English or Japanese.
Then she remembered something important. How was she going to get out of the country without her passport or papers? Looking back, the settlement was fully engulfed in flames. She groans, frustrated at forgetting something important. And how was she going to travel with a sword strapped on her belt? She kicks herself for not thinking things through. In theory, she could fly under her own power, but it would be extremely difficult over that long of a distance. Her overall goal was to get back to Japan after all.
She checks her bag, confirming that she has her pocketbook with her bank cards. She doubted that it would be good outside a large city, but it was worth a try if she could find an ATM. First, she needed to get to a large city in either Brazil or Bolivia and find a hotel. Then she needed to clean up and get a new set of clothes. She tried to remember how much she had, especially since she hadn?t been able to buy anything since she had entered the jungle.
Shaking her head, Sumireko starts from the top. She had a feeling that she could use a mind trick to bluff her way on a plane. After all, it wasn?t a large airport. Worst case, she would just fly straight there and hope their air force wouldn?t see her. A small single engine plane would be the least likely to be as secure, so that would be her primary goal. She would have to hide her sword in a box and pass it off as something.
Absentmindedly tapping the side of her phone, it rings and startles her. The psychic looks at the number but can?t recognize it. She slows down and then brings the phone to her ear.
?About time you answered,? a smooth and refined voice spoke to her.
?Who is this??
?Did you really think I wouldn?t know the Secret Sealing Club?s First President??
?How did you know-?
?My, my, I already have two of you members working for me. Of course I would know a little about you, Sumireko. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Yukari Yakumo. You may recognize me as the one responsible for everything that goes on in Genoskyo. I must apologize for not being able to meet you when you visited, but I was tied up with other matters.?
?Then you?re one of them??
?A youkai? Of course, I?m not just some pitiable human. Several of my sources have just recounted what you have been through. It would be in your best interest if you worked together with us.?
?How can you be sure that I won?t be able to solve all of this myself,? Sumireko puffed out her chest in pride.
?Because you?re powers are still undeveloped,? instead of Yukari?s voice coming from the phone, it came directly from behind her. The youkai had opened a gap and was speaking to her directly. The psychic almost dropped her phone in shock and back away from her. ?I?m afraid I must make this quick. The Diet is taking a short break from negotiations and will be getting back to business soon. As I was saying, I have an offer you can?t refuse.?
-
Lunarian/NATO line of battle, Japan
What was happening between the human and Lunarian forces couldn?t be really called a battle. The term battle had the connotation of organized lines. This was anything but that. For an unexplained reason, the Lunarian line had disappeared into a large mess with human forces sprinkled in between. Both sides were standing and firing at each other, disregarding conventional tactics. The aircraft fighting for control of the skies above them reflected the ground combat as well.
The main conflict in this area was for control of a series of trenches that would split the Lunarian advance in half if lost. Reisen II had taken her regiment and relived the 228th Foot that had taken the blunt of a combined American, British, Australian, and New Zealander counterattack. The 228th had almost been broken but were saved by a P-47 bombing run. Quickly returning to the rear, they were sent back to garrison to recoup their losses.
?The Americans have activated the uplink station,? Yorihime called over the communication system. ?We must shut it down.?
As Yorihime had explained to Reisen before news of the US taking command of all NATO ground forces had arrived, the Americans had rolled out their new on the move communications systems and were using them to call in support and bombing runs. The Project Manager Warfighter Information Network-Tactical had just begun its third increment and was getting a baptism by fire. By force of habit, many of the relay vehicles had come to a stop in order to provide a better signal between subscribers, making them prime targets for the Lunarians. This was a result of several units skipping an increment due to funding issues. The first increment had required them to stop before they could transmit. Sometimes, an unlucky soul had to take a metal clothes hanger and hold it just right for a signal to come in.
Reisen brought up her rifle and fired eight shots into an American sergeant?s center mass while heading for a small radio tower in the distance. Beside her, an American corporal had tackled a moon rabbit into a trench and the two were trading blows. Loading another magazine on the run, Reisen does a long bunny hop that takes her over the trenches, narrowly avoiding a friendly P-51, and lands right in front of a surprised American 1st lieutenant. He has a look of surprise on his face and doesn?t even try bringing his rifle up.
Not missing a step, she runs past him while slamming her rifle into his face. Return fire started to fly towards her, forcing the moon rabbit to jump back in nearby trench. But instead of staying in the same spot, she ran down the trench. Any human that tried to shoot down at her was met with a hail of bullets that took them down for good. She started to reload, only to find that she had no rounds left. Slinging her rifle across her shoulder, she draws her commander?s saber and keeps going.
?American A-10s are beginning their attack run,? the younger princess said.
Her warning came a few seconds before the familiar brrrt of the 30 mm Gatling opened up the 4th. Without organic air troops, the ground forces were highly vulnerable to armored attack planes. They simply didn?t have the weapons heavy enough to take down the armored plane. On its way out, the plane dropped delayed fuse cluster bombs that inflicted heavy casualties against the Lunarian forces.
Spotting an uparmored Humvee with a shelter on the back, the regimental commander bunny hops again. She easily covers the 200 feet and lands on top of the shelter. Plunging her saber into the roof, she cuts the hinges of the hatch before the operator inside could close it. The rabbit drops a spell card and jumps off before the Humvee was flattened by the explosion. She stumbles as the shockwave hits her but kept running towards another trench.
?The Americans have lost an uplink station,? Yorihime?s voice was all business. ?Artillery strike inbound.?
The area east of Resien came under heavy fire, killing anyone that was close enough. Two Panzer Is zoomed past her, firing a constant stream of tracer rounds. Coming up behind them, a King Tiger was deflecting rockets from all sides. Resien waited until the launchers were taken out before jumping on that tank and knocking on the turret. The fairy commander opens up and pulls out a map when she sees Resien?s cord.
?Human forces are trying to build up on the flanks here and here,? the fairy pointed at the ends of the mass. ?If we can push through the center, we can surround them and finish them off.?
?How much armor do we have left??
?We have 15 tanks in the immediate area. Five Panzer IVs, two King Tigers, three Tiger Is, two M1 Abrams, one Sherman Firefly, the Maus, and a Churchill. I?m not counting the Panzer Is since they wouldn?t be of any use in this attack. The Sturmtiger would be too powerful for an attack like this.?
?Where?s the weak points??
?There and there,? the fairy pointed at a group of five Humvees that were in complete disarray. ?We can break right through them. Once we do, keep up with us.?
?Alright.? Reisen pointed at them with her saber and shouted. ?Concentrate all fire!?
Three of the Humvees exploded during the initial exchange. Two heavy troopers opened fire on the remaining vehicles with their repeating rifles, punching clear holes in them. The tanks plow the husks out of the way, firing their main cannons at the retreating armor. One of the surviving humans dropped his weapon and fled from the Panzers. This prompted several others to look around and consider doing the same.
Katyusha launchers rained their rockets down on the area, breaking the human forces. An F-22 flew over them, using its sonic boom to disrupt the advance. It tried to turn around for another pass, but was interrupted by a SU-47 shooting it down.
?American B-1B bombers have locked on to our armor,? Yorihime called out. ?Take out those uplink stations.?
?Companies three and eight, over there,? Reisen pointed at an antenna. ?Do not allow them to escape!?
She ran, drawing her sidearm and shooting down a Private First Class. More and more moon rabbits were bunny hopping, looking like fleas. Human forces were becoming even more disorganized, leading to the rejection of doctrine. The ones with 5.56 NATO rounds quickly fell since they did little damage, leaving their heavier counterparts to pick up their slack. Youkai had discarded their modified weapons and went into close combat.
Human bodies flew through the air, courtesy of the oni forces that treated the battle like a game. Then a large explosion ripped through a group of Abrams tanks, leaving no trace of them. A Sturmtiger had fired a 380 mm rocket and was being reloaded by a single oni. The shock from the blast broke more troops and started a small retreat. With the confusion causes by this recent development, the Lunarian forces were able to push through.
Reisen had reloaded her rifle with rounds she had gotten from the tank commander and led the charge. In the midst of the advance, she wondered where her namesake was. Her skills would come in handy right now, even if she was originally infantry.
Hornets and Falcons circle above the battlefield, trying to get a hit on a Berkut to no avail. An F-35 flew in and let loose a missile, only to have it come back and shoot it down. Every so often, a tengu was hit by something and fell to the ground. Several of them somehow managed to be lit on fire and left craters when they landed. Even as more of them were swatted from the sky, they still took down a greater amount of aircraft with them.
The lead tank, a King Tiger, was moving forward when an airburst round exploded right in front of it. Reisen had to knock her head to get the ringing out of her ears. The crew of the tank climbed out and had to lean on the side of the tank. Each of them was breathing heavily and were unsteady on their feet.
?What happened?? Resien knelt down beside one of the fairies.
?An airburst round. They?re lucky to be alive.? One of the nearby senior sergeants said. ?If they were breathing in when it hit, they would be dead.?
Climbing up on the tank, Reisen is followed by four more Lunarians. They situate themselves while the regular crew is dragged to the rear by medical personnel. The King Tiger?s 88 mm cannon rotates to where the airburst round came from and fires one round. It rips through a hidden mortar nest and detonates other airburst rounds. The explosion spreads to other mortar pits, creating a chain reaction.
?Driver, forward,? Reisen saw an Oshkosh L-ATV light vehicle firing at them. ?Fire on that vehicle.?
?Which shell do I use?? The loader called out.
?Just grab one and put it in,? the gunner called out. ?I don?t think they would keep going with a gaping hole in their side.?
?The Americans have activated another uplink station. Move on that position.? Yorihime?s voice came through the radio.
The radio operator handed Reisen an updated map that had the uplink marked by a flashing circle. The moon rabbit flinches when she hears the sounds of small arms fire bounce off of the turret. Unrolling the map, she can see a trio of infantry companies providing security for the uplink station. The map didn?t tell her if they had anti-tank weapons, so she would have to rely heavily on infantry support. The last thing she needed was for an AT4 to get fired point blank into the rear armor or for infantry to knock on her hatch and hand her a grenade.
Coming up beside her, the Sturmtiger fired again. Using the shock and awe from the round, the King Tiger moved to exploit the gap in the line. Under the cover of the armor charge, the Lunarian infantry fanned out and began to hop as a unit. Heavy troopers stayed on the ground and unloaded hundreds of rounds as they smoothly walked forward. They had heavier hitting weapons than their lighter counterparts and shot through all kinds of cover.
Popping her head out of the commander?s cupola, Reisen took ahold of the MG42 and opened fire on the infantry in front of her. The American infantry dropped to the ground and tried to low crawl away from the tank, but it was useless with all of the fire suppressing them. With the tank moving forward, the suppressive fire turned into effective fire and wiped out entire squads. Reisen started moving her head around as bullets started to find their way towards her.
Then a large impact rang through the area, grabbing everyone?s attention. Coming towards the line, Sakuya?s Tiger (P) was still locked in the knife fight with the railgun equipped Abrams. Both tanks fired, and both tanks missed their targets. The Abrams had a rebooting targeting computer, so they had to rely on the gunner?s skill, if it existed. The Tiger (P) landed a glancing hit that left a small dent on the side of the turret. The round flew off into sky, landing miles away.
Noticing a paper taped on the hatch next to her, Reisen sees a cheat sheet for shells. ?Load APCR, wait for my signal.?
?Which one is that one??
?It says?PzGr. 40/43.?
?Found it. Round loaded.?
?Gunner, aim for the rear. Try to take out that engine.?
?Shot fired.? The round had impacted the side of the tank and went into the engine. The American tank instantly lost speed and slowed down to a halt.
?It?s good.? Reisen paused when she saw the turret towards them. ?Everybody out, now!?
The entire crew opened their hatches and were halfway out when the railgun projectile hit the tank. All five of them were launched out of the tank, but due to being almost out, they were more hurt by landing on their faces than the tank brewing up. The turret flew up and landed next to the short haired moon rabbit while she struggled with ringing in her ears again. She was afraid that it was going to become a permanent problem. She rolled on her back and stayed there to catch her breath.
Bailing out, the railgun crew was cut down by machine gun fire from the Tiger (P). The generators in the railgun tank became overloaded and ended up taking the remains of the tank with them. Sakuya grinded her teeth since she was extremely interested in studying the vehicle. Before she took her attention away, she noticed a pair of blinking lights inside the tank.
?Driver, reverse at full speed, now,? she called out. Then she snatches the radio from the operator and switches to an open channel. ?Everybody get back, they?re going to destroy the tank!?
Her shout caused the recovering Lunarians to get over their own problems and take to the air. The driver shifted the transmission to its highest reverse gear, hitting at least 90 kmph. It was a struggle to keep from banging her head in the confined space, but she managed to do so while keeping an eye on the wreckage. Then something orange in the air caught her eye. A Tomahawk cruise missile was heading for the pair of blinking lights, obviously sent to keep the technology from falling into enemy hands.
The impact and the explosion rocked the tank, but that was really the worst that happened. Her warning had given the infantry time to get clear, leaving only minor injuries that were quickly healed by medical personnel. If Sakuya remembered the dossier that Yukari gave her right, cruise missiles were only launched from ships or at least that?s what they were told, and the nearest ocean was a good distance away. That meant that someone either had great timing or was going to blow up the tank anyway. She looked to the sky to make sure that there weren?t any more of them coming and sighed in relief when she was sure.
Reisen II had finally caught her breath and stood back up. Having to run from a cruise missile didn?t help with getting herself back together. As soon as she felt that she was far enough way, she just let herself fall on the ground to rest her eyes for a bit. At that point, she really didn?t care since another regiment had arrived to continue the push.
National Diet Building, Tokyo, Japan
When Sumireko had walked through the gap that Yukari had made, she hadn?t expected to be back in Japan so quickly. Recognizing that she was at the soon to be moved seat of government, she looked down to see that her clothes were tattered and stained with blood. The twin pigtailed college student felt a little embarrassed about her outfit when Yukari gave her a bag and told her to go change in the restroom. Once she was in a stall, she opened the bag and saw what looked like her old high school uniform. Frowning, she pulls out only to see a few changes to it. A gut feeling makes her poke her head out of the stall where she sees a shower. Looking through the bag again, she finds shampoo, soap, and a towel. She frowns again when she doesn?t find a rubber duck. Taking a quick shower, she feels unbelievably better. The only changes to the school uniform that she now wore was the lack of the vest and the bolo tie. She missed the tie since she felt like a gunslinger when she had her 3D printed gun.
Checking her appearance in the mirror, she rubs her neck. It still hurt a little from almost getting choked to death, but she was sure a good night of sleep would help out a lot. Clipping the belt that held her sword back on, she carries the backpack with one strap and walks out of the restroom. Looking around, she notices that she was in the office area of the building. That would explain why there was a shower here and why it was extremely quiet. She walks into one of the offices and looks out of the window.
Outside, Lunarian heavy repeating rifles were steadied on bipods behind clear riot shields, deterring the token JSDF units from pushing forward. Enlisting the support of a few American units that were picking up supplies at Sagami General Depot, the line knew they couldn?t break the Lunarians in a head to head fight. But instead of the situation becoming a tense standoff, it was closer to awkward than anything else. A two way video feed allowed the JGSDF and their elected representatives to keep in touch. The Lunarian promise of no harm being done also went a long way to counter hostilities between the two.
Looking at the time, she?s surprised that it was only a little bit until four in the morning. She grimaces when she realizes that she won?t get any sleep for a while, but then remembers that she had just woken up a little while before. Many of the members of the Diet were still sleeping in their offices, so Sumireko made her way to the food court quietly. Seeing Yukari and Eirin sitting at a table, she sits down when the blonde waves her towards a chair.
?You want to know everything, don?t you?? Yukari took a sip from the tea cup in front of her.
?That would be much appreciated,? Sumireko knew that she had to distinguish herself, so why not impress them with sophisticated vocabulary.
?Where to begin?? Yukari paused while a Lunarian placed plates of pancakes in front of the trio. ?Well, we?ll start with you telling us what you know.?
?I heard that the United States has declared war on Gensokyo, even though the barrier should have kept it hidden.?
?Anything else?? Sumireko shook her head. ?The short version is that the barrier began to fail, and the Americans made up an excuse to try and move in. We learned that someone or something has been pulling strings behind the scenes to take us down. So far, we?ve fought them back in one battle and now we?re on the third day of the second battle. I would give you more details, but I doubt you would like to be bored.?
?No, that?s fine,? Sumireko shook her head. ?I want to hear everything.?
?Then I?ll let Colonel Yagokoro explain.?
The Colonel scowled as she was forced to pause eating her pancakes. ?We?ve captured all three of their FOBs and have broken their offensive. Then when they rolled out their new communications system, we broke that as well. By the end of the day, we should have completely routed them. Lunarian troops are completely outclassing their soldiers. ? She had to laugh. ?Now that I?ve seen what they call training, I really can?t be surprised. Letting politics dictate what they need to learn and develop? That?s just asking for a superior force to wipe them out in battle.?
?What do you mean by that, Colonel??
?They spend most of their time standing around and watching presentations on sensitivity and other useless topics. Many of the lower ranks are either dissatisfied and want out or they are deluded that they can make something out of themselves. The recent budget reductions have also reduced the number of experienced troops that they can call upon. The failure of the F-35 did take a lot of their funding that could have been used against us. Their top ranks have also become swollen, so they can?t even fight at their own peak efficiency. I could go on and on about their foolish mistakes, but that would take time that we don?t have.?
Eirin pauses as she holds her hand out. A moon rabbit hands her a scroll that it then placed on the table. With a snap of her fingers, it creates a hologram of the battle in real time.
?In a few more hours, night troops will switch out with their daytime counterparts. We are about 15 miles from their last line of defense and their main command post. The Tengu air units have been very helpful in covering our advance along with the rest of the GDF. NATO has been fragmenting and withdrawing all over the place. As long as nuclear weapons aren?t brought in, we should be on time for the overall goal.?
?Overall goal??
?The reason we?re eating breakfast in the Diet. It took us all day yesterday to convince them to even negotiate with us. Now that they are willing to talk with us free from American influence, we can hammer out a deal that will have everyone somewhat happy.?
?Why not have them surrender and become a colony?? Sumireko didn?t really mean that, but wanted to be sure.
?Because Yukari wants us to have them as an ally if possible,? Eirin shrugged. ?It makes sense from a political point of view, but it does take some of my troops off of the field. I rather have my troops get ready to crew the new battleships we?re about to set loose.?
?Gensokyo has a navy?!?? Sumireko sat up straight.
?They had their first sortie yesterday,? Yukari mixed a few teaspoons of sugar and a bit of honey into her tea. ?We?re planning on having five fleets of ten capital ships, each as a base for power projection. One thing that the kappas are doing right now is coming up with designs for more classes of battleships. We?re hoping to get something that would match the Montana?-class. If we get enough time, we can easily match the United States Navy in a conventional battle.?
Sumireko had to sit back in her chair and let that information sink in. She had never expected a conflict that would eclipse the Second World War in sheer firepower. ?But?won?t doing that?make them desperate to use?nuclear weapons??
?We have our own counters that are almost complete. As soon as the battle ends today, we can put the finishing touches on them. We also have somewhat of an orbital bombardment system in the early stages.? Yukari places another scroll on the table. This one shows a globe that was covered in multiple circles. ?The entire planet will be covered, so anywhere they wish to challenge us will be in our range.?
?Why are you telling me all of this??
?Because you will be one of our ace in the holes.? Yukari nods at the sword next to the pigtailed girl. ?You were able to fight off an abnormal attack by focusing your ability through that sword. I understand that it was the only thing near you, but you could have chosen a weapon with much more quality.? The gap youkai then takes possession of the weapon and regarded it with a critical eye. She hands it to Eirin where the Lunarian officer easily breaks it in half. The look on Sumireko?s face was of a young girl that was about to cry.
In order to keep Sumireko from bursting into tears, Eirin gave her a sword that was just handed to her by an assistant. ?Based on what Yukari had told me, this is much better for your fighting style. I bet no other sword on this planet can ever hope to match up against it. Lunarian steel with unrivaled flexibility and strength, an edge that rarely dulls. A straight blade that can easily switch from defense to attack and back again.?
Yukari pointed at a trio of crystals that were embedded in the handle. ?I had several of my contacts watch how you focused your power in the blade. We?re get to those in a little bit. Colonel Yagokoro was able to get a record of your fight and would be happy to go over it right now.?
Eirin rolled yet another scroll on the table. ?For someone that has such a short time using a bladed weapon, you have a more than average amount of skill. But there were some mistakes that would have ended the fight earlier if you weren?t lucky. First, let me see you hand.? Sumireko obliges and allows Eirin to poke and prod at her strong hand. ?The way that you were holding you weapon is somewhat unsteady. Hold your knife in a reverse grip.? When she did it, the doctor nodded. ?Feels better, doesn?t it??
She taps the scroll to pause the recording. ?Next, the way that you were standing. It?s refreshing to see that they?re still teaching proper posture in schools. But this posture is not that suited for combat. Whenever you are at a standstill or getting ready, lower your center of gravity. Spread your feet and bend your knees. Lean forward a little, like you?re slouching some.? Three taps isolate the image of Sumireko and then changed it to match the instructions that Eirin had given. ?See how it looks more aggressive? It?ll decrease your reaction time and make it easier to move. Once you have more experience, you should be to decide which grip works best for you. Switching grips during a fight would also be an advantage.?
?Now it?s time to talk about your abilities,? Yukari waited a second as her cup was refilled by a moon rabbit. ?You used them at random, which was good enough to keep your opponent from setting the pace against you. Against a trained opponent, they would turn that against you. You must learn how to spot the right time and select the right power with the proper force. Take a good look at those crystals in the handle, there are three of them. If I were to break the handle of your original sword, I bet that I would find three of them as well. The one closest to the handle determines the color of the energy that glows when you focus on the blade. The one in the middle determines the additional properties of the blade when energy is focused through it. The crystal that is in it right now allows the blade to radiate and contain a large amount of heat around the blade. The crystal closest to the pommel determines the composition of the energy. This one is a concentrated and defined blade.?
?Always remember to never touch the blade when it?s activated,? Eirin warned. ?Most sword styles that are taught on Earth require grabbing the blade at some point, so it would be best if you learned some Lunarian styles. Once the negotiations and the battle are over, you?ll be taught by myself on how to survive a fight.?
?Note that it?s only for a short time,? Yukari finished her pancakes. ?Once you?re done with that, you?ll join the rest of your club in the outside. Right now, they?re doing some errands for me over in the United Kingdom involving procurement and contracting.?
?Procurement and contracting??
?Like I said earlier, we?re building our own ships. The Lunarians are just beginning to tool their shipyards, which is going to take a while. Since they?re providing ground troops, the least we can do is provide ships. We?ll need even bigger shipyards when we get to the Rejuvenator, Viscount, and Atago classes.? Sumireko just stared at her with a blank look on her face. ?The Rejuvenator is planned to be a hybrid aircraft carrier and battleship. The Viscount will be our second most heavily armored and defended ship, which would be able to easily shrug off point blank rounds from the Americans? largest guns. The Atago will be our largest ship, and will serve as the overall flagship for all of our forces. I?ll leave the specifics a surprise for now, but once it?s complete, it?ll be a mobile Gensokyo.?
?Does that mean the battle will be soon??
?It?ll be on our terms since we?ll have to jump our fleet in,? Eirin replied. ?I?m advocating for an all or nothing approach for the first battle, while my students want to take it by parts. If we can get at least half of their aircraft carriers, then we?ve won.?
Yukari cut in, ?I?m sure you want to know everything about that, but that?s for another time. Right now, I have an assignment for you.?
Sumireko sat up straight when she heard that.
?I have Maribel and Renko in the United Kingdom doing some errands. Your part is to go into more dangerous areas and make them ripe for our taking. This can include sowing discontent to removing roadblocks, permanently.?
?Do you really think I could do that?? Sumireko shifted uncomfortably in her chair. ?They might be below me, but I only killed those attackers out of anger.?
?If you don?t take care of them, what happens if they catch Maribel and Renko?? Yukari countered. ?On the first night of the battle, Colonel Yagokoro and Hauptmann Izaoyi ran into what could only be called a beast. This was right outside of Gensokyo. From what my sources tell me, it just appeared and started to attack. Lunarian medicine was no use against the wounds that it inflicted. It canceled out the Hauptmann?s ability to control time, which has never happened before. Do you want something like that after your fellow members??
Sumireko could only shake her head.
?Good. I don?t want to make it seem like I?m strong arming you, I really don?t. I just want you to realize the importance of what we?re asking you to do. I know that you don?t want to ever kill anyone else, I completely understand that. If I had done my job, none of this would have had to happen. All of the blood spilled in this war is on my hands. You?ll be part of the solution.?
-
DSEI, ExCeL, London, United Kingdom
The largest weapons and technology expo in the world was taking place in London. Maribel and Renko had arrived and were signed in as representatives of a small kingdom known as Cagliostro that was interested in acquiring defensive hardware. Yukari had originally told them they would be working for a procurement department for the British Army, but changed it on their way into the country. After a few looks from the check in staff, they were given their badges and a bag filled with maps and commemorative items such as water bottles and stress balls. Renko was busy looking through a small slide viewer that had pictures of a Mig 1.44 doing tricks at an air show, courtesy of the Mikoyan Corporation. She was impressed by the quality of he image coming from a toy that might have well came out of a cereal box.
A majority of the attendees were military personnel from influential states from around the world, with the notable exception of the Lunarians. One of the objectives that Yukari had given the pair was to convince the organizers to declare their subsequent expos as neutral ground so that both sides could benefit. To Maribel, it sounded like Yukari had wanted to extend the war, but Yukari justified it by saying their equipment would make some nations think twice about taking up arms.
The pair were grateful that food vendors were in abundance, with foods from around the world. Once they had grabbed a to-go plate of sesame chicken and fried rice, they make their way to one of the presentation rooms and sat in the back row. The next five minutes consisted of them eating and watching as others wondered into the room as well. According to the program that they were given, General Dynamics was set to unveil a set of new products that were set to revolutionize the arms industry.
Once all the seats were filled, the lights were dimmed and the projector threw the logo of the defense contractor on the wall of the stage. A man dressed in a professional looking suit and tie walked onto the stage while adjusting the microphone on his lapel.
?As everyone in this room knows, there is a war going.? The man started. ?NATO forces have finally found a conventional enemy that has matched them on the battlefield. But they are equipped with the wrong equipment at the present state. As history has soon time and time again, wars and conflicts have a tendency to spread beyond their original lines. Globalization has only managed to speed up the spread of the fires of war. It is the responsibility of nations to protect their citizens and allies from those that wish to do them harm or spread chaos.?
The spokesman clicks the remote that he has in his hand. ?We at General Dynamics are proud to present two of our newest offerings to the defense community. The first is a new type of missile that can lock on to extremely small heat signatures. I will be the first to admit that we have had extreme problems with such a small heat source, but our sense of perseverance saw to us figuring out the secret. Our factories are working around the clock, with our workers receiving a generous amount of overtime.? He paused to allow scattered applause. ?The missiles will be smaller than past missiles, perfect for those situations were space is at a premium.?
Clicking the remote changed the slide to a size comparison between a human and a tank. ?As many of you may already know, the way infrared missiles work is by locking on to a heat source and following it. Most other missiles needed something on the level of a tank engine in order to get a good lock. Missiles like ours are easier to use since they can be more precise. For our new Hawkeye missile, which is patent pending, all that is needed is 98.6 degrees of a concentrated heat source. Drones on the market right now can easily see and identify humans on the battlefield, so we used that same principle for our missiles. This also allows for a more precise strike since you aim at your actual target instead of having to rely on a nearby heat signature.? The man had to pause to take a sip of water. ?The missile system is also modular. The beauty of this is that larger missiles and smart bombs can be converted to Hawkeyes for even more power projection.?
The room instantly erupted into a furry of murmurs. The ability to turn any missile into an extremely precise missile was a game changer for any nation with drones or other advanced aircraft. Maribel and Renko shared a look, knowing that this would be a formidable weapon against the flight capable GDF infantry.
?The second is something that we have been working on since the 60s.?
Another press of the button started a video on the screen. The camera focused on the skyline of a large city, a challenging battleground for any armed force. But the serene view was broken by the flames of battle. Then the camera view changed to one from the ground, showing a group of soldiers running with backpacks. When they reached the edge of a building, they jumped over the ledge and were lifted up into the air. The backpack had created thrust and lifted them to another roof top.
?While jetpack technology is nothing new, we at General Dynamics have developed a practical, tactical, and dynamic propulsion system. With a rated time of 1 hour worth of flight, it will change the way operators view combat situations. Controlled by the operator through the use of timed blinks, it will expand the range of the modern warfighter. The control scheme is set up to free up both hands, allowing the warfighter to concentrate on the mission at hand. The standard package will be able to carry 250 pounds with maximum flight time. Our base package includes the jetpack system themselves along with a year worth of advising services.?
A chart detailing bronze, silver, and gold packages appeared next. ?The three packages reflect the features and accessories that are included with the jetpacks. The bronze can be considered the bare bones package, with the necessary equipment to maintain and do light repairs. The silver package includes a missile launcher built into the jetpack. Using our propriety missiles, the operator has anti-armor capability. The gold package offers anti-air missiles in addition to anti-armor. All three come with a special half skirt that protects against the backdraft from the engines. ?
The next chart showed two options. ?Our warranty comes in two increments. The standard package is the same as I said before. The premier package extends the one year advising period to five. Our fuel is ready to go into production, with a diluted alternative being geared for a patent free release. We recognize that many operators may find themselves out of range of our fueling stations, so we have made sure to alleviate that pain.?
With a smile, the spokesman took off his glasses. ?Since we love to keep our customers guessing about our next range of services, we purposely left off one more new branch that General Dynamics has just created. Ladies and gentlemen of the world, it brings me the highest pride and pleasure to announce the opening of the General Dynamics Crusader Bank!?
Again the room erupted into a buzz of excitement and surprise. Renko sat back as she realized the implications of this development.
?We intend to be to the military forces of the world what The World Bank is to developing countries.? The next slide detailed the official goal of the new financial institution. ?Our goal is the proliferation of equal military standing for all legitimate states. We intend to unite all nations in collective security and promote world peace by balanced firepower. The Crusader bank will be a worldwide operation, dealing with all currency from the dollar or euro to even the chicken or goat.?
On the next screen, a chart with interest rates appeared. ?Even though this chart looks intimidating, don?t worry too much about it. What I want to talk about now is how we are already becoming a world leader in lending and finance. As of this morning, we have secured charters from every nation that we use their currency as a reserve. This list includes the United States, the whole of the European Union, the British pound sterling, the Japanese yen, and the Chinese yuan. We are currently in talks with each of the five countries in order to decide on a single worldwide reserve. It is our hope that by choosing one reserve currency, we can make it into a worldwide currency.?
More murmurs came from the various representatives in the crowd, knowing that economic power was as important as force projection. Many from non-NATO nations, and even some from the organization, were wary of allowing the Americans to gain even more power and influence. Even though the United States was suffering from a bit of a recession, they were still formidable in their own right.
?We will be happy to provide more details, but the process is still in the preliminary stages.? The spokesman wagged his finger. ?Money is as important as bullets and vehicles on the battlefield. Our aim is to make sure that it is available to those that need it. I would like to announce more of the exciting projects that we are working for, but I believe that I have gone on long enough. If any of you are interested, we have an informational packet that is available at our booth.?
With the presentation over, everyone got up and began to exit the presentation room. As Maribel and Renko passed a trashcan beside the entrance, they threw away the takeout plates they had finished. Now that they were in a large hall, they saw and heard the expo in full swing. Stands were everywhere, with their personnel giving impassioned sales pitches. There were seven zones, each dedicated to a specific theme. The pair decided to go to the Land Zone, since Yukari told them that holding ground would be the main goal.
With the large group that was moving towards the stands, the pair decided to go around using the outer walkway. The sun had risen into the morning sky and made the River Thames glisten in that early morning tone. The sea gulls flew above everything, with their distinct calls coming from everywhere. A light breeze that carried the sea salt from the Atlantic, reminding them of Tokyo a little bit.
Maribel pulled out the catalog that they had been given and began to thumb through it. She notices an envelope near the back end of the book and pulls it out. Inside were two tickets to a gathering at The Savory Hotel, which was the place that Yukari had arranged for them to stay. Maribel looked around but saw nothing suspicious, which only served to set her more on edge. But then she remembered that whoever would be hunting them couldn?t risk a move with such a large group around them.
?The story of Dragon Skin is well known in the defense industry,? a representative from the nearest stand called out. The pair joined the small group that served as an impromptu audience. ?We?ll be the first to admit that our earlier generations did have issues her and there. But our fifth generation body armor has solved all of those problems and improved on all of our advantages.?
The salesman holds up the body armor. ?Lightweight, breathable, flexible, and durable, it is the next step in the evolution of body armor! Rated against the infamous 7.62 x 54r round at a distance of 5 meters, it can withstand multiple uses at an affordable price. I?m not one to brag, but it puts existing armor around the world to shame! No trauma plate is required, it truly is a plug and play protection system.?
Making a note of the armor in a small book, Renko follows her friend as they moved to another stand. This one was for a helmet that used augmented reality glasses over both eyes to spread information quickly.
?After a few upgrades to the base R-6 glasses, we have unlocked all of the advancements that we needed to go into the future. Waterproof, shatterproof, jamproof, and secure, it can survive and thrive in any battlefield. Since we have focused on augmented reality instead of hiding everything with virtual reality, we let the warfighter have the information they need with the situational awareness that they depend on.?
?I see that you?ve received the tickets,? Maribel flinched when she heard the voice behind her. Renko tenses up as she slowly turns around. A burnet woman with shoulder length hair and glasses wearing a blue skirt suit was smiling at them. ?My, you do look a lot like Sumireko.?
?Wait, how do you know her?? Renko feared the worst.
?She?s the one that gave me a tour of the Outside World after I tricked her during the Lunar Orb incident. When she went on and got herself stuck in Genoskyo, I was the one that kept an eye on her.?
?So, you?re from Gensokyo?? Maribel started to feel better.
?I was originally from Sado, but after the UFO incident, I?ve started calling Genoskyo home.? She held her hand out for the pair to shake. ?My name is Mamizou Futatsuiwa, but I would prefer if you call me Inspector Lee of Interpol.? Mamizou pointed at the badge hanging from her pocket. Under the nationality field, it listed Hong Kong. ?I?ve been sent to make sure that weapons smuggling and trafficking doesn?t happen. Even though I don?t have any arresting authority, I can still act as a liaison between the various police forces that are watching this event.?
?Are we on that watch list?? Maribel asked.
?At the start, but that notice never got past my desk,? Mamizou shrugged. ?Since I?m considered the most senior Interpol member that happened to have the most contracts here in the United Kingdom, I tend to get away with a lot of things. Yukari has asked me to keep an eye out over both of you and to help you make some connections with the industries that are in attendance. Those tickets that I snuck into your catalog are a result of that.?
?But they?re for a reception at the hotel ballroom.?
?Many of the industry leaders will be in attendance. I?ve managed to talk a few of them into talking with both of you about some contracts.? The bake-danuki gave the stand near them a disinterested glance. ?Yukari was wanting to see if they would be interested in holding another expo in a neutral location. If you can manage that, I?m sure that she would be very happy.?
They were interrupted by the sounds of cheering and applause created by the crowd watching a mini-UAV doing tricks. Maribel felt better that they weren?t alone
NATO Final Line, Japan
With the news about the Lunarians getting close starting to spread, the more intelligent leaders were advocating a retreat to salvage the situation. Since they were in the minority, the remaining troops were quickly working to build up any defenses they could. The area that could now rightfully be called a redoubt could hold off an equivalent force, but they all knew the Lunarians were more than equivalent.
Some of the Japanese forces withdrew from the battle while others had moved to the rearmost area. They were split between staying and moving towards Tokyo due to the Lunarians having surrounded the Diet building. The aircraft being held in the reserve were being rushed to the front in order to help blunt the enemy advance. A-10 Warthogs were performing more and more attack runs in the past three days than they did in training the past ten years.
Back at a refuel and rearming point behind the Lunarian line, Sakuya and Nazrin were taking a count of how many tanks they had left. After multiple counts, they were forced to accept the fact that they only had twenty tanks total. One Maus, one Porsche Tiger, three Panzer IVs, one Sherman Firefly, one Panzer I, two M1 Abrams, one King Tiger, three StuG IIIs, two Ferdinands, and five Panthers.
With what the White Wolf tengus have been spotting during the scouting, the pair knew that not all of them were going to come out of this in one piece. Sakuya knew that their armor would be instrumental in breaking though this entrenched line and resigned herself to leading that charge. They were about ready to go since they were rearmed and refueled. The Lunarians had made the point next to a large lake, so the crews were using the water to wake themselves up.
An explosion interrupted their planning, and announced a surprise attack. Sakuya climbed on top of her Tiger (P) as it shook during the engine?s ignition. She takes hold of the MG 42 and opens fire while putting on the throat microphone. The StuG III beside her took a round though the driver?s viewport and fried the crew that had just jumped in.
Rapidly approaching the base was a combined air and armored thrust, one made out of desperation. Hornets and Raptors dropped bombs and launched weak strafing runs. Sakuya gritted her teeth as the last King Tiger went up in flames due to its high explosive rounds getting hit. If they fell below twelve tanks, there would be no way that they would be able to break the redoubt?s defenses. The Panzer I tried to take a turn too fast and ended up flipping on its side and then got a rocket through its exposed bottom.
An American Abrams showed itself and fired a round that had just missed the maid. The fairy gunner tuned the 88 mm cannon towards the approaching tank and landed a hit through the turret. Then a lucky shot tracked the Maus, leaving it with only the ability to go in circles. With the super heavy tank basically immobilized, it attracted fire from everyone in the area.
The token Lunarian infantry was getting overwhelmed, but still inflicted heavy damage on the enemy forces. The Sherman Firefly went up in flames since it wasn?t suited for the close fighting it was destroyed in. The three Panzer IVs had closed the distance and were fighting the approaching Abrams at a range of meters.
A click from the MG 42 made Sakuya?s stomach drop, and signaled the end of the weapon?s firing. A 120 mm shell hits the engine, bringing the tank to a halt. The only good thing about the hit was the fact that it failed to set anything on fire, meaning that replacing the engine would bring the tank back to working order. Pulling out her Walther P38 and a set of silver knives, Sakuya stomps her foot to get her crew to dismount.
As soon as she lands, she throws three of the four knives, taking down a fire team that was wanting to capture the disabled tank. She bounces the last knife off of the Tiger (P) and hits an American sergeant running towards one of the heavy rifles used for perimeter defense. Three quick rounds from her P38 give her more breathing room as she surveys the chaos around her.
Artillery began to fall all around the fight, showering the area with dirt. Sakuya?s peaked cap protected her eyes, letting her concentrate. The American forces began to throw smoke canisters, highlighting targets for the A-10s. One of the anti-tank missiles they launched hit the Maus and started a fire. The crew bailed out with Nazrin realizing that she left her pack of crackers and peanut butter inside. Before she could jump back in, the fire reached the ammo rack and caused a brew up.
Kokoro grabbed her naginata that was hanging from the side of the burning Maus and cut down a human that tried to shoot the group. Shou threw her spear and skewered two British soldiers that were moving a light machine gun into place. One of the fairy crew members took to the air, only to be brought down by a hail of bullets.
?Get on that radio and see where they came from,? Nazrin shouted as she ducked behind the Maus. ?Momjij should have seen them coming!?
?Nitori, why didn?t you warn us about this push,? one of the fairies shouted into the radio box they pulled out a disabled tank.
?The map didn?t show anything near there,? Nitori replied back. ?Momiji and the rest of the White Wolves aren?t close, can you hold out until we can get you help??
Sakuya grabbed the radio from the fairy. ?We just lost the Maus and the Porsche Tiger. Even if we don?t lose any more tanks, we can?t break their last line now. We?re about to get wiped out-?. She was interrupted by the radio being shot through.
Dropping the useless box, the maid empties her magazine and quickly reloads. Kokoro gracefully keeps her momentum steady with sweeping movements and spins, only to be stopped by a bullet to the left shoulder. Before she falls on her face due to her losing her balance, Nazrin and Shou drag her behind an ammo crate. Then Nazrin turns around and shoots the soldier with a palm pistol that send the man flying backwards onto his face. The power of the round was hidden by the chirp of a cricket that the pistol made.
Looking around her, Sakuya sees that they were completely overwhelmed with only a fraction of what they had just a few minutes ago. Peeking out from behind the large rock she had taken cover behind, she can only see waves of more troops joining the fight against them. Then something over the lake catches her eye. She wasn?t the only one to see it, as some from both sides tried to make out what it was. Once she recognized what it was, she felt a surge of pure joy and relief come over her.
Over the lake, three full squadrons of the most mismatched aircraft were heading towards them. The formation was only about twenty feet above the lake, leaving trails in the water below them. Leading the charge was an SU-47 that had the Black Crow emblem on its wings.
?Get ready,? Aya said to her fellow pilots. ?That?s our people down there and they need our help. Don?t let all of those fighters scare you. Lock flaps in combat position.?
The NATO aircraft stopped their attack runs and turned to face the new threat bearing down on them. As soon as the two groups made contact, the formations broke apart. Aya instantly turned on an American F-18, chasing it down until it fell to her cannon. Before the explosion of the fighter died down, she was chasing a French Typhoon and ripping its wings off. On the ground the NATO forces were torn between wiping out the rest of the rearming station or firing into the giant dogfight.
?Anyone that can,? Sakuya shouted out. ?Make a wheel around the Maus!?
Grabbing whatever they could, they piled debris to create cover. They were helped out by the new debris that was raining down on them due to the NATO planes dropping like flies. The A-10s had stopped making attack runs, wary of becoming Berkut food. Nazrin popped out from behind the wreckage and killed another human. Kicking the lid off an ammo box next to her, Sakuya gets an idea.
The maid grabs the closest gunner and drags her back into the Tiger (P). Grabbing a battery out of the storage compartment next to the radio operator?s spot, she opens a panel and cuts two wires. She twists the positive cable into one of the wires she cut and flinches when it starts to spark. Then she twists the negative into the remaining cable and tapes the battery onto the panel.
?Gunner, you?re stuck on manual but the cannon should work now,? Sakuya slams a HE round into the chamber. ?Thin out that charge.?
Aya had finished shooting down her tenth plane and decided to gain some altitude. She goes into a loop that brings her behind a Typhoon and chases it. It falls apart in a hail of gunfire and Aya pulls into a loop. The tengu then goes down to ground level to avoid a squadron coming at her and takes a few shots at the ground forces firing at her. Sakuya slams another round into the cannon and pokes her head out of the turret. The air support was helping to dent the attack, but they were still in trouble.
Coming out of another loop, Aya chases a Hornet at lake level. It dodges her attacks with a surprising degree of skill, and manages to get a kill with the Tengu on its tail. Before she can shoot it down, an alarm starts beeping in the cockpit. Out of sheer instinct, she broke to the left and dodged a pair of Patriot missiles coming at her.
The Hornet next to her wasn?t as lucky, getting hit in the nose and disappearing into a ball of flame. The air then became full of the smoke trails from more missiles, hitting any aircraft that ran into them. Seeing the trails from the ground, Sakuya can only load the Tiger (P)?s cannon as the waves continue to arrive.
?Remains of the Panzer Division,? Yukari?s voice came over the radio. ?Hold your ground for a little longer, our new weapon has arrived.?
A gap opens in the middle of the circle and a girl got pushed out. She looks back at Yukari, who hands her a backpack. ?Keep this on at all times, or you might ended getting shot. A lot. Good luck!?
?A girl?? Sakuya poked her head out of the tank. ?We?re getting attacked by a majority of the humans and Yukari sends a little girl??
?The name?s Sumireko Usami,? the girl responded sharply. She pulls out the sword that seemed to be out of place on her belt and school uniform. Then she turns a knob and puts the backpack on. The hail of gunfire that was hitting the circle from all sides slowed down considerably.
Taking the sword into a two handed grip, Sumireko jumps on top of the Tiger (P). She takes a practice swing while some of the humans just stared at her. Then one of the Americans yells out, ?Shoot this fool!?
Deflecting gunfire with lighting fast reflexes, she heads straight for a machine gun emplacement. She lifts up the machine gunner and saturates him with electricity before throwing him into an ammo crate. A tingling behind her ear makes her lift her hand up and catch a 120 mm tank shell only three feet away from her.
She throws it to the side and grabs the M1 Abrams in her ranged grip. Squeezing her hand, she bends the barrel all the way around. Then she crushes all of the hatches closed and lifts the tank up into the air. The humans that were watching her were too dumbfounded to do anything, giving her the opportunity to crush the tank into a ball of debris. Once she was done, she slammed the ball into a Challenger that was aiming for the burning Maus.
Before the humans could be shaken out of their daze, Sumireko brings up both of her hands and unleashes a storm of lighting that spreads with each victim. Then she charges a massive push and blows away anything in front of her. With the rest of the line starting to waver from the sudden assault, the battered tankers were able to push back. Sakuya uses a time stop to grab a MG 42 from a Panzer IV and helps cover Sumireko?s advance. They had ran out of HE shells, so staying inside the tank would have been useless.
An American sergeant tried to hit Sumireko with his rifle, only for the girl to spin around and plant her blade into his stomach. She lifts him up slightly and spins him around to throw him off the blade. She lifts another one into the air with a mind grip and impales him by throwing her sword into him. Dropping the body, she calls the blade back and charges a quick repulse that gives her space.
An F-22 Raptor flies over the area and ends up getting seized in midair by the psychic. Overpowering the engine, she slams it into a group of mortars. Using the flames as a cover, Sumireko sprints forward and cuts off the barrel of a Challenger. Before the crew could understand what was going on, the pig tailed girl stabbed the driver through the armor. Pulling the blade out, she follows that up with lighting and then jumps back.
Jumping back, she lifts it up into the air and crushes it. The act of slamming the debris into the ground struck sheer panic into the closest soldiers and caused them to retreat. Sumireko charges up a bubble around her that starts to attract debris from around her. Then she charges it with lightning and sends it flying all around her. Anyone within 100 meters of her is killed instantly and the rest of the attacking force to turn tail.
Trying to catch her breath, she?s surprised to see them run away in such numbers. She slows down her breathing and let?s lightning flow from her fingertips. Even with the fact that the closest target was outside of her range, it still bought her more time to recover. Once she feels better, she looks up to see the dogfight reach a frenzy. A P-51 with Tengu markings shut off its engine to flip around and shoot down a pursuer.
Reloading her Karabiner 98k, Sakuya was forced to discard her MG-42 since it ran out of ammo. Reverting back into her old mindset, she drops five Americans without coming out of her sprint. Just as she?s putting in her third round, an American Butter Bar tries to tackle her. Stepping to the side, she brings her knee into his stomach, breaking the ceramic plate in his body armor. Then she spins the rifle and plunges the bayonet into his back, causing the rifle to go off when it hits the ground.
Sumireko narrows her eyes as she ran towards a small hill in front of her. She can hear explosions and the sounds of gunfire even louder from that direction. Just as soon as she reaches the top, she feels herself get caught in a telekinetic grip and thrown sideways. She managed to get a split second look at her attack, but could only see a black shape standing there. Then she hit a crate and disappeared behind it.
-
Situation Room, White House, Washington, DC
?All vital signs are within normal parameters.?
?All troops within range of Shadow 1 are to hold their fire.?
?Sensors are indicating powers in estimated ranges.?
The god of disaster that had taken over the surviving global superpower was sitting at the head of the table with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face. One of his pet projects from his days as director of the CIA was getting a field test and was performing much better than he expected. If it kept up like this, they would have a real chance of turning the tide and wiping out the GDF and LDC in conventional combat.
?Target has been slung behind a crate,? one of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. ?She looks to be between the ages of 18 and 20 and matches the description of a researcher targeted by our allies in Peru.?
?Hmm, either we had bad intel, or that old hag helped her escape.? Xingun sighed. ?Either way, give Shadow One the go ahead. And make sure that he experiments as much as he can.?
?Shadow One, you are cleared to engage. Orders from Big Bird are to test all skills. Shadow Two is to remain on standby until needed.?
?Roger.?
Lunarian-NATO line, Japan
Sumireko jumped back over the crate and twirled her sword as she lowered her center of gravity. She rotated her shoulders to loosen her joints and brought her sword up into a horizontal block. Her opponent carried a pike with he kept at a ready position, no other weapons were visible. The man wore a set of black fatigues with body armor and a full face helmet that had an antenna poking up.
She feels her feet getting lifting up of the ground and then she begins to spin in midair. She breaks the hold with a hastily charged repulse and falls back to her feet. Deciding that letting him get another attack like that in would be foolish, she gets in range for her blade. She tries for a stab at center mass, only for the man to twirl around the attack and plant an elbow into her face and draw blood.
Staggering back, she barely brings up her sword in time to block. Then she feels a foot connect with her chest and send her flying back. She loses her footing and falls forward a bit, ending up with the pike?s shaft connecting with the side of her head. If she hadn?t stumbled, the blade would have been lodged in her skull and the fight would be over.
The pig tailed girl flies even more, wondering how much she would get sent through the air today. Stabbing his pike point down into the ground, the man punches her in the stomach and lifts her up. An elbow on her back sends her into the ground, leaving her gasping for air. Not quite finished, her opponent kicks her fifteen feet away.
Grabbing her in a telekinetic grip, he lifts her up by the throat. Gathering her power, Sumreko uses another repulse and catches him off guard. They both cast lighting at each other, getting stuck in a loop. She manages to overpower the opposing lighting and sends him thirty feet.
?Sumireko, if you keep this up, you?re going to get yourself killed,? Eirin?s voice sounded like it was right next to her. The pigtailed girl looked around her, but saw nothing. ?I?ve implanted your hat with a charm that keeps you in contact with me. But the point is that you need to concentrate. I may not have the kinds of powers that you do, but I know the possibilities of them due to research I done.?
Focusing on her pain, she uses her power to give her strength. She grips her sword tightly, and moves closer to control the distance.
?The first thing that you need to remember about the pike, or any other long weapon, is that space is key.? Eirin explained. ?As long as they control the distance, they control the fight. Their extended range comes at a price, getting in close takes advantage of their weak point. They also have a harder time defending, so aggression is helpful here.?
Sumireko blocks a horizontal strike by holding her blade straight up and manages to shove the man back. She gets payback from earlier by punching him in the faceplate so hard he staggers.
?In order to take advantage of your aggression, you must adopt a style that lets you create momentum and force. Since you can?t create that force naturally, you must rely on your power. Focus on beating through an enemy instead of beating at them. Once you force his defense away, then you can strike the final blow.?
Even augmented by her power, she still found it difficult to beat his defense away. Catching her blade, the man manages to send it flying out of her hand. Before he could strike her down, she punches him in the wrist and forces him to drop the pike.
?Against an armored opponent, you are at a disadvantage. Using your ability to guide and protect your hands until you get your sword back. Analyze his armor and strike at unprotected joints and vital spots. If you want to survive this next part, you must move quickly.?
Dodging a one-two combo, she strikes at the unprotected armpit. Then she lands a hard hit on the inside of his elbow and watches his arm go limp. Sumireko barely dodges a reflexive elbow and lands a hit on at the base of his neck. Using the time she was given, she summons her blade back to her hand. Her opponent summons his weapon back and swings it back in preparation for a strike. Focusing all of her power on her blade, she manages to cut the pike in half and lands a kick on his chest that knocks him straight down.
Jumping over him with slashing down, her attack is parried and the man jumps back up. He quickly spins his blade around while moving away from her
?Wielding one blade against a paired weapon places you at a severe disadvantage. Only the most experienced fighter can hold their own against someone skilled in duel wielding. Your sword has the property of being made up of two swords. Pull them apart and counter his two weapons.?
She pulls the swords apart, surprising her opponent. She is forced to change her style into something a little bit more reckless. Dragging both blades through the ground while moving easier and faster, she spins to keep her momentum and force up. The man could only give ground as he adjusted to her attacks. He swings a low strike, forcing her into a butterfly spin to avoid it. She lands with her back to him and blocks the approaching strike.
Turning to face him, she uses both blades in tandem in order to tie up his own. A kick to his left hand knocks that half of the pike, but the man recovers by changing to a two handed grip. Leaning forward, he tries to batter away her left blade, forcing her to stand her ground. She?s knocked back by his third blow and is forced to give ground. She side steps his next strike and kicks him in the chest.
She jumps and spins to gain momentum for a strike, locking the blades together. She struggles as the blades come closer to her face.
?With two blades, it becomes difficult to apply your strength to break locks and deliver physical strikes,? Eirin sounded like she was remembering something as she spoke. ?It is in this situation that the sharpness of your blades would be important. Which brings us to your powers. Unlike most other powers, yours are based on scientific principles. The law of conservation of mass states that energy can only be changed, not created. The most likely reaction would be a chilling in the air around you whenever you use a strenuous power. Redirecting a small percentage of that power would allow you to make yourself immune to the effect, for a short time.?
Deciding that trying to limit the power of her attacks would be the worst possible thing to do at the moment, she feels that she can deal with the cold for a little while. Finally overpowering the lock, she jumps over and kicks him away with both feet. She handstands back on her feet and sends a quick bolt of lightning that makes him spasm. Realizing a new weakness, she charges her blades up and lands a good hit. The only downside to the attack was she couldn?t physically punch him without getting shocked as well at her skill level.
A tingle runs down Sumireko?s spine, forcing her to break her attack and spin around with her blades up. She catches a strike from a second attacker in black, identical to the first in everything but weapon. This one had an electric baton that sparked randomly with sinister electricity. The pair strike out at the same time, forcing Sumireko to divide her attention.
?Two opponents attacking in tandem opens up more possibilities for their attacks. In a fight like this, it would be a wise course to stack your opponents, but an open space like this makes it difficult to keep. The best course is to disable one so you can focus on the other. You must move quickly to avoid being cornered by the pair.?
Taking the advice to disable one of them to heart, she changes the target of her attacks to their legs. The pair were forced to stay light on their feet, not an easy task with amount of body armor that they were wearing. Realizing that they were trying to lure her into a trap, she backflips away from them and crouches down. As one of them tries to tackle her, she stands back up and rolls him over her shoulder.
Before he can land on the ground, the pig tailed girl launches a back kick that catches him in the stomach and cracks his armor. She attacks the remaining man, trying to get behind him. She focuses on attack with her right blade, saving the left for an opening that she knows will soon appear. The man kicks at her, connecting with her side. Hissing at the pain, the girl keeps her defense up as blows rain down.
An idea strikes at that moment and she throws lighting at him. She stops that attack and turns around quickly. Taking three steps back, she twirls the blades and stabs straight back. Both of them go through his armor and chest, coming out of his back. She pulls them out and faces him to deliver a punch augmented with her ability. The body flies off into the distance and she turns to face the second attacker.
Putting her swords back into one, she adopts a horizontal guard stance as the pair circle each other. The man twirls his baton in his hand as he inches closer. Their first strike results in a lock, which Sumireko quickly overpowers. She lifts him up into the air and strikes him twice with his own weapon before calling it into her hand. Once she throws him on the ground, she tosses the baton back at him in a gesture saturated with contempt.
The man picks himself back up and goes back into a fighting stance. Dropping his hand to his hip, he pulls out a Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight revolver. The extremely concealable revolver fires five shots, which are all deflected by Sumireko?s sword. Knowing that it would be next to impossible to reload in time, he throws the weapon at her face. She ducks, feeling a surge of annoyance at the perceived insult.
?Now that you are back to one opponent, you can control the fight. Choose a course of action and commit to it until the end. Do not stray your final blow.?
Taking a step forward, she raises her blade up above her head. She strikes out three times, with her attacks getting blocked each time. Before she can reset, she gets tapped with the baton in her stomach. Electricity flows through her body, causing her to spasm with excruciating pain. The man pulls the baton back and rears back for a hit to her head. She gets him back by casting her own lightning and knocks him off of his feet.
She doesn?t ease off the lightning, making him flop around like a fish. Not satisfied by the amount of pain that she was inflicting, she ramped up the amount she created. The man starts screaming as the increased power goes straight to his nervous system. Sumireko grits her teeth as she starts stepping forward. She stops the attack and lifts him up to slam him into the ground. Picking him up again, she delivers a precise blow with the pommel of her sword that cracks his helmet in half.
Sensing an A-10 Thunderbolt flying above her, she decides to kill two birds with one stone. Throwing the man a good distance away, she then turns her attention to gripping the plane. Overpowering the engines, her grip holds the plane in a vertical position. With a brief and intense effort, she slams the plane into her defeated opponent. She hears a sparking coming from behind her, and notices that the box Yukari had given her had taken damage and was dying.
Groaning, she can only hope that Yukari wasn?t about to make her pay that back because she had already earmarked money for a new hat. Planting the sword in the ground, she drops the backpack since it was useless now. With the copper expanding signal weaken to the point it was almost gone, the Americans were able to increase their firepower. Turning her head to her side and raising her arm, she stops a hail of bullets that were coming towards her.
With a shout, she punches the ground and send a large shockwave towards them. As they were knocked into the air, she electrocuted them without mercy. She charges up a maelstrom and watches as more humans scatter. Then she pitches forward as she holds the sides of her head. A series of images suddenly appeared in her mind, shutting her off from everything. She saw herself creating fire from her hands and using it to burn down everything.
Once she could move again she brings up her left hand with the palm up. Focusing herself, she creates a small flame that dances in her hand. She makes it jump, shrink, and do flips as she tests it out.
?So you have the power of pyrokinesis as well,? Eirin noted. ?This is a power that is dependent on your discipline. Too much power and you risk burning yourself, too little will result in wasted energy. You must also keep the three requirements for combustion in mind and control each of them. In time, you will be able to control oxygen levels to create flames of different properties and to create heat to slow down the chilling effect from using your powers. But you must be mindful of your powers and abilities. Allowing yourself to have dreams and illusions of grandeur will only serve to hurt you.?
Lunarian Training and Staging Facility, Dark Side of the Moon
A rare spectacle in the Capital was mirroring the atmosphere of the events on the staging grounds. Eighteen regiments from the colonies and the Moon were in formation amidst a thunderstorm and howling winds. After the attack and temporary eviction of the Lunarians from the moon, it became obvious to those in charge that more living space was needed. Using the same principles of probability that allowed them to get to the Moon, they were able to create colonies on the other planets in the solar system.
The colonies had prospered and were expanding quickly. With more living space, the population also increased. As the population increased the need for more troops did as well. At the projected rate, living space would be available for a few more generations at the very least. Many had scoffed at colonizing other planets, but they were being proved wrong by the wealth and advancement that many were seeing now.
As a result of the increase of population and land, the LDC had to have more troops in order to keep the peace in the expanding Lunarian Kingdom. Projections by the high ranks maintained that at least eighty full time regiments would be needed to keep the peace. Of course, with a war starting to ramp up, twice that would be needed for all purposes. For the battered regimetns that were already in battle, more regiments were called up. But with such a high amount of units, it took a bit of time to mobilize and move them to staging areas. But now, they all standing out in the rain while waiting to move out.
Three figures were off to the side, waiting for their orders. The three were part of the Royal Commandos, and were going to be sent in individually. Since they answered to the Royal Family and their closest advisors, they were able to do as they pleased until they got their orders. Before Ringo could truly get comfortable in the rain, a horn could be heard throughout the staging ground. Regimental commanders instantly turned and ran towards the pole where the standard of the Lunarian Defense Corps flew in the wind.
Battalion commanders began to give preparatory commanders the company commanders. As word spread, the troops began to double check their equipment and steel themselves for what was coming. Horses began to grow restless, they could sense what was going to happen. Seiran had laid her hammer down and was going through her deck of Spell Cards. A whine from a propeller driven engine grabbed her attention, she looks up to see a trio of P-51s fly from the aircraft carriers in the lake next to the grounds.
?Form up by squads and prepare to board the cruisers,? one of the Regimental commanders yelled out as they ran back to their original spots. Sagume could be seen rolling up a scroll and wiping rain off of her brow.
?RC-1138, 1501, and 7889,? an advisor to Princess Yorihime called out. ?You are to insert separately and link up back on the surface. The NATO forces have created a series of trenches and caves in the middle of a heavily wooded area. Colonel Yagokoro has been called away to negotiate with the Japanese to pull out of the war, so her troops have pulled back for now. I?ve been assigned as your advisor, and will be your eye in the sky until further notice?or we all get killed.?
Medium sized dragons landed on the staging ground and knelt down. Company commanders began directing their troops to load their equipment and themselves. It was no easy feat to move eighteen regiments at the same time, but they managed somehow without any confusion.
?Act like you have some life in you! Our troops are waiting for our help!?
?Get that equipment on there! Let?s go! Let?s go! Let?s go!?
?Sergeant, make sure they are ready to go before we take off!?
?Don?t feed the dragons!?
?New dragon! Group B, get on there!?
?Load that ordnance and move that wing forward!?
?Get those heavy rifles on their first! Check straps and pouches!?
?Ready for lift up! Here we go!?
?Lock down those crates! We are not turning back for anything!?
?You can throw up once we?re in the air!?
?So help me, if any of you left the stove on??
?I will be issuing further orders as you go. Good luck, moon rabbits.? The advisor turned around and walked to the command center.
A dragon landed in front of the trio. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors saw to it that Seiran went first. The third member of their team was the next to go. And finally Ringo jumped on her dragon. As the reptile took to the air, she looks down She sees the formations quickly grabbing their gear and getting ready. She hears the sound of singing coming from the troops around her and remembers the song.
Kote! (Glory!)
Kandosii sa ka'rta, Vode an. (One indomitable heart, Brothers all.)
Prudii a'den mhi, Vode an. (We, the wrath of the shadow, Brothers all.)
Bal kote, darasuum kote, (And glory, eternal glory.)
Jorso'ran kando a tome. (We shall bear its weight together.)
Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an. (Forged like the saber in the fires of death. Brothers all.)
Kandosii sa ka'rta, Vode an. (One indomitable heart, Brothers all.)
Prudii a?den a'den mhi, Vode an. (We, the wrath of the shadow, Brothers all.)
Bal...(And?)
Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. (Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame.)
Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. (Our vengeance burns brighter still)
Aruetyc talyc runi'la solus cet o'r. (Every last traitorous soul shall kneel)
Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. (Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame)
Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. (Our vengeance burns brother still)
Aruetyc talyc runi'la trattok'o. (Every last traitorous soul shall fall)
Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an! (Forged like the saber in the fires of death. Brothers all!)
A beautiful yet haunting song, it was a remembrance of all that came before them. Said to be the marching song of the great fighting force of any state, it was a favorite for the LDC to sing before an engagement. Especially with the current weather since it matched the legend that accompanied it.
The Yuudachi came into view, waiting for her to dismount. Once she had gotten off and the transport dragon had flown off, the destroyer moved forward. Atago, Fubuki, Akagi, Kongou, Maya, Chokoi, Furutaka, Yamato, and Nagato stood ready to depart. Each flew the colors of the GDF, meaning that they were not under the direct control of the Lunarians.
Ringo loaded a magazine in her interchangeable rifle and waited. A giant portal opened in front of the flotilla, which signaled them to move forward. She adjusted the helmet she had on her head, waiting to take to the sky. The destroyer is the first one out of the portal and is in a large lake. Jumping on the dragon that was waiting for her on the ship, she nods at a fellow moon rabbit as the reptile took off.
A beep comes from the medallion on her belt. She throws the coin in front of her and an image of the advisor appears.
?Good to see that you?re already on the field.? A dragon next to them gets shot in the face by a missile and spins into the ground. ?The Royal Regiments have already ran into desperate resistance at the last point and are being dealt heavy damage. We?re also doing a supply drop for the artillery regiments, but nothing will change unless we can open up a section of their defenses. The allied armor charge that was supposed to do that had all of their tanks damaged, so it?s fallen to you, 1501, and 7889 to do so. As per Colonel Yagokoro?s orders, this section that is being highlighted is quarantined to all personnel under the rank of Royal Captain.? A large area in front of the redoubt began to flash red. ?Rumors from the ground suggest someone with an extraordinary amount of power going on a rampage in that area. Your drop zone will be to the east of that area at the far edge of the forest. 1501 and 7889 will land north and south of your positions, respectively. Intelligence reports a group of officers, ranging from the ranks of Major to full Colonel, are the ones organizing the defense. If you can take them out, our brothers and sisters should have an easier time breaking that perimeter.?
Feeling nervous since this was her first real battle, Ringo quietly sings to herself as she picks the medallion back up.
?Kandosii sa ka?rat, Vode an,? She stands up as the dragon?s master gave her a hand signal.
?Prudii a?den mhi, Vode an,? She crouches down and waits for the hand to fall.
?Bal kote, darasuum kote,? The hand falls and she backflips off of the dragon.
?Sa kyr?am nau tracyn kad, vode an.? Landing, she brings her rifle up and drops three Americans that fired at her. One of them managed to hit her, but her uniform caught the bullet and the force behind it. She had been ordered to change into the normal uniform of the LDC and was now understanding why. .50 caliber bullets hit the ground next to her, forcing to take cover behind a large tree.
She sees the wreckage of a Black Hawk a few hundred feet away with the M134 Minigun pointing towards the troops firing at her. Throwing a spell card grenade, she flies towards the weapon and fires at anything she can see moving. It runs out of ammo, forcing her to move forward. Sneaking up behind a Private First class, she guts him and throws the body into a bush. That last move attracted their attention and their bullets.
Taking refuge behind a rock, she attaches the explosive kit to her rifle and pokes her head out. Pulling it back down almost instantly, she still had enough time to choose a target. Stepping out, she quickly fires off three rounds and jumps back. The bullets flying towards her are reduced in number while she takes the kit off and reverts to her regular weapon. Jogging forward, she drops the reminder of the defenders and moves deeper into the forest.
Before she can go much further, she runs into a Bradley. Quickly attaching the explosive kit again, she aims for the top of the vehicle. Two shots are enough to set it on fire, and she feels someone come up behind her. Ducking, she avoids a bayonet to the back of the head. Ringo slams her rifle into his exposed chin and then pulls out her sidearm and shoots him in the face.
?You humans need to learn that I?m a lot scarier than you are,? Ringo quipped.
Five miles from Ringo?s current position, Seiran had entered melee combat with a group of British soldiers. She was taking pleasure in breaking their body armor with every swing of her giant mallet and watching them fly into the distance. A Humvee tried to run her down, only to have her jump up and crush the engine with a downward swing. Before the occupants could get out, they were crushed in the vehicle by more swings.
?1501, 7889 has fallen. It?s up to you and 1138 to break through the defensive line now.? The advisor?s voice came from the medallion on her belt. ?Reinforcements have arrived at the front line, but we?re still having trouble breaking through. There should be an anti-air battery near your location. Find it and destroy it so we can bring in air support. Yamato reports that all cannon batteries are ready to go, so find the coordinates and we can take it from there.?
Lightning rained down from the sky west of her position, making every pause to look in that direction. A rumbling travel through the ground, hinting at some intense power close by. Seiran was glad that Eirin had declared that area a quarantine zone, since she had no intention of dealing with whatever was causing that. A 5.56 round catches her in the shoulder, but the LDC uniform renders it useless.
She pulls out her sidearm, a curious looking pistol that used bunny ears as iron sights, and shot the contractor that landed the hit multiple times. It breaks through his plate carrier and steel plates, both sides. The moon rabbit laughs in contempt when she notices the tan colored baseball cap and scarf that he was wearing. She almost drops to the ground in laughter when she notices the sheer amount of equipment that he was lugging around on his carrier. She had heard stories of humans that believed that equipment could overcome anything on the battlefield. But she hadn?t expected to run into one of those here, usually those kinds of people never served on the ground.
Seiran was happy with her rifle, sidearm and hammer. She preferred to travel light with proven weapons and needed no extra equipment to make up for anything. She walks by the wounded man, not even pausing when she shoots him in the face. Just like a large majority of the Lunarians, she believed that civilians should never play in the realm of soldiers. When the stories of contractors fighting on the front lines made it to the moon, it only served to sow contempt for the human forces. At least the Royal Researchers had a rank that existed in the line.
As a matter of the LDC?s doctrine, the only equipment they brought were bare bones. Each technician was expected to be able to repair it or improvise in times of need, unlike the human forces, who had to wait for representatives from their suppliers to arrive with the right part. She shook her head as she thought about that, it was almost as if they wanted to pawn off important duties on someone else.
A pair of Patriot missiles flies up into the air about two miles north of her. If she had been able to fly, she would be easily able to spot where they came from. But going above the trees would be the same as jumping up and down with an orange vest while asking to be shot. Taking out a scroll that mapped the area, she frowns when everything in the area she needed to go to was grayed out.
Without good information about what to expect, it felt like a usual training mission. But she knew that one of their own had already fallen, and that more lives depended on her spotting those anti-air batteries. All she could really hope for was to link up with Ringo and hopefully survive long enough to get the Yamato a good firing solution before the rest of the regiments were ground down.
-
Viole, Scarlet Devil Mansion, Gensokyo
The transport truck that was the subject of an intense fight the day before had been off loaded and its contents were sitting in the library. Twenty wooden crates were arranged in piles around the desk that Patchouli usually studied at. Ran had been sent by Yukari to help analyze the new technology they had captured. Lunarian researchers had brought their equipment and were set up. The librarian that called the room home had put on her glasses and was waiting for the first box to be opened.
Once the first box was open, everyone present frowned when it was just normal looking Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The one thing that was different was a sphere on the top of the tube. One of the researchers picked one up and looked through the scope on it. Nothing happened until a moon rabbit flew near it and the targeting computer began to emit loud beeps. The ones with a small amount of familiarization with the weapon had a bit of alarm, since they knew that something as small as a person shouldn?t have triggered the targeting system.
Hearing the beeping, the moon rabbit being targeted dropped like a rock and broke the lock. She waited until the last second and then flew off to the side. The computer locked on her again. Taking a look though the scope, she could see the bright outline of the moon rabbit flying. But when she let gravity take over, the outline became dim.
?It?s based on the magic of flight,? Patchouli picked a tube up and looked through the scope. ?But I didn?t think that they had anything that could sense magic.?
The librarian breaks open one of the orbs on the computer and finds a square gem attached to a chip. She rips it off and holds it to the light. It shines with a dull green sheen, making her frown as she turns it slowly. She had read about a type of jewel that would glow when in close proximity to magic, but had never seen one in person until now.
?If these things can lock on to our airborne troops, this could be bad news for our push.?
?Attention all commanders, ground all airborne troops,? one of the researchers talked into a spell card.
?Wish you would have told us earlier.?
Lunarian and NATO line, Japan
What seemed like a good idea at first turned out to be exactly what the humans wanted them to do. Three waves of airborne troops had been shot down by the magic seeking missiles. This was the last chance for air support until the anti-air emplacements were taken out. The airborne troops that were left were pressed into a ground role and were angry at being stuck in the dirt.
A massive trench encircled the wooded area, with artillery just behind it. Everything pointed towards a siege, but the goal was to break the defense before the sun had completely set. For such a disorganized force, Toyohime mused, they could hold their ground very well. She uses a spyglass to look for a weak point in the line, but still couldn?t find anything.
She grits her teeth, an armored charge would still only have a fifty percent chance of breaking through. But it would have been a lot better than just waiting for them to collapse. Yorihime was sitting in one of the forward trenches, with her back against the front wall. She had her katana sheathed and rested on her shoulder with her arms crossed. With the amount of dirt stains on her clothes and the messy hair, she looked more like a normal soldier than a member of the Royal Family.
A strand of hair that was getting on her last nerves decided to jump in front of her face again, forcing her to keep herself from cutting it off right then and there. One of her attendants tosses her a new canteen of water, which she chugs gratefully. At that point, she doesn?t care who sees her like this. If her husband saw her like this, he would probably laugh at her while cleaning her face off with a rag he always carried around. She always felt a little embarrassed whenever he did it in public, but she still liked it a little bit.
Reisen II pokes her head up from the trench and immediately drops back down before all the bullets find her. Sliding down into a sitting position, she looks around and sees some of her troops waiting for an opening. Even with the massive wave of reinforcements, they couldn?t just walk up to the line. If Colonel Yagokoro found out that they wasted lives when there was a better way, heads would roll.
Back at the Kappa workshop, Nitori and a few other kappas were messing around with a radio that they had picked up and were trying to see if they could break into the NATO communications. One of the kappas got frustrated to the point that they picked up the radio and threw it against the wall. It fell to the floor and then came alive with radio chatter. Presently surprised, Nitori uses a cable to hook it up with the GDF/LDC network.
The map in front of Toyohime updated to show a wing of B-52s that were heading towards them. She didn?t even have to look up the amount of ordnance that they each carried to know they were in trouble.
?What?s this button for??
?Shit, Carl! Not yet!?
The lead dot flashes, signaling the dropping of the entire bomb bay complement. Seeing the lead bomber drop their bombs, the others follow suit. Toyohime giggles as she hears the chaos from the American bomber wing, watching them as they broke their formation. Without a payload, there was no purpose to exposing themselves to enemy fire, so turning around was a natural choice.
?Atago is reporting a heavy concentration of aircraft heading towards the fleet,? one of her advisors called out. ?They doubt that their anti-air compliment would be enough to fight them off.?
?RC-1138 requests fire support from Yamato, she says she?s spotted the batteries.?
?Give her support request more priority,? Toyohime narrowed her eyes behind her fan. ?We need our air support.?
On the bridge of the Yamato, Kaguya was watching the 460 mm guns turn to aim at the requested target. Yuudachi opened fire with her AA mounts, getting a lucky shot on an F/A-18 Hornet. One of the triple turrets on Yamato fired a Sanshiki anti-aircraft shell that wiped out three entire squadrons of A-10s. Heat seeking rounds flew from Atago, chasing down any aircraft it could see.
?Torpedoes to starboard,? Yuyuko was surprised when she heard one of the crew members shout it out.
?Reduce speed to three quarters and turn hard to starboard,? the ghost braced herself as the heavy cruiser lurched to the right. She kept herself from correcting the crew member, even though he was right from a certain point of view. Missiles could be called ?air torpedoes? if looked at a certain way. The missiles that had been spotted sensed the change, but were prevented from following on it due to the disruption field being emitted by the ships. Once it hit that field, it reverted to a rocket and made it easier to dodge. The missiles flies by the bridge close enough for Yuyuko to read some of the writing on them.
?We don?t have enough space to keep doing this,? the First Officer said. ?If we collide, we?ll be sitting ducks.?
?Have the destroyers return to the docks,? Yuyuko watched as an F-22 crashed into the water while on fire. ?What is the Yamato doing??
The ship in question fired a volley at that exact moment, raining long ranged destruction down on the batteries. The red squares on the map disappear, showing that the batteries had disappeared.
?Get a message to the tengus,? Yuyuko ordered. ?We need them here, now!?
?Tengu fighters are two minutes away. Akagi is launching her fighters now.?
?Will one carrier be enough to turn the tide,? Yuyuko saw another Raptor get shot down. ?Divert all power to the forward guns.?
?Atago, we have a fire request that we can?t fulfil at the moment,? Yamato?s radio operator?s voice reached her ears.
?Where??
?Here and here,? two circles appeared on the map. ?The ground forces are ready to start a final push, but that wall is in the way.?
?Fire when ready,? Yuyuko frowned when she saw the blue rectangles had stopped.
Ten 203 mm high explosive rounds flew into a high arc, with the targeting computer accounting for all variables. Toyohime saw the rounds rain down on the wall. The entire area disappeared in a bright light that was strong enough to hurt everyone?s eyes. Once her eyes had recovered, the elder princess saw that there was a large hole in the wall. Gesturing at flame troops that were waiting in the trenches, she shouts.
?Are you waiting for an engraved invitation? Get cooking!?
Loading their weapons, the flame troops stacked up beside the gaping hole and then stepped out. As soon as they had a clear line, they unleashed long jets of fire that burned anything and anyone it hit. Seizing the opportunity, the rest of the regiments charged into the breach, hoping to do as much damage as possible before the humans could recover.
The British and American Marines were the first to recover, taking renewed defensive positions. A large fireball popped up at the far end of the redoubt, no doubt the work of the two moon rabbits over there. A lone A-10 tried to set up on an attack run, only for an airborne rabbit to land in front of the cockpit and break it open with an axe. Then she grabbed the pilot and threw him into the left engine.
Just as the rest of the airborne rabbits reached the center of the compound, the seeker missiles flew up for a meet and greet. Yorihime gritted her teeth as she saw the rabbits fall out of the sky like houseflies. Even though they had taken out the larger batteries, the shoulder fired missiles were still a big problem. She was hoping that they weren?t reloadable, because that would make her day even worse.
Sumireko saw a P-47 fly near her and decided to catch a lift. Landing next to the cockpit, she nods in greeting to the surprised human at the joystick.
?I need a better view of the battle, mind getting some altitude??
The human nods and pulls back on the joystick. The Thunderbolt rises above the battle, letting the girl take it all in. A glint of light high above them catches her attention and she squints her eyes to see what it is. A 60s era satellite was heading towards the battle, mostly likely as a last ditch effort. Dividing her focus between keeping a grip on the wing and redirecting the satellite, she starts to break a little bit of a sweat.
She?s broken out of her focus by the Thunderbolt juking wildly. An F-16 had followed them up and was intent on destroying them. Sumireko gives her taxi driver a wave and dives off of the wing. She had timed it so she would be close enough to strike the Falcon as she fell. With her blade, she cuts off the right wing and send the plane into an uncontrolled spin. Struggling to keep her eyes open as she freefalls, the girl begins to charge up a repulse.
Several of the smarter humans on the ground brought up their rifles and seeker missiles, trying to get a good bead on her. Sumireko spreads her arms to control her direction, since she knew that using flight magic would result in an instant lock on her. The .50 caliber machine guns open up on her, filling the air around her with tracer rounds. She was grateful that the belief that the shockwave of a .50 bullet flying near her would kill her was false.
Before she hits the ground, she lets it go and cancels out all of her momentum. The attack leaves a deep crater around her and she lands lightly on her feet. She feels a strong chill around her, letting her know that she had just used a lot of energy. With a shiver she walks forward and raises both of her hands. Millions of volts of lightning flew towards the humans that poked their heads out of cover.
Stacking up behind a wall, Reisen II and a squad she had linked up with were readying their weapons. One of the moon rabbits brings up a stick grenade and tosses it like a boomerang. Before it explodes, the lead moon rabbit throws himself on the ground and starts to unload his magazine. As soon as the shockwave from the grenade hit them, the rest of the squad moves up. Reisen flinched when a bullet hit the wall next to her head.
?Human forces are withdrawing to the center of the compound,? Toyohime?s advisor told her. ?Even though our troops are gaining ground, they?re still facing extremely stiff resistance.?
?Give the order for the rest of the regiments to move in. Overwhelm the rest of the smaller anti-air launchers.?
?Yamato reports that they have finished reloading.?
?Akagi reports that the first wave has returned and the second wave is being launched.?
?Pack it up, we need to get closer to the fight,? Toyohime closes her fan and begins to walk. Her guards join her as she looks for a suitable place to make her entrance.
Due to the efforts of a few Oni, the Tiger (P) had been pushed to the front line. Sakuya, the gunner, and the loader were in the tank, helping to break through the inner defenses. The maid had taken control of the commander?s machine gun and was mowing down enemy troops. The top of the tank was covered in the empty shell cases from the weapon, which would make enemy infantry fall if they tried to climb up on it.
At one of the STT communications terminals in the center of the post, the crew were opening the back panel and grabbing the laptop that served as the control terminal. They tried to run towards the fortified command post, only to stop short because of Ringo blocking their path. They get shot and the rabbit picks up the laptop. Looking it over, she decides that it?s useless and drops it. She stomps it before continuing on her way.
Diet Building, Tokyo, Japan
?ORDER, WE SHALL HAVE ORDER!? The voice of the Speaker of the Representatives shouted as the chamber descended into a roar of conflict. ?The next outburst, and I will throw whatever I have next to me!?
?There is no way that we should have to even think about our strongest ally betraying us!?
?The Americans have already proven that they meddle in our internal affairs!?
?They aren?t strong enough to fight the Lunarians in a head to head battle!?
?That line of thinking smells of high treason!?
That triggered another round of conflict, which helped to give Yukari the time to organize her thoughts. She stands up and taps her fan on the desk in front of her to gain their attention.
?Honored Representatives and Councilors, you have heard the same information that I have straight from the head of the Swiss government. May I remind this body of the reputation and respect that the Swiss command due to their long history of even headed policy and wise judgment?? She tapped the map in front of her. ?As of a few minutes ago, joint Lunarian and GDF units have broken through the last line of defense and are hitting the NATO forces hard. By the end of the day, the enemy forces will be surrendered to us, or wiped out. Once that happens, the only problem left would be their retaliation.?
?Japan has already seen enough war! We cannot let it spread more!?
?The war has already spread here,? Eirin sat back. ?Right now, you have the choice of either stopping it now or letting it spread all over the country. The nobles that control the lower levels of government are eager to gain prestige for their advancement, so we?re not done yet. Our government has already entered war footing and can easily outlast the Americans in any situation.?
?But even an advanced nation can?t cross from the moon to the Earth fast enough for a war.?
?We?ve just fielded even more regiments, so your argument is invalid,? Eirin sneered. ?All the moon has to do is shine on a place, and we can be there in hours.?
?The combined Lunarian and GDF forces can either lay waste to Japan, or become its best allies,? Yukari spoke. ?So the main question that you should be asking is who would you rather have next to you, us or them??
The Emperor spoke before anyone else could interject. ?Lady Yakumo, you must realize how difficult it is for us to break from our allies. Even more so when we?re still trying to atone for the mistakes that we made during the Second World War.?
?I understand, since I saw the war firsthand,? Yukari sighed. ?But it?s plainly obvious that the state of world affairs is not the same as it was after the war. As I have told this body many times, the United States of America is not the beacon of justice and liberty that it makes itself out to be. They are the ones that have provoked this and numerous other wars. They have played with international law like a game and used their power to intimidate other nations into submission.?
?While some of those accusations are true, the United States has never acted against us.?
?What about the excursion that started the first battle??
?They were operating under the assumption that they had the proper clearance.?
?Even when that proper clearance came from minions under their control? I would say that this counts as meddling in internal affairs.?
?That is a very serious charge to make.?
?If it fits properly.? Yukari took in a deep breath, ?What would it take to show you that the American government is planning to betray you??
?Solid proof.?
The gap youkai holds her hand out and a moon rabbit places a binder in it. ?What I hold in my hands is a contingency plan for a nuclear strike on the Japanese homeland in the event of an immediate threat to American interests.?
?Won?t they have them for any possible situations??
?We have reason to believe that the initial conditions are being put into place as we speak. Once they figure out that they?ve lost the ground battle, there is a good chance that they will launch a nuclear weapon.?
?They wouldn?t dare.?
?Perhaps not,? Yukari conceded. ?But I, for one, wouldn?t put it past them. They still have one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, and are ready to drop them at a moment?s notice.?
?Doing so would turn the international community against them. Even the British and the Canadians would turn against them.?
?If that were true, why are they on the ground here??
The Emperor shook his head. ?You must know that I?m only saying this due to the fact that I need the entire story.?
?I understand, but the time to make a decision of your own free will is quickly running out.?
?It seems that you have inherited some of your ancestor?s wisdom.? Everyone turned to look at the speaker and were stunned by the beauty and regality of the woman walking into the chamber. Straight out of the first science fiction story of the world, Princess Kaguya was flanked by Royal Guards.
Eirin stood, even though she could have been considered an equal to any member of the Royal Family, she still deferred to tradition as a habit. Kaguya took the seat that was offered to her and Eirin stood slightly behind her to the right. While the officer had played an important part in the talks, she knew enough to know that Kaguya was much more suited for this.
?I will introduce myself now. I am Princess Kaguya Houraisan, third in line for the Lunarian crown. I knew your ancestor, Mikado, when he still had the throne. I was privileged to have the chance to correspond with him, and if things were different, I may have ended up becoming your grandmother down the line.?
Resting her elbow on the armrest of the chair and holding her face with the hand, she taps the desk with her right hand. ?Ever since I left the Earth and that kind couple that adopted me, I?ve kept an eye on Japan. I?ve seen it grow from a small collection of isolated islands to a world power that had the most powerful navy on the planet. I saw the fire rain down from of the sky that ended the last great war. I saw how Japan has vowed to never go down that path again. The Japanese and Lunarians have much in common. We just want to be left alone. That is why we study war and politics, so our children can study music and art. Mikado understood and wanted that, he always asked me if the Moon was a utopia.?
Kaguya raised her head up. ?I hated having to tell him the truth about my people. No matter how much we fought, no matter how hard the wars were, it was never final. That is why the Lunarian Defense Corps still exists to this day. Children, both Lunarian and moon rabbit, can sleep soundly at night knowing that someone is out there watching over them. Those that wish to harm innocent souls are checked by those that are willing to chase them into the depths of hell and back. If our enemies would march into our territory, we would not have to explain our self-defense. But not all of our enemies are honorable in that aspect. It is the duty of the watchman to move towards a threat, even if it?s not close. When done out of love and compassion for those that we protect, it is a good action. But when it is done out of greed and pure hostility, it turns into warmongering. That is the main difference between us and the United States. They have tried to invade the moon before, only for us to fight them back. We have met them on the field of battle and found them wanting. As a superior civilization, we can either stand back and watch, or we can become the caretaker of this planet.?
?Princess Kaguya, the Japanese are able to take care of themselves. We have done this for hundreds of years.?
?Do you believe that you can muster the same power you had during the Second World War?? Kaguya narrowed her eyes. ?I have read the Constitution that the Americans placed on Japan after their surrender. Article 9 of your Constitution renounced your right to wage war and limits your options to self-defense. Wouldn?t the American incursion be considered an attack on your sovereignty??
Pausing to gather his thoughts, the Emperor knew that he was being backed into a corner. Part of him refused to believe the claims of magic and weird science that were the cause of this. But the Emperor of Japan was not raised a fool. He had been shown proof and now his nation was waiting for his advice. He never expected to have to choose between two powerful states that could wipe them out.
?Will Lunarian law apply to us??
?As long as there is no resistance, you?ll only see Lunarian troops whenever they?re on liberty. I can guarantee that our troops are less harmful to the environment than Americans on liberty.?
Yukari felt that they were going in circles. This was about as far as they got yesterday, but she had a feeling that a breakthrough was at hand. The map that she had brought out began to flash as another group of red squares shrank in size. Just a little bit from the command post, a large yellow circle flashed as well. Seconds later, lines fell from the sky, tracing the paths of naval artillery. She decides to add something else to help change their opinion.
?Watch that surface fire!?
?We just lost another fighter.?
Everyone in the room looked on in confusion until they realized that they were listening in on chatter from the battle. Yukari tapped the map in order to focus on a few blue triangles flying around.
?Black Crow, there?s a new crater where those heavy guns were.?
?We?ll have one shot, but only if we can get someone with enough attack power to get that command post.?
?This is the first President of the Sealing Club. Did someone ring for me??
?You think you can handle this, little girl??
?Get me a clear lane, and I?ll take care of the rest.?
Joined by a new blue triangle, the group dove to tree top level and zoomed towards the fortified building. Lines from the surface surrounded the group, showing that the ground troops saw what was coming.
?I need some help here!?
?Loosen up!?
?I?m hit!? One of the blue triangles got intersected by a red line and disappeared.
?Incoming from the front!? A group of A-10s flew at them, trying to deter them.
?I can?t get a good shot on them!?
?We?re not going to be able to stay with you for long! Make sure you hit that post with everything you got!?
?Got it. Get clear!?
?Good luck, kid!?
All but one blue triangle pulled up, luring some of the fire away. The lone triangle sped up, weaving in and out to dodge anything coming. Then it disappeared into the red square. Seconds turned into minutes, with nothing else happening. The chatter died down, adding to the suspense.
Eirin clenched her teeth, she knew who was flying in that command post. She tried to use the charm that was built into Sumireko?s hat, but got no response. Then the blue triangle flew out of the post into an upward loop. The sounds of coughing came over the communication line, but it was the dry kind. The doctor sighed in relief, as long as smoke was the worst of her worries, the psychic was fine.
The red square began to flash frantically and then disappeared. Energy readings popped up, showing signs of a massive explosion taking place.
?At least I wasn?t wearing my cape,? Sumireko finished coughing.
?You did it, kid!?
?Looks like they got the message.?
Several of the representatives began to shift in their seats. Yukari allowed herself to smile a little, without their command post, the Americans had no chance now. Without the Americans to anchor the defense, the rest of the NATO forces would have to sue for peace if they didn?t escape now.
Out of the corner of her eye, the gap youkai noticed a Lunarian frown as she tapped her scroll. She turns to confer with another Lunarian, with both of them sharing a concerned look. Both of them turn to speak with a superior.
?The battle is as good as won,? Yukari said as she focused on the Emperor. ?If the Americans surrender now, there would be a lot less deaths. If they don?t, the Lunarians are experts in taking advantage of routs.?
The Prime Minister and both Speakers leaned in to listen to the Emperor as he spoke quietly to them. The two speakers looked dismayed by what he said and offered respectful rebuttal. Eventually, they both agreed with what he said, leaving only the Prime Minister as dissent. Taking a quick drink from the glass next to him, the Prime Minister tapped on the desk every so often to emphasize his point.
Eirin felt a tap from an aide behind her and took a scroll that was offered to her. Opening it up, the map is of an area of the Pacific Ocean near the battlefield. Three American ships were gathered there, a Spruance class destroyer, a Virginia class crusier, and the recently reactivated USS Wisconsin. An unknown energy reading was coming from the destroyer, which caused the colonel to frown. Somewhere, she had seen an energy level like that.
Even though Kaguya was still facing forward, she could tell when Eirin was troubled by something. Ever the dutiful officer, Eirin leaned forward and handed the royal the map. The princess frowns as she tries to make sense of what she was looking at. Something in her gut was telling her that what she was looking at wasn?t right. The side of the map then indicated that three separate messages were sent to the ships.
Yukari watched as the Prime Minister stood fast in his opposition to the Emperor?s suggestion. She had done almost everything she could think of. If they couldn?t get Japan to at least withdraw from the war, then the odds would turn against them. Before she could continue on her train of thought, a loud alarm rang through the chamber. Every scroll began to flash with an urgent message that repeated itself again and again.
Looking at each other, Yukari and Eirin shared a concerned looked that became outright worry when the alarm became accompanied by a voice. Everyone in the room felt their stomach drop and their hearts turn to ice when they heard what the voice had to say.
?Nuclear launch detected.?
-
Situation Room, White House, Washington, DC
?Fletcher, this is Big Bird. Begin the launch of the weapon.? Xingun smiled. ?Unlock keys to the safes are being transmitted to you as we speak. Once you have them, maintain radio silence at all costs. We have reason to believe that enemy personnel have infiltrated your fellow ships.? As per his order, the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon was sending the Emergency Action Message.
?Roger, Big Bird. Commencing launch.? On the bridge of the destroyer, a printer spat out two pieces of papers that were then given to the Captain and executive officer. They both left the bridge escorted by Marine security and headed for the safes that contained the launch keys. Once they retrieved the keys, they both bowed their heads and said a quick prayer. Then they returned to the bridge and placed both keys into the nuclear control console. With a nod, they both turned the keys at the same time and watched the control terminal come up.
With a motion, Xingun ordered a line opened to the USS Wisconsin. Once they were connected, he cleared his throat and adopted a panicked tone.
?USS Wisconsin, this is your commander in chief. Come in!?
?We read you, chief.?
?Moles have infiltrated the Pentagon and the Fletcher! We?ve managed to get the ones in the Pentagon, but they already sent an EAM before we could stop them! They?ve sent it to the Fletcher and are planning a nuclear strike! Do not allow them to fire that missile!?
?Chief, the whole crew are moles??
?I don?t think so, but the ones that are still loyal to us are probably already dead or captured! Sink that destroyer before it launches!?
The line was silent as the communications officer handed the captain the headset.
?Sir, you?re telling us to sink a friendly destroyer!?
?It?s either that or a nuclear war!?
?Yes, sir.? The captain stood back up. ?Main cannons, fire on the Fletcher! Have the Arkansas support us!?
As the main cannons turned to fire, a Tomahawk missile flew from the Fletcher. Tipped with a W80 nuclear warhead, the missile flew into a high arc towards the area it was targeted at. The crew of the destroyer were then blindsided by a hail of large caliber rounds from their fellow ship. The cruiser opened up with everything it had, leaving no one alive. The only thing that left evidence of the smaller ship was the flaming husk that slowly sank into the ocean.
Diet Building, Tokyo, Japan
The only sounds that were heard in the chambers were the alarm and the announcement repeating itself. Once the initial shock subsided, shouts filled the room. The speakers tried to restore order, but were shouted down by opposing parties. The Prime Minister had a blank look on his face and had to sit down. Putting his face in his hands, the Emperor stayed silent as images of a nuclear strike flooded his mind.
Lunarians and moon rabbits frantically worked to find where the missile was heading. Without a dedicated sensor suite, it was the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. To the best of their knowledge, there were three possible targets: the battle, the Diet Building in Tokyo, and Kyoto. The exhaust trail of the missile dissipated quickly and could only be seen by Lunarian sensors if the sun bounced off of it just right.
?Do we have anything that can shoot it down?? Yukari asked Eirin.
?They?re extremely short ranged compared to what?s on it,? the doctor replied. ?And that?s if we can find it in the first place.?
?So air to air would be more effective,? Yukari paused as she realized something. ?If I remember right, lasers could shoot down nuclear missiles. We have someone that could reach it and use the right kind of magic to take it down.?
Eirin narrowed her eyes as she thought about who it could be. ?Marisa.?
?If she can get eyes on it, we?re set. But the problem is getting there in time.?
?She brags a lot about being the fastest in Gensokyo. Should be a good chance to prove it.?
Yukari nods, ?I know she?s got something that?ll give her a boost.?
Lunarian main line, Japan
The witch in question landed at the Lunarian command post when one of the moon rabbits flagged her down. Reimu had disappeared right after she had talked to Yuyuko the day before. For past few hours, the witch had been doing attack runs on targets that Alice had been having trouble with. It didn?t escape anyone?s notice that the targets that had actually fired at the puppeteer had been the ones hit the hardest.
One of the moon rabbits tosses her a spell card. Marisa looks it over, it was an upgraded communications spell that threw up information at eye level. Shrugging, she uses it on herself and then her cell phone goes off. Frowning, she sees Yukari?s number and groans.
?Marisa, you need to get into the air, now.? Yukari was trying to keep her voice controlled. ?The Americans have launched a nuclear missile that might be heading for your location.?
?A what??
?Remember the Underground incident? That power that Utsuho had??
?So I shoot it down like normal??
?You have to use your lasers, or you might end up setting it off. If it goes off, you?re?gone.?
Marisa paused. ?Where is it??
?We don?t know right now. We have where it started, but we?ve lost it as soon as it launched. There are three possible targets: the battle, Tokyo, and Kyoto. You need to get in the air now and head for the launch point. Hopefully, you?ll run into it before it hits.?
Marisa jumped on her broom and took off. ?Is there anything else I need to know about this thing??
?Well, you need the launch location, which we?ll sending to you now.? Directly in front of Marisa?s eyes, a map of Japan appeared with a circle off the coast. ?Based on what we know about the Tomahawk, its usual speed is about 900 kilometers an hour and it favors a low altitude. The range is about 2,500 kilometers, which gives us the entire country to search.?
?That last part isn?t helping.?
?How do you think we feel? The Japanese government is in an uproar when they?ve learned about the launch. We?re just waiting for the fingers to get pointed at us.?
?I don?t think I can make it all the way over there in time.?
?Use that medallion to boost your jet thrust.?
Marisa took off the necklace that held the medallion and placed in the slot on the back of the mini-hakkero. As soon as it was in place, she felt a surge of power come from the furnace. She sticks the artifact at the end of her broom and puts on a pair of googles. Leaning forward, she ties the string that served to keep her hat on in high speeds and takes a deep breath. She pours her energy into the furnace and quickly breaks the sound barrier.
She keeps on pouring energy, surpassing Mach 4.5. The reflexive charm that she always used before high speed flight to deflect buffering from air resistance was struggling to keep up. In the back of her mind, she knew that going this fast should have been impossible. But she was used to doing the impossible.
?The launch point is being sent to your hat,? Yukari said over the charm. ?The best case would be for you to run into it before it gets too close. Remember what I said about using your lasers.?
Marisa kept a death grip on her broom as she sped. The map that was project in front of her eyes kept updating as she scanned the sky in front of her. She was surprised at the energy reserve she had, since she had expected to be drained quickly at that speed. The fighters that were still in the air just watched her go, since they had no chance of catching her. Even missiles didn?t have the chance of getting her, even with the massive heat signature she was giving out.
On the ground, a massive sonic boom tried to catch up to her. It became worse when she decreased in altitude, a move made out of arrogance. Minutes later, she passed over the beach and saw the Pacific Ocean with her eyes for the first time. She stared at how the sun gleaned on the ocean blue water. A steady beeping started to sound, however it was faint.
?We?re picking something up,? Yukari told her. ?Give us a minute before we can be sure.?
The beeping continued to grow in strength, and then a faint shape began to flash in the distance.
?That?s it!? Yukari practically shouted. ?It?s the only one they?ve launched.?
Marisa immediately cut off her boost, waiting until she bled off enough speed to turn. She drops down to a little over Mach 1 but loses sight of the missile. A circle dancing on the edge of her vision shows her where it went. Sensing that it was over land, the guidance system moves the weapon to treetop level. Reducing her speed to avoid overshooting the target, Marisa recalls her Hakkero and charges up a laser.
She releases it and watches as it connects with the body of the missile. But instead of exploding, the laser is deflected off of a polished surface. A sensor takes note of the attack and activates the ramjet. The Tomahawk lurches forward, reaching Mach 3. By doing so, it reduces its range. The magician lets out a rare shout of frustration, as she?s forced to increase speed. But she notices that she can?t accelerate as fast. Watching the engine in front of her get further and further away, she can see the death of many she knows in her mind?s eye.
Pouring her anger into her broom, she feels it speed up. A mountain ridge up ahead forces the two of them to pull up. Using that to her advantage, she gains altitude and dives right down. With a kick, she tries to knock it off course, only for it correct automatically.
?Marisa, we?ve found another alternative.? Yukari said. ?If you can separate the warhead from the rest of the missile, you?ll turn it into a normal missile. Or you might end up getting irradiated.?
Taking a minute to decide, she really didn?t want to handle something like that. But she thought of another alternative.
?If I can disable it, can Sakuya freeze it??
Yukari was silent as she conferred with those around her and waited for an answer. Marisa fidgeted as she waited for an answer.
?She can. But it?s highly risky. Just destroy the whole thing. We can capture another one later without risking you.?
The missile performs a snap roll, almost knocking Marisa off of her broom. Out of reflex, she fires back with her usual bullets and hits the engine. A bloom of fire comes from the point of impact, starting a chain reaction. Marisa?s stomach drops when the missile disappears in an explosion. Then a large canister falls from the explosion, twirling in the air.
?That canister is the nuclear warhead!? Yukari shouted ?Sensor?s indicate that it?s still not activated. But if it hits the ground, it?ll go off for sure!?
Noticing where she was for the first time, she gains a renewed sense of urgency when she spots the battle winding down in the distance. Tracer rounds start to fill the air around her, for a second, she thought they were aiming for the canister. With three copies of her hakkero flying around her, she spams lasers towards the warhead. She makes the mistake of not leading the lasers, getting increasingly frustrated.
The canister gets closer and closer to the point where she would be forced to pull up. Recalling the three copies, she lets go of her broom and charges up her strongest attack. Boosted by her medallion, she crosses the line from a Master Spark into a high level Twilight Spark. As she tries her best to balance the power, she imagines it as keeping an overflowing glass from spilling.
With a roar, she releases the Twilight Spark. Her ears instantly start to hurt with a sharp, burning pain. The pain is quickly replaced by a loud ringing that subsides gradually. The amount of energy that she is launching immediately cancels her forward momentum, keeping her completely still in midair.
The bright blue super laser vaporizes the canister and its contents. But it keeps going and burns a massive hole in the ground. It goes until it reaches the middle of the asthenosphere. The close to molten material that made contact with the attack heated up and became fully molten. A massive shockwave traveled from the attack, knocking everyone within 30 miles. Marisa kept the attack going, not wanting to waste the energy she had stored. She was worried that leaving any of the power unused could cause problems down the road.
As luck would have it, the retreating human forces had been retreating in that direction and had seen the whole thing. Many of the officers that had been pushing for a last stand quickly changed their position and magically decided that surrendering would be the best course of action. Even with general officers across the ocean ordering them to keep fighting, they stood firm with their new decision.
Finally using up the rest of that power, Marisa feels herself going weak. She tries to recall her broom, but can?t summon the energy that?s required. Then she realizes that she can?t keep herself up and starts to fall into the hole she had made. The heat from the Earth?s interior hits her in the face, forcing her to turn her head. The sheer heat makes it difficult for her to catch her breath. She starts to give up and begins to accept her fate when a shot of energy passes her.
The temperature in the hole instantly decreases, making it easier to breathe. Then she senses something dropping into the hole after her.
Patchouli had been the one that had casted a quick ice spell that saved Marisa from suffocation. Unable to catch up to Marisa in time, she had opted for the next best thing. Remiu had flown into the hole, not stopping to see if it was safe before the librarian had casted her spell. Increasing her speed, the miko grabs hold of Marisa and pulls up into a loop. The inertial forces Marisa?s stomach down hard on Remiu?s arm, almost forcing her to leave her lunch.
Back on the surface, Patchouli didn?t have to worry about being shot because Lunarian airborne forces had joined them. Quickly disarming the defeated forces, they prodded them away. Remiu zoomed out of the hole and landed right next to the other magician. Quickly setting Marisa down, she gives her a brief look over and embraces her. The witch is still too drained to raise her arms but rests her head on Reimu?s shoulder.
Diet Building, Tokyo, Japan
Yukari gave a sigh of relief as one of her eyes in the sky showed Marisa staggering back on her feet. Now that the incident was over, she had to turn her attention back to sealing the deal. The Americans would either try again or try to deflect responsibility, either decision had to backfire on them.
?All of you have seen what the Americans are capable of,? she said. ?To launch another nuclear attack deep into your soil can be nothing but a declaration of war! Several of your forces were in range of that attack! Did the United States ever give you a warning about the attack? Did they ever ask you how you would feel about nuclear weapons being used against you?? She slammed her fist on the table for emphasis. ?If it wasn?t for the actions of one of our best fighters, a large section of your land would be a glass field. Imagine if there innocent people downrange of that explosion!?
?American forces are surrendering in droves,? Eirin pointed at red squares that had white flags over them. ?Such a sad sight for a military that called itself the best in the world. They came looking for a fight and now they?re running with their tails between their legs. They should start to get used to it.?
?The time for a decision has come,? Yukari stared the Emperor in the eyes. ?The battle has been decided with no doubt on either side. You?ve seen how they operate. American imperialism has returned with a vengeance. You are at a crossroads right now. Will you submit to the American overlords, or will you take out offer of freedom and stand on your own two legs? Think of your people when you make this decision.?
Yukari?s speech was mostly a formality since the nuclear launch had completely destroyed any support for the United States that had existed. The Prime Minister, who had been the last bastion of dissent, nodded his agreement to the Emperor.
?Even though my mind tells me that I?m making the right decision, my heart still fells heavy,? the older man said.
?That?s completely understandable,? Kaguya replied. ?A decision like this is never meant to be an easy one to make. The weight you feel on your heart is not your emotions, it?s the responsibility to your country.?
?Very well. Based on the advice from the Prime Minister and the two Speakers, we renounce our alliance with the United States and wish to enter an alliance with Gensokyo and the Lunar Kingdom.? Even though the Emperor only had ceremonial powers, his announcement was important since it was made with the advice and consent of the Diet. The fine details would be worked out later between representatives of all three governments.
?I can assure you that you made the right decision,? Yukari applauded. ?But now, we have a pressing issue. There are two American bases on your territory and a group of American forces surrounding this building. As of right now, we don?t know how they?ll react when they learn of your switch. Our suggestion is to move quickly and disarm them before they can bring their heavy weapons to bear. In order for this to have the best outcome, it has to be a joint operation.?
?How do you suggest we proceed??
?We can use the regiments that are guarding this building to force the nearby American forces to disarm while your police and military forces have them occupied.?
?By fighting them??
?By having them in a standoff until the Lunarians come up behind them.?
?What about the bases??
?We can capture them within the hour with your permission.?
?I?ll ask the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister to help you,? The Emperor stood up. ?My work here is done. I must return to my residence.?
Yukari nodded in acknowledgement. The monarch was escorted by his security detail out of the chambers and exited through a rear entrance. Once everyone had sat back down, the gap youkai opened another scroll that had just been handed to her.
?Lunarian regiments are already surrounding the building. If the police and JDF units train their weapons on the token American troops, we can sneak up behind and disarm them. The timing of this will be absolutely critical since we don?t want any needless casualties.?
?Very well.?
Outside the building, the gathered crowd was starting to buzz as speculation began to take hold. Then a radio message came over the police and JDF channels, making several of them frown. Several tense words were exchanged between officers but they had their orders.
Both police and JDF forces raised their weapons and trained them on the American forces. The American forces were so shocked that they wasted valuable seconds trying to figure out what happened. Just as planned, the Lunarian regiments flew out of the Diet building and cut off any escape for the Americans. Knowing that they were in a hopeless situation, they lowered their weapons. Lunarian personnel stepped forward, taking their weapons. Even the M1 Abrams were captured intact with no loss of life.
From inside the Diet chamber, Yukari and Eirin stood up. Without exchanging words, they left the chamber. Most of the Lunarian personnel followed them, save for the few that would hammer out the finer details of the agreement. Since word of Japan?s switch to the magic side would spread quickly, time was critical. Fort Buckner in Okinawa and Yakota Air Base right in town would be the ones that would have to be capture extremely quickly.
?Have two regiments go to Yakota Air Base, and three regiments to Okinawa,? Eirin spoke to an assistant. ?Make it clear that they should avoid any bloodshed, but if they are fired upon, they are to follow the usual rules.? She turned her attention to Yukari. ?I?m surprised that American planes weren?t flying over us.?
?From what my sources tell me, the commander of Pacific Command has just been sacked. Nobody knows why, so many of the other commands are erring on the side of caution. Which gives us the advantage.? Yukari cracked her neck. ?As long as we capture those two bases, the battle will be won and final. Which reminds me, how did Sumireko do??
?She did very well.? Eirin scratched her chin thoughtfully. ?She?s extremely rough around the edges, short on discipline and critical think. But she has great potential. If I could get her for a month or two, she could easily be worth a regiment or two. And it would make the war end much faster.?
?What about Tenshi or Youmu??
?They are much more polished then Sumireko, but could still use some work. Youmu may need some more time to get over what she saw the other day.?
?Would you be willing to take them under your wing??
Eirin didn?t respond immediately. Absentmindedly, she tapped the pommel of her saber. ?I could.?
?But would you??
?If they agree to it. Yuyuko would also have to give me her blessing.?
?I?m sure that it won?t be a problem.?
?What about the fleet??
?It?s almost ready for its baptism by fire. I?ve instructed your people to try to get them to allow our fleet to use Tokyo as a port. My gut is telling me that the American counterattack will come through that port.?
?Hmm. I?ll be sure to be here for that. Have the kappas finalized a design for the Viscount and Rejuvenator classes??
?They finished them last night. Now they?re working on the Atago class with full concentration. Construction should begin in a few weeks once we get the shipyards up to task.?
?I wonder how long it would take the Americans to counter us.?
?It might take a while, but we?ll be ready. If we can get those aircraft carriers, we could turn the tide right at the start.?
Eirin?s attention was diverted by an assistant handing a scroll to her. ?Causality list is starting to come in.?
?How bad??
?Projections show that the fairies took the most damage out of any units on our side. Especially the group that Cirno was leading at the Misty Lake. Some of my people say that she?s quieter than usual.?
Yukari gritted her teeth at that. ?That?s what I wanted to avoid. I don?t care that they respawn as soon as they die, I didn?t want them to get hurt like in the first place.?
?We?ve lost three regiments, which was somewhat expected after what happened with that cavalry unit.?
?And we lost the one person that could keep Tenshi under control.?
?Have you recovered the bullet that killed her??
?We couldn?t find it.? Yukari shook her head. ?A single bullet that can kill a youkai. We need to know what it is. We don?t need the Americans holding an advantage of that magnitude over us.?
?Perhaps there are some in the captured equipment.?
Noise from a jet engine flying above them interrupted their conversation. Looking out of the window next to them, the pair can see an F-22 fly over the area and disappear behind the skyscrapers.
?Looks like they were here for a look,? Yukari observed.
?That airfield should be getting some unexpected visitors right about now,? Eirin looked at one of her assistants for confirmation, which she got. ?Good. We?ll be taking a short trip. Hopefully they have some good restaurants nearby.?
L3 Lagrangian point, Earth and Moon orbit
A lost and forgotten relic floating around in space, the Torifune Ruins represented a true midway point between the Earth and the Moon. By all appearances, the war that was heating up should never touch it. But appearances were incredibly deceiving. The animals that have been part of the original expedition had died off, but their descendants were still very much alive. Much inbreeding and mutation had taken place, creating entirely new species of animals found nowhere else in the solar system.
The sounds of soft footsteps was hidden by the sounds of the chimera all around. A tall blonde woman in a black dress and a red and yellow tabard with a phoenix crown moved her red eyes over what she saw. She kept her hands in her large sleeves in front of her. Keeping a slow pace, she moved with a natural yet precise walk. Her soft black shoes were perfectly clean, not even attracting any of the dirt on the ground.
A chimera poked his head out from behind a bush and began to sniff the air. When it sensed the woman, it scurried away while whimpering. Without even slowing down her walk, she used the tails of energy behind her to cut through the vegetation. Her eyes narrowed when she found just what she was looking for. It almost felt like it was being handed to her.
A computer console on standby glowed with a faint light. With a wave of her hand, it came back to life. For a second, she thought about disturbing the orbit and crashing the ruins into the moon. But she forced that thought out of her mind and waved her hand again. A projector in the console emits an image of a mountain. A section of it begins to flash quickly. She takes note of it and waves her hand to shut it off.
?It is in the mountain,? Junko spoke to herself. ?My revenge on Chang?e may come earlier than I expected.?
?Then I?ve should have seen it,? Hecatia?s voice came from behind her. ?Are you sure that this agreement is the best way??
?I may have strong feelings of dislike and repulsion against that man, but he is the one that has inflicted damage on the Lunarians.?
?He doesn?t have his title for show.?
?He may be the god of disaster, but I doubt that betraying us would work out for him.?
?I?m just worried about you. I?ve never seen you like this before. It?s almost like?Revan. Right when he was turning down that path and everything went straight to hell.?
?I do not know who you speak of. But I can assure you that I am fully in control of this. Chang?e will be punished and I will finally avenge my son.?
?You could?ve waited until the end of the war, when both sides would be exhausted.?
?Is that outcome certain? I much rather make sure that things occur according to my design.?
?But is this really the best way??
?Of course. All we have to do is prolong the war as long as possible so we can maximize damage. Perhaps I can cross paths with that shrine maiden and that magician that defeated me recently. I am sure that they would be happy to see me.?
Hecatia stayed quiet as she looked up at the stars. She thought about how she liked visiting the ruins since they were so quiet and peaceful, even with all the mix and max animals walking around.
?If it makes you feel better, take a look at this.? Junko hands her a small book.
Taking a look in the book, Hecatia smiles slightly. ?I?m sorry I doubted you.?
?I did my best to keep it from you, so do not feel as bad.? Junko smiled. ?If it is one thing I learned, it is to always have a fall back option even if you are sure of success.?
?So if he betrays you, you can seal him.?
?That is the plan. But I still require a few more pieces.?
?Just for my curiosity, what if the Lunarians have some of the pieces we need??
?I may end up leaving it to you then.?
?Never change.? The Goddess of Hell laughed. ?But that still leaves one question. About who was the one that released him in the first place and how.?
?The records are too damaged for me to find out.? Junko shook her head. ?If they were still around, it would be much easier to find all that we need.?
?Too bad things don?t work out like that.? Hecatia paused. ?I forgot to tell you, but Clownpiece found that sword that you were looking for.?
?Where is it??
?She left it in your library. I made sure that she didn?t make a mess while she was in there.?
?I have some candy on my desk. She can have a few as long as she does not spoil her appetite.?
The pair laughs as they turn their back on the computer and walk away. The console dimmed, resigning itself to another few years of nothing to do but float through space. Unbeknownst to the pair, there was a figure watching them. It flickered as it stood and waited.
?Personality check failed. Falsified map and data projected. Returning to hibernation. Hibernation canceled. Windows update installing. Please do not power off or unplug your machine. Installing update 5 of 37.? Even the most advanced computers and technology were no match for system updates at inopportune times.
-
The Savory Hotel, London, United Kingdom
Maribel had to stop herself from staring at all the luxury around her. The Beaufort Bar was in a buzz, with the piano and lounge singer creating a graceful tune. The black walls were tastefully accented by gold trim, an extremely elegant choice of d?cor. Renko had a glass of Louis Roederer Brut, sipping from it occasionally. The psychologist had a small glass of Havana 7, 40%, but was more interested in swirling the liquid than drinking it.
The pair had a little bit of time before the gathering was to begin. Around the room, members of various militaries were already in groups discussing random subjects. With the weapons expo still in full swing, there were a large amount of dress uniforms walking around. Maribel?s phone began to vibrate with a message from Yukari. It was a long one, split up into multiple boxes. She had given then the condensed version, which was something the pair was grateful for.
?So the battle?s over,? the blonde muttered.
?The Americans are not happy about this,? Renko said. ?The government is trying to keep it under wraps but it?s being leaked by someone in the State Department. And some people are already buying up ammo in case of government going too far. It might become a warzone over there.?
?Yukari said she?s worried about a counterattack by the American Navy in Tokyo Harbor.? Maribel nursed her drink. ?At least they got Japan to pull out of the war. The American bases went silent a few hours ago, and a lot of people have already noticed. Word is spreading that we are the best shot at challenging American global power.?
?At least the violence hasn?t reached here yet.? Renko looked over her shoulder. ?The whole world is falling to pieces. I always thought something like this happened in books and movies. ?
Behind them at a table nearby, members of the Russian Army were speaking with a representative from the Constellis Group. Several representatives from South Korea were also speaking to a group from Lockheed Martin about quickly acquiring a few aircraft. There was a lot of winking and nudging going around, which was business as usual if the US Congress hadn?t approved of the deal beforehand.
?How much longer do we have left?? Maribel looked at her cell phone.
?About ten minutes, we should probably go ahead and start moving over there.? Renko downs the rest of her drink. Maribel stood up and left a few Pounds next to her drink. She steps off only to have a clerk from the front desk stop her with an envelope. She takes it with a sense of caution, at least until she sees the sender. She rips open the envelope and reads the first page. She hands it to Renko as she turns her attention to fishing out the event invitations from her purse.
The pair approached the door to the Lancaster Ballroom and handed the tickets to the staff member at the door. They were waved through and gazed in wonder at the room. Tables with snacks and drinks were arranged around the room, with a small group providing light music. Servers were weaving in and out of the groups, with high end drinks and snacks on their plates. A server walks up to the pair and offers them drinks, which they both accept with a nod.
?I hope you?re not getting too drunk,? Mamizou popped up next to them.
?A little drink here and there can?t be that bad,? Renko replied.
?True, but if you?re going to be talking to the executives of DSEI, you might what to be at your best.?
Maribel sipped her drink to the side, smiling as Renko was shrugging. The lights then dimmed and everyone turned their attention to the stage. A spokesperson from Clarion Events took the stage.
?I want to thank everyone for attending this reception. We at Clarion Events are always striving to spread the word about our events and ventures, so we hope that you can help us in that regard. So far, the expo has been a resounding success, in no small part to the cutting edge technology being showcased. We take pride in being the first to be able to show these technologies to the world. Our company is dedicated to the advancement of world peace, which is possible with the right weapons in the right hands. We also believe in the policy of inclusiveness. Any company that has the potential to change the defense industry is never turned away, no matter how small or new they are. This applies to any state that wishes to see and ask about the advancements here.? The crowd applauded at the declaration. ?With that being said, we from DSEI would like to welcome the delegation from the new state of Gensokyo!?
Maribel and Renko had to catch themselves before they dropped the glasses in their hands. Polite applause rang out as many in the crowd tried to hide the fact that they were trying to find the delegation in question. The letter that they had read earlier had told them that Yukari had arranged a meeting with the executives, but they never expected to be called out like this. They both had a feeling that the gap youkai was watching them and laughing at their reactions.
?As some of you may just be hearing, the outcome of the battle in Northern Japan between NATO and Gensokyo is becoming clear. According to several of our sources, NATO forces have been forced out of the country with Japan withdrawing from the war. This is the first time in modern history that American led forces have been so thoroughly defeated in conventional combat. As a professional analysis, we can see a longer war due to this development. It would be in the best interests of many around the world to take note and prepare accordingly. Everyone here is familiar with the role that American power projection has on stabilization and the recent conflicts that have just broken out due to this perceived weakness. We have seen reports of strange new technologies used by the Gensokyo and Lunarian forces, which we hope to prompt research with. But we would rather allow all of you to come to your own conclusions. And we just want to throw out a small reminder that this is an open event, so hostilities will not be tolerated. So with that said, enjoy the reception.?
The lights came on again, with many in the crowd breaking off into small groups. A careful look would show that the groups could be explained by current alliances and agreements on a global scale. Mamizou walked away to speak with a few others while Maribel and Renko slowly made their way across the floor.
?So, this is the delegation from Gensokyo that I was told about,? said an older man in a double breasted, dark blue suit. ?I was told to expect you by Lady Yakumo. She said you had a profitable deal to make with me.?
?You?re the one that we?re supposed to talk to?? Renko asked.
?If you want to have vendors at the next event.? The man downed his drink in one gulp. ?I?m already putting my neck, and my company, out by letting you two wonder around like this. The neutral ground tradition can only protect us from certain parties. As we all know, global politics can be a cutthroat game where the rules are loose and fast. The Americans are some of my biggest customers and once they know you?re here, things might get ugly. Both of you should know how they operate by now.?
?We can make it worth your while,? Maribel pulled out a spell card and held it in her palm. A 3D image of a triangular ship floated above her hand. ?The Lunarians have developed a new type of ship that can revolutionize war.?
?Looks like a madman?s dream. Or something a teenager made by picking up CAD software and a 3D printer.?
?Our engineers are sure that it?s possible, but they can?t make all of the parts by themselves. But it has the ability to work.? Renko cut in. ?Think of all the money that can be made if your next event has the proof of concept as a keystone event.?
?That?s assuming that it?ll work.? He scoffed.
?The other weapons and equipment we can showcase can cover for that if it doesn?t,? Renko countered. ?We also have some surprises that can bring in contracts and money. You could be the next Alfred Nobel.?
?I like your idealism, but in the world of business, we need numbers. I can?t eat or sell empty promises.?
?It?s hard to put a number on something like this,? Renko said slowly. ?It?s not every day that a groundbreaking technology is unveiled.?
?Then tell me how this new ship is groundbreaking.?
Maribel brought the model to eye level. ?The Royal Assault Ship is the first ship that?s designed to overcome geography. A combination of Lunarian and Gensokyo magic, it can fly at any altitude and can be armed with the heaviest weapons available. It can hold up to a regiment once it reaches its full size. Defense is handled by a shield that puts the experimental one by Boeing to shame. Using the same principles as our flight capable infantry, it has basically unlimited range.?
The executive was silent as he eyeballed the design. Then he reared his head back and laughed extremely loud, making several of the closer groups turn around. ?I love it! You kids have big dreams, just like Gates and Jobs did in their day. I?m interested enough to want in. Tell Lady Yakumo that her manufacturers will have a good word from me when I talk to the Sheikh for IDEX and we?ll discuss terms at a later date. I?ll be watching from the front row when the time comes.? With a nod, he walks away.
A man with the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy bumps into Maribel from behind, causing her to spill a little of her drink. He immediately stops and pulls out a handkerchief to offer to her.
?I?m sorry, I wasn?t paying attention.? He motions to the nearest server. ?Let me get you another drink.?
?No, it?s fine,? Maribel looks herself over. ?None of it got on me.?
?Commander Ian Fleming, Her Majesty?s Naval Service,? he held out his hand.
The psychologist decided that she might as well come clean. ?Maribel Hearn, representative from Gensokyo.?
The nearest groups instantly quieted down and turned to look at her. Several of them had to move their heads to the side in order to get a good look, almost like seagulls.
?You are aware that we?re technically at war at each other?? The British man carefully said.
?The expo is considered neutral ground,? she replied.
?True enough,? the Commander shrugged. ?As a professional, I can?t let little things like that get in the way. After all, they did allow China and Russia to attend, even after all they did. But I?m too tired to do anything about it. As long as we don?t get into any shootouts, everything should be fine.?
?Then can I ask a favor,? She pulls out a letter from her purse. ?I was given this letter to deliver to Parliament, but I think that it would be better if you did it for me.?
?I suppose I could, but it would require me to explain how I got.? He shrugged. ?I?ll figure something out. If you excuse me, I have other affairs to take care of.?
Watching him disappear into the crowd, Maribel felt that she made the right choice.
?Are you sure that this?ll work out right?? Renko asked her.
?I?m playing this by ear, but it still feels right.? Maribel fell silent for a bit. ?Even though we probably made ourselves targets for as long as we?re here.?
?They already knew we were here, so it really didn?t matter in the end.?
?But since we?re on neutral ground at the expo and the hotel, we?re better off.?
?At least from overt action, but if an accident happens?? Renko trailed off.
?If something does happen, Yukari would take it personally. She doesn?t seem the type to let things like that slide.?
?That reminds me of how the Mafia got into power.?
Maribel rolled her eyes with a laugh. ?Don?t tell me you?re bringing up The Godfather now.?
?It?s one of the best movies ever made! I don?t see why you don?t like it.?
?It?s just not my taste.?
Renko shrugged. ?I guess it is what it is. So what now??
?Well, we finished what we came here for. Maybe head back to the room and pick up tomorrow??
?That sounds good. I never really liked social gatherings.?
The pair retreated to their shared room and ordered Pizza Margherita for room service. Since the Savory didn?t stock Sprite, they had to talk the front desk into getting a pack and sending it up. Normally, they wouldn?t have been able to afford all of this, but Yukari had given them a Dubai First Royale MasterCard. She had told them to not worry about overspending since she promised them that she had stores of funds that would never run out.
This was in addition to a good sized salary that Yukari had insisted on giving both of them. She had justified it by saying that they now worked for the new government of Gensokyo and that they would be well taken care of. In a way, they were part of the founding group of the Stratocratic Union of Gensokyo. It still hadn?t hit Maribel yet, but the Gensokyo that she had known and loved had come out of hiding and had changed to survive.
The television was set to the international news channels, trying to get some grasp on how the international community was taking things. Eastern Europe was trying to limit the Russian advance to Ukraine, willing to let the country fall as long as they were left alone. Israel had stopped surrounding advances and were now taking land in every direction. International condemnation was slow since the rest of the world had their own problems. Iran had already lost half of its territory to the American carrier group that had launched the first strike. On the northern part of the country, the Kurds had already beaten back an advance by the Revolutionary Guards.
Maribel?s phone went off again, surprising the pair. Yukari had sent them an update on the situation with Japan and an opportunity. The gap youkai had pulled some strings with the Lunarians to help her out and would be giving her more details once they were finalized. Stretching, the college student flops back on the couch and starts to fight off the drowsy monster. Eventually, she gives up and makes her way to her bed. As soon as her head hits the pillow, she?s out.
McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, United States
A last minute change in the keynote speaker at the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition triggered a massive interest in the lecture that was scheduled to begin shortly. The Arie Crown theater was packed to the gills and even more people were outside, glued to all the TVs in the building. Rumors were flying around, with stories of all stripes being flung around. Some said the cure for cancer was about to announced, others say that the original speaker had his accreditation challenged, a few were saying that a coup was taking place in the organization.
News of the change spread even faster when it reached the internet. International interest peaked up, with scientists from all over the world tuning into the live stream. The IT department had to scramble setting up another server for all of the interested parties.
The crowd in the theater was mostly silent, looking over programs for any clues about the replacement speaker. Patchouli walked out on the stage with a book under her arm, causing a wave of whispers to erupt. Many were questioning her choice of attire, since she had come to a professional event wearing pajamas. She reaches the podium and adjusts the small reading glasses she?s wearing. Then she adjusts the microphone in front of her and taps it to make sure it?s on.
?I am Patchouli Knowledge, Chief of Development of the Gensokyo Defense Force.? She paused, expecting a reaction that never came. ?I?ve been asked to come speak here on a subject that I?ve devoted most of my life to understanding and utilizing. Some of you may call it the outdated science of alchemy, others may say that it?s the stuff of fairy tales. But I bring proof of it here today.?
A table had been set up next to her with various metals, rocks and liquids. ?To set the record straight, I am not an illusionist. I have written many books that detail the system that we magicians use in the pursuit of our knowledge. We magicians uses a system just like the scientific method, with heavy record keeping. Before I continue, I feel that I must make my views on the relationship between magic and science clear.? She adjusts her glasses yet again.
?The essence of magic is to determine the root cause of all things. There?s no distinction between science and magic.? Patchouli laid down her book. ?The earliest forms of natural study were based on magic.? She leaves the podium and picks up a bar of lead on the table that was set up next to her. ?This is a bar of lead, I would pass it around but that would take too much time. For the ancient alchemists, the magnum opus of their research was to convert this into gold. What many history books don?t tell is that it was an easy transmutation, once you had enough skill.?
The block glows with a bright light and then turns into gold. ?Once the process is over, you have a genuine piece of gold. 24 karats of gold in my hand, ready to be introduced into the market or used as a resource. Take this bar anywhere in the world, and it would stand up to any of the legal requirements for being considered gold.?
As proof of the reaction, she takes a pipet of nitric acid and places a few drops on the bar. It doesn?t react at all, and to further prove her point, she drops it into the bucket of water next to her. It sinks to the bottom, leaving no doubt. Bubbles rose to the top, disturbing the surface of the water.
?With such a foolproof method of creating virtually unlimited amounts of gold, why not use it to make themselves rich and powerful? It would be the most sensible thing to do if you wanted to increase your status. Or to make all of their wishes come true.?
Patchouli returns to stand behind the podium. ?As we all know, the reason gold is so valuable is because it?s so rare. A sudden influx of gold into any economy would cause its value to plummet. Since gold was the primary form of currency for many governments in earlier times, it would have devastated them the most. As a result, many of those in power sought to keep that knowledge hidden. It was also feared that with such wealth, an alchemist could potentially challenge an established monarch. So it was also based on political power. And we all know how political power can be an obstacle.?
Another wave of her hand returns the metal to its original composition. A murmur comes from the crowd when they see this. Flashes from the cameras scattered around the room lit up the table that she put the block back on. That drove the point home that everything she was doing now would be broadcast for the entire world to see, so she had to make sure she did everything right.
?Many of the alchemists that had the chance to write down their findings were under the employ of the various monarchs. They were sworn to secrecy on the penalty of death. I must stop myself now, since I?m here to speak about the physical laws behind this. Should anyone wish to hear more about this history, I will be happy to speak about it after the presentation.?
She turns her palm up and creates a small flame that dances above it. ?Once of the most important facts about magic is that it cannot break the laws of nature. It can bend them to the point of almost breaking, but no farther. This should be no surprise since magic is part of nature. The overall power source for our magic is the natural energy around us. This energy binds us and goes through all of us. As long as someone is born with a spark of potential, they can learn how to harness this power. I personally know a magician that was born with a faint sliver and dragged herself up to be the second most powerful magic user I?ve ever known. Her only flaw would be that whenever she sees something that she likes, it ends up coming home with her.?
The room kept quiet as she began to pace. ?Magic may be concentrated in Gensokyo, but it is far from disappeared in the outside world. From my understanding, the main reason that Gensokyo was founded was that faith in youkai was dropping to a dangerous low. In order to counter that, it was required to create a land that time forgot. In this land, magic is extremely strong, since it is more abundant. With the recent failure of the barrier, that magic is leaking into the rest of the world at an accelerated pace. I would go as far to say that all of you have had some experience with magic on this side. This experience is called religion. Every religious system known to humankind is in some form developed from magic.?
Patchouli was forced to pause as murmurs threated to overpower her speech. ?If you take your personal biases out of the equation and look at it as an uninvolved observer, you?ll find that I?m right. The stories behind many of the world?s religions have supernatural aspects, which some would call magic. The stories of calling down fire from the skies, of humans taking flight, of controlling water, they are all possible. Magic gives us the ability to influence and change the world around us. In this way, we can reconcile the differences between science and religion. This can end one of the biggest feuds in history and unite two separate bodies that have always been the same side of the coin.?
It was good that her words caused many in the audience to burst out in disbelief since she needed to drink some water at that very moment. She hadn?t had to talk so much in such a long time that she needed to get used to it again. If what Yukari had told her was right, she would have to get used it fast.
?The Spear of Longinus that was said to piece Jesus as he hung from the cross can be replicated by a spell. This spell can also implant the attributes into the replication. The Philosopher?s stone that can bring riches to any that possess it can be summoned by my hand. The golems that were said to guard the Temple of Solomon can be created and controlled by anyone that can use magic with attributes of the Earth. It?s true. All of it.?
To demonstrate her point, she raises her hand above her head. A silver lance began to build itself as it lightly floated into her hand. ?One more point about using the religious side of magic is that it?s based on symbolism on a mental level. A much more disciplined user can use spells of this type without the aid of symbols, but we prefer to use the less troublesome method. In this case, a broom or a map can be used to focus the energy of the spell and take the needed attributes.?
She snaps her fingers and the spear disappears. ?In a way, a magician is equal parts chemist, physicist, historian, and theologian. Some magicians that specialize in other fields can embody other conventional disciplines. Even with the more knowledge they have, we magicians still cannot be experts in every single subject we study. My field of study is elemental magic, which is a subset of physical science. Using the knowledge that I have accumulated over the decades of my studies, I have found many ways to control the environment around myself. Others have specialized in heat and light magic, and are on the verge of discovering a sustainable energy source.?
The screen behind her turned on as she tapped on the podium. A picture showing a danmaku battle between Tenshi and Marisa was the focus. ?Everyone that can use magic in Gensokyo is specialized in one certain area, based on their abilities. This doesn?t mean that they can?t dab in other kinds of magic, but they won?t be as good as someone that?s naturally inclined or brought up in that field. It should only be considered natural. After all, would a doctor that specializes in sports medicine be the best choice for internal medicine??
Raising her hand yet again, she creates a mass that looks just like a galaxy. ?There are some among us that can bend the laws of reality. I know someone that can create wormholes in any location, another one can create a loop that isolates the Earth from the rest of the universal. You may ask why I bring those two examples up. The first one is to show the limitations of physics as understood by the international community. It is a widely held belief that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. There has been a fair amount of research into wormholes, but little progress. If she were willing to provide scientific data, I would bet that the field of physics would be advanced by at least thirty years. The second example happened in practice a few years ago. During an internal incident in Gensokyo, it was imperative that the Earth be removed from the universe for a short time. The details of the incident are still under review by many, so that is all that I can say for now.?
Closing her hand, Patchouli dispersed the tiny universe. ?But the spell that was used, I can discuss that at length easily. The spell?s purpose was to introduce a loop that would isolate the Earth from reality, for a short time. In order to buy time to find the caster, four teams of two each were sent. As a precaution, a spell that would extend the night was cast. But this spell was casted by someone with only a hastily familiarization of that type of magic. It came as no surprise to anyone when it was ripped apart with just a wave from the mastermind of the incident.?
Flipping the pages of her book until she reaches a certain passage, she pauses her speech. She sighs, since it was dealing with an area that she was weak in. ?This mastermind is also a medical expert that has devised numerous cures and treatments. Medical affairs are completely out of my expertise, which I hate to admit. In my short time experimenting in medical spells, I ended up burning my lab down multiple times.?
Patchouli pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes as she fights back bad memories. ?As a result of my failures in mastering medical magic, I lost a number of friends and couldn?t help others. It was a needed lesson, one that taught me that pride was something that I could not afford. In our line of work, pride can blind us to answers that could solve the biggest problems that we face. I have seen it lead to foolish experiments that have cost researchers their lives.?
To emphasize her point, she creates a mini Royal Flare in her palm again. ?Just like this flame that dances around in my hand, magic is a living thing that can bare its fangs at any moment. It can provide warmth, or it can burn those that get too close. It is this warning that I give all of you. Now that magic will be recognized by the outside world, it can be turned into something that can bring more devastation than nuclear weapons. In order to counter this, we as the researchers that at the forefront of discovery must take care that we do not lead to more destruction. We are at the same crossroads that the researchers faced when the atomic bomb was developed to end the Second World War. They made the best decision that they could have at the time, but it still wasn?t enough. The world cannot afford another Cold War with the threat of global destruction. There are too many unstable elements in the world for a balance of power. That?s all I will say about politics that will affect our area of science.?
She closes the book that she?s holding. ?I hope that my presentation wasn?t too confusing. I understand that this may require some time to sink in. All of you will receive the chance to study and experiment with magic for yourself. I would ask that you think long and hard about what you will do about it. I will hope that all of you resist the lure of power that comes with a groundbreaking discovery. This is the underlying cause of the rapid descent into destruction that comes with new technology.?
With that, she nods in closing. ?Now that I have said what I wanted to, we have time for questions.?
-
Royal Training Facility, Dark Side of the Moon
On a platform high above a chasm, Sumireko twirled her saber as she waited for a signal. She looks up at the control room, meeting Eirin?s gaze. Tenshi and Youmu were watching from the side, they had already gone and were waiting for the end. In a case next to her, a scoped Mosin Nagant, a Vepr chambered in 7.62x54r, an AR-15, and two Walther P-38s watched her.
The purpose of the exercise was to see where she stood before Eirin took her under her wing. All the girl had to do was take down as many of the familiars as she could, while her flight ability was suppressed. She shook her legs out, getting herself ready.
A buzzer goes off, with familiars dropping on the platform. Sumireko spins her sword as she turns to face them. As they step forward, the girl changes her mind and rips the Vepr out of the case. She rocks the twenty round magazine into the well and pulls the bolt back. With a soft, but firm telekinetic grip on the red dot sight?s power knob, she sets it to an automatic brightness setting.
The twenty three inch long barrel with a Panzer style muzzle break gave her the best combination of power and accuracy. But all that she was worried about at the moment was the power. She pulls the trigger and sees the muzzle blast directed to the top and sides. Her left ear starts to hurt something fierce and then a ringing replaces the pain. She knew the round that she had just fired was big, but she never expected it to be this bad. The round that she had fired hit one of the familiars in the chest and dropped him.
Quickly putting in ear plugs, she brings the rifle back up and fires again. The next familiar she drops gets knocked off of the platform by the soft point round that hits him. Each familiar that she takes out is replaced by two, stocking the odds against her. With an increasing number of enemies in front of her, she?s forced to start stepping back.
She pulls the trigger again, only to get a click from the rifle. Her hand slaps against her belt, only to find that she didn?t have any ammo pouches on. Now, the twelve pound rifle was nothing more than a heavy stick. The thought of using the rifle as a club crossed her mind, but she rejected it out of hand. Slinging the rifle, she pulls her saber out again. With a leap forward, she skewers the closest familiar and slams it into the ground.
Sumireko moves to the side, dodging a stomp. Since her saber was still stuck in the ground, she raises her hand towards the gun case. The two Walther P-38s, along with the gun belt, flew into her hand. She twirls the handguns, telekinetic loading them before they get done spinning. She disregards what she sees, relying on her gut to guide her hands.
Each pistol held eight shots each, for a total of sixteen before she had to reload. Both pistols had walnut grips, the right had a clear coat while the other had a natural feel. That way, she would know which one was which with only a touch. She fires a few shots, grateful for her hat to keep the shell cases from hitting her in the face. The Walther had the somewhat unique attribute of ejecting the cast to the left. This means that if she held the right one like normal, the shells would hit her in the forehead or her eyes.
Emptying her pistols into the familiars, she uses a repulse to buy herself more time. She spins them and reloads, getting them ready for a second volley. Concentrating on the one in her right hand, she holds her ground as she drops eight more familiars. Before she can bring the left pistol up, she gets jumped on. The wire frame tries to punch her in the face, only for her to duck and land an elbow into its throat. A hasty repulse knocks many of the closer ones off of the platform.
Sticking the right P-38 into its hostler, Sumireko draws her saber and throws it. It spins, opening a path for her to get away from the edge. Taking her chance, she positions herself to get the most amount of kills when the saber returns to her hand. With only one familiar blocking the path to the gun case, she launches a spinning kick that sends the wire frame male figure into the air.
Sumireko grabs the Mosin Nagant, noticing the stamp of ?1942? on the receiver. She leans forward with her feet apart and her knees bent. The first shot, surprising her with the noise and recoil, creates a dust cloud. The girl cycles the bolt, loading another round. The 203 grain soft point rounds were propelled through the barrel, making the rifle kick back hard against her shoulder. The steel plate on the buttstock didn?t help either.
With such a large muzzle blast, she was able to use it to disorientate the closest enemies. Each shot had the additional property of penetrating up to three familiars and to mess up five more. The extended magazine ran out, so she spun the rifle and grabbed it right behind the front sight post. Ignoring the heated barrel, she starts to spin. The heavy wooden stock worked wonders in clearing the space around her. As time went on, the familiars began to grow bolder with more of them jumping towards her. She wished that she had a bayonet, but the muzzle brake prevented the original bayonet from fitting the front sight post.
Dropping the Mosin carefully to avoid knocking the scope out of alignment, she grabs the AR-15. The thirty round magazine was filled with alternating soft point and open tip match rounds. She empties the weapon and drops it. The girl then charges up a punishing barrage of lighting that envelopes the platform. More familiars rise up, making Sumireko frown.
Back to her dual blades, she quickly finds herself surrounded. The girl launches an upward strike the throws her target into the air. Then she charges the body with lightning and slammed it into the floor. She double jumps over the rest of the crowd, landing with a downward strike. She starts an elegant dance, with long and sweeping movements that create a bubble around her.
A push here and there creates even more chaos as bodies fly in every direction. Just as she?s about to create a quake, she doubles over. Her hands fly to the sides of her head and she was frozen in place for a few seconds. Images began to flood her mind, making a cold sweat pour out. The image of a war torn city with a dark figure in the sky, a skyscraper being hurled at her, staring death itself in the eye, all of these images hit her. An icy grip took hold of her heart, she could swear that it slowed down a little. An intense wave of hopelessness washed over her, nothing like she had ever felt before.
The image of the dark figure in the sky made Sumireko?s perception of time screech to a halt. It seemed to cast everything in black and white, with the notable exception of white and blue flames dancing around it. In her gut, she knew that nothing she could harness would be able to make a dent or even a scratch in it. Her eyes go wide and she begins to shake uncontrollably as she understands. A name in a foreign language she didn?t recognize, which sounded somewhat like a harsher version of English, repeated itself.
Sumireko breaks from the paralysis by using a repulse that causes some of the consoles in the control room spark. She uses her sleeves to wipe the cold sweat off of her face along with the tears that she hadn?t notice until just now. The moon rabbits tending to them changed the settings to bring them back under control, avoiding overloads.
?Start the earthquake module,? Eirin ordered. Yukari had warned her about his, so it wasn?t that much of a surprise. At least she would be able to get a better overall picture with this. The colonel tapped her temple, giving the medical officer an unspoken order. The Lunarian doctor nods and throws on her lab coat as she leaves the room.
Before Sumireko could recover, the platform began to shake. The familiars didn?t slow down, so she had to flail for a little bit. She?s on all fours when she realizes the pattern behind the shaking. The girl pushes herself to her feet and then begins to bend to knees and adjust her center of gravity. By following the pattern of the shaking she was able to stay upright.
But this came to a cost to her. With the every changing center of gravity, she wasn?t able to put as much force behind her blows. She punches the ground, sending the nearest familiars into the air. Then she throws lightning all around her. The images come back to her gain, making her angry. Her hands start to shake, and then flames are created by her blades.
She swings the sword, throwing flames everywhere. The familiars that get hit are burnt to ashes, and the heat counters the chill around her. Eirin frowns as she watches the flames get bigger and bigger. Sumireko stabs the floor with her blades and resorts to hand to hand attacks. The flames get lighter and lighter as she builds up more anger, increasing the heat.
A tornado kick creates a whirlwind of fire, creating an updraft that almost took her hat with her. She grabs her hat and stomps the ground. The impact from that stomp interfered with the module and forced it to restart. The platform began still, letting the girl focus more power on her blows. One unlucky familiar decided to charge her head on, only to be stopped by a punch. As it becomes stunned, she lands more hits on it before knocking it away.
With a roar, she creates a flame that begins to orbit her. She grabs the tail of the flame and brings it down in the middle of a group. Using the flame as a whip, she goes for low strikes. After slamming the flame too hard into the floor, it disappears in sparks. She unleashes a quick series of pushes that send familiars over the edge.
Blue flames with cores of white engulfed her hands, but didn?t burn her at all. She?s about to rear back for another punch when a siren goes off. The noise breaks her anger and she shakes her head to clear it. A walkway extends from the wall and connects to the platform. With a wave of her now shaky hand, the weapons that she had used flew back into their cases.
The board above the door flashed a number: 258. That was how many familiars she had taken down. She nods in accomplishment and looks at the window that Youmu and Tenshi were supposed to be looking out of. The pair were nowhere to be seen, which caused Sumireko to be confused. She kept walking, forcing her unsteady legs to keep moving. A few minutes later, she?s at her destination. Stopping before the door, she takes a few deep breaths and shakes her head to steady and calm herself down. The analysis room was full of holograms from the test, along with the data readouts.
Eirin was looking over a scroll and rubbing her chin in thought. As soon as Sumireko seats down at the table with Tenshi and Youmu, the Lunarian doctor pops into the room. The younger Lunarian swipes Sumireko?s hat off of her head, making it land perfectly in front of the twin tailed girl on the table. Then the newcomer drops what looks like a pasta strainer on the hatless head and hands Eirin a scroll.
?Yukari told me about something like this happening.? Eirin?s frown becomes deeper when she sees the readouts. ?Something happened to you during that test, something big. Your vital signs still haven?t recovered from that. At the rate your heart is going, you should be having a heart attack right now. The scanner is picking up extremely high levels of norepinephrine, the chemical responsible for fear memory formation. What did you see??
Sumireko shuffled uncomfortably in her chair. She had been doing her damnest to hide the fact she wanted to crawl into a corner and cry her eyes out. Eirin places the scroll on the desk and crouches down to Sumireko?s eye level. With a hand gesture, she orders Tenshi and Youmu to leave them. The junior doctor grabs the scroll and opens it to take a look for herself.
?Colonel,? the junior quietly interjects. ?If she could imagine it again, we could capture the image in this scroll.?
?Are you up to it?? Eirin asks Sumireko. With a small, almost imperceptible nod, she agrees. Steeling herself, she brings up the image of the dark figure in the sky. As soon as the image become clear on the scroll, the doctor taps the paper. Eirin takes the scanner off of Sumireko?s head and pats her. ?That?s good. Take a few minutes to calm down.?
Eirin stands back up and walks behind the table with her assistant. The senior frowns and tilts her head as she tries to make sense of what she?s looking at. She regretted not making her wear the scanner during the test, but realized that all the lightning would have fried it. Reisen Udongein Inaba was already having a fun time replacing and zeroing the red dot scopes that were fried from the test. Eirin could almost hear the moon rabbit?s growls of frustration all the way from the armory. Earth made parts were hard to get on the moon, especially on the presently limited budget.
?Colonel, take a look at the readouts from when I took the image,? the junior doctor with her hair in a tight bun pointed at the side of the scroll. ?Even imaging it caused her to break out in a cold sweat.?
?I can?t tell what this is,? Eirin experienced a rare moment of frustration. ?It almost looks like a surreal painting.?
?You mean that crazy art style from the Earth??
?Yes.? Eirin narrowed her eyes. ?But what is this figure? But with the paintings that I?ve seen, it was easy to see what it was.?
?I?m more concerned with why it?s black and white.?
Taking a magnifying glass from her pocket, Eirin looks for every single detail that could help. She focuses on the dark figure, tracing over every line. ?For now, keep this between the three of us. I?ve got the feeling that we?re seeing something that we not supposed to.?
March 5, 1770, Boston, Massachusetts, British America
The lone sentry in front of the State House was hating life at the moment. A large crowd had gathered, intent on making his life miserable. All of this started when he had tried to get colonist to respect an officer. Then the butt of his musket had accidently found the side of that colonist?s head. A runner had been sent to the barracks to hopefully return with help. So, the sentry was just trying to hold out for now. Each second that passed made the situation look even more hopeless as the crowd began to grow.
Maribel was on the balcony, watching the crowd throw random items towards the building. A string of red moving towards the building catch the psychologist?s eye. A colonist moved to try to block them off, only to get a musket strike to the face and a few hits when he lands. Looking at the bright side, at least they didn?t go straight for the bayonet. Then the crowd would have really exploded.
A portly man runs next to one of the British soldiers, trying to ease tensions. The pair exchange words, but fail to defuse the situation. The portly man stops, trying to figure out the next course of action. Then he runs to a nearby bookstore and quickly locks up it. Even if a revolution started here, he wasn?t going to lose any books to looters.
A man wearing the insignia of a captain drew his saber and used it to force the mob away from the lone sentry. The look of relief on his face was a clear contrast to the current situation. The reinforcements numbered eight total and made a semicircle. The crowd presses against the soldiers, taunting and throwing things at them. Many of the Redcoats were fighting the urge to shoot.
Movement in the corner of Maribel?s eye diverts her attention to the building next to her. On the roof, Yukari was sitting there watching everything unfold. The gap youkai decided to partake in the tension by flicking a rock that hit one of the Redcoats in the arm. Before he could react, an angry colonist tries to grab the musket and take it from him.
A strike from a nearby soldier makes the colonist let go and sends him falling backward. Before he can hit the ground, the nearest members of the mob catch him and pull him back. The noise became louder and louder as word spread and the mob grew in size. Maribel looks up and sees that Yukari had disappeared. A shadow in the window next to her makes her turn.
The gap youkai had seven rifled muskets arranged in a half circle around her. She was waiting for the perfect moment to fire. The crowd began to push forward against the British troops, wanting a fight. Maribel jumps when a shoe hits the wall next to her. One of the Redcoats flinches from a brick that flies by him. He raises his rifle but hesitates to fire.
Another figure appears on the roof across the square. Maribel could only see that it held a musket, since it was wearing a cloak with the hood up. Yukari frowned when she saw it and redirected her muskets. Seeing this movement, the figure ducks down and disappears. With a spin, Yukari disappears into a gap along with her muskets.
Maribel felt that she needed a better view, so she ran towards the clock toward. She keeps running up the spiral staircase, with the crowd?s roar echoing around her. She reaches one of the windows and pokes her head out of it. Yukari and the cloaked figure were on the same roof circling each other with muskets at the ready. At a glance, it would seem that Yukari had the advantage, with multiple muskets floating around her, but the dark figure had a shotgun that evened the odds at this close range.
Yukari seemed unusually worried about the weapon pointed at her, countering her movements. Maribel just noticed that this version of Yukari was different than the one she personally knew. This one?s hair was shorter, reaching only to her shoulders and she missed some of the grace in her movements. It also seemed that she was uncomfortable with having so many muskets around her.
The cloaked figure took great care in keeping his face covered while walking. Shouting from the square diverted Maribel?s attention, making her look down. A colonist in the front the group raises his club towards one of the Redcoats. Before he can bring it down, a gunshot rings out. The standoff on the roof had turned into a shootout.
Yukari had jumped back and had dropped an iron door out of a gap that took the first round. Maribel could barely make out a small drop of sweat that rolled down the back of Yukari?s head. Her muskets fire one at a time, switching out after they get used. For the first time, Maribel saw Yukari run on the ground. The gap youkai jumps over the second blast and recalls one of her used muskets.
Flipping it over to grab the area behind the front sight post, she swings it towards the dark figure. The figure brings his double barrel shotgun up and blocks it. Deciding that this was a wash, the figure spins and runs towards the edge of the building. Summoning a new set of muskets, Yukari fires at the fleeing figure. The angle of the two meant that the missed shots went right into the mob. The first colonist had already hit the ground before the mob realized what was happening.
By the time the figure reached the ground, Yukari had missed him. But she had ended up shooting into the crowd. As soon as the second colonist fell, the mob dispersed in a frenzy. This spooked the British troops, making some of them fire into the retreating crowd. By the time they left, eleven bodies were laid out around the square. In front of the State House, the Redcoat captain sent a runner to the barracks for the rest of the regiment. Time was of the essence.
Yukari throws the last musket off the building and turns around. She rips open a gap and walks into it, barely containing her rage. Maribel looks down at the square, seeing a small group of colonists pick up and carry off the eleven bodies on the ground. Just because the crowd had dispersed from the square didn?t mean that they had dispersed completely. The area around the State House had turned into a powder keg.
Colonists had grabbed whatever they could get their hands on and had taken to the streets. The captain knew that the next few hours would be critical in restoring peace or starting a rebellion. He gives the order to reload, with the mistaken belief that they had been the ones that had shot the mob. Now all the Redcoats could think about was surviving the night.
Maribel leaves the clock tower and leaves the State House. Sneaking out of the back door, she tries to avoid bumping into anyone. But it didn?t matter since they couldn?t see or touch her anyway. A bar down the street seems empty, which would give her the chance to understand everything that was happening.
She opens the door, and steps in. The scent of pure tobacco reached her nose, covering up less agreeable smells. The bar was two floors, with tables under the walkway. Maribel takes a seat near the back, a habit that she had picked up in college.
?She?s almost here.? Maribel almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice come from the bench behind her. She turns her head back and sees a drunk slouched over the table. The girl decides to dismiss the statement as some random mumbles but the man continues.
?Time is a funny thing, isn?t it?? The man hiccups and takes a swig from the half full stein in front of him. ?People think that?s it straight and will always be like that. They don?t realize that it?s ever changing. It?s like a string made out of clay. All it needs is someone to grab ahold of it and bend it to their will. But would they make it better? Or would they break everything? I wonder, is this the original line, or something else??
The man straightens up and looks behind him. Maribel gets chills when she realizes that he?s staring straight at her with whited out eyes. The blind man was in rough shape, with a wild beard and tattered clothes. Even with blind eyes, he managed to look right at Maribel. The one thought that was going through her mind was that no one should be able to look her in the eye here.
?She will turn all of fate?s misfortune to nothing.
She will flood the earth with magic,
And take all of humankind into her play.
A moving stage construction.
If everything is in a play, no unhappy things will exist.
It may be a tragedy, but it?ll all be part of the script.
The play stops on Walpurgisnacht,
And the earth does not turn even once more.
The story will not change.
Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.?
With that being said, the man turns back and slumps back down. The stein gets knocked over and spills the remaining ale. Maribel staggers to her feet, waiting for more. But the man stays still and soon, the sounds of snoring could be heard. She looks around, but only the two of them were in the bar.
?Walpurgis?nacht,? Maribel had trouble pronouncing it due to her rusty German. If her memory served her right, it was the name of a festival in Europe. She went over what the drunk had said, it still didn?t make sense. What would a festival have something to do with her? And why did the poem that she had just heard have such an ominous sound to it?
Shouting from outside the bar ripped her from that train of thought. She looks out of the window and sees a massive group of people with torches and pitchforks being waved around. In all of what had just happened, Maribel had forgotten about what was going on outside.
The shouting got even louder as Redcoats forced their way into the square. They helped to reinforce the positions that the small advance group was having trouble holding. Orders were to shoot anyone that tried to rush the line, making the crowd much more cautious. Runners had been sent to bring the Acting Governor and his Council to the State House. The commander of the British troops was also being brought to the building.
Maribel scanned the area, looking for Yukari. Her search turned up nothing, so she decided to go back to the State House. As she rounds the corner, a colonist slumps into the wall and falls face first. A flintlock pistol is knocked from his hand as a small pool of blood forms under him. Stepping back, she sees a hooded figure blending with the crowd and walking away.
With the unsteady light caused by the streetlamps. Maribel tries to follow the hooded man. He weaves through the crowd, always careful to avoid gathering attention. A few minutes pass before someone notices the dead body and panic sweeps the crowd. A lone tax collector had been hiding behind a bookshelf but was recognized by a random colonist. He was then dragged into the middle of the angry crowd.
Moving away from the crowd, Maribel had a faint idea of what was going to happen to him. It didn?t escape her notice that her attire would have been strangely at home in this time period. She stops when she sees something simmering in front of her. Reaching her hand out, she places it slowly on the area that was wavering. At first it seems to be solid, then her hand slowly went through it.
She takes a sharp breath as she sees images flood her mind. The girl staggers back, steadying herself with the wall next to her. Maribel raises her hand and concentrates on the space above it. She starts to see the makeup of reality above her palm. With concentration that was strong enough to bring sweat to her forehead, she creates a small opening in space.
But just opening it wasn?t the end of her struggle. She found that she had to keep focusing power on the rip in order to keep it from getting bigger or closing up. Releasing her concentration, Maribel watches the gap disappear into nothing. The wavering of the area disappeared a few seconds after that.
A voice cut over the noise that the mob was making. Maribel turned towards the source of the voice, seeing that it was the balcony of the State House. The Acting Governor was pleading with the mob to disperse before more violence erupted. A brick crashed through the window next to the balcony, prompting several constables to tackle the offender and drag him way.
Clergymen were in the crowd, doing their best to calm the tension. It was only due to the fact that they were recognized as men of the cloth that they weren?t accused of being loyalists. Maribel watches the scene in front of her, keeping an eye out for Yukari. A slight wind blew through the area, causing a chill to go down her spine.
She turns to look at the sky. A blood red moon was casting a sinister light all around. But something was off about the timing. Maribel?s gut was telling her that a lunar eclipse shouldn?t be happening. Deep down, Maribel was sure that the eclipse had something to do with the heighten aggression that she was feeling all around her.
Something in the corner of her eye grabs her attention and makes her focus on the rooftops. In the moonlight, a figure watched the chaos and then turned away. Maribel stood where she was, wondering what she should do now. She jumped when she heard someone shouting German close by.
A small detachment of Hessian troops were embedded were pushing colonists back from the British perimeter. Several of the colonists were trying to push them away, but ended up hurting themselves. An idea popped into Maribel?s head and she focused on a flintlock pistol hanging from a Redcoat?s belt. Two portals opened, one above the pistol and another below it.
Maribel sticks both hands into the portals right in front of her. She unhooks the pistol and grabs it. Once she pulls it out of the gap, she admires the craftsmanship of the weapon. The young woman brings it up, a little uncomfortable with the weight. She thinks about pulling the trigger, but decides not to after all. She had a feeling that she would be needing it sometime soon.
-
Celestial Governor?s Palace, Bhava Agra, Gensokyo
Reimu was the first human to be allowed into the building that housed the head of the Celestial in over a thousand years. She admired the beauty of the interior, but wished that she had been able to come at a better time. As the much more experienced Shinto miko in Gensokyo, she had been the one that was to oversee Iku?s funeral. Sanae had been helping her, but the girl had little to no experience in funeral arrangements.
Lord Nai had not left his study ever since the battle, leading to wild rumors spreading far and wide. The only communication that anyone had with him was the orders that he wrote down and sent through his butler. Tenshi had returned from the moon and had been the one that had served as the family member that took part in the preparations. Word had gotten around that she was in one of her moods again, striking a bit of fear into the nobles that had considered Iku an enemy.
For the first step, matsugo no mizu, the Celestial had been the one that had wet Iku?s lips in accordance with tradition. She had also been the one to wash the body and had stayed in front of the family shrine for hours to announce Iku?s death to the spirits. Iku?s body had been placed in the casket with her head pointed north. Even with Reimu and Sanae keeping watch over the casket, Tenshi had insisted on keeping watch until the funeral ceremony.
A few days into Tenshi?s watch, Reimu and Sanae were purifying the ground where the burial was supposed to happen. As a joint effort, Sanae was the one throwing the water while Reimu was praying. Once the pair were satisfied, they began the slow flight back to the Palace. Before the pair could speak, one of Reimu?s Ying Yang orbs began to shake.
The Red-White miko held out her hand as the orb spat out a scroll. Reimu made sure that the seal was from the Ministry of Right and Wrong before she opened it. As requested by both Lord Nai and Tenshi, she had been negotiating with several of the judges in order to make sure Iku?s spirit was given a fair shake. Normally, this wouldn?t be an issue, but since the local Ministry of Right and Wrong was at odds with the other branches, she had to make sure whoever had this case was impartial.
Reimu frowned as she read the letter, she did not want to have to make an appearance in front of the court. But as her duty as a shrine maiden, she really had no other choice. Even if it wasn?t her duty, she still felt that she owed that much to the messenger since she had done her best to keep Tenshi in line during her rebellious phase.
The pair knew that tomorrow was the day of the funeral ceremony and would be a long one for them both. They landed in front of the palace and stopped when they saw all of the activity. Sanae kept looking back and forth while Reimu grabbed a messenger and interrogated him. It wasn?t until she threatened to break his skull open with her goehi that he spilled the beans.
Lord Nai had called an emergency meeting of the families and had made it mandatory to attend. As soon as the last person had walked in, the door was sealed. Tenshi had been exempt from the meeting since it was obvious that she wouldn?t leave her spot.
Sitting next to the casket, Tenshi didn?t notice that Reimu had taken a seat next to her. Tenshi had deep bags under her eyes, giving her eyes a sunken look. Without a word, the shrine maiden grabbed her by the back of the collar and dragged her into the next room.
?Sleep.? Reimu?s voice left no room for argument. ?It?s the shrine maiden?s duty to keep watch over the body. Take a bath and sleep. The funeral is tomorrow and it?ll be the last time you?ll be able to see her. She wouldn?t want you to be like this.?
Tenshi nodded in agreement, knowing that she was outmatched. Once the Celestial was out of the room, Reimu sat down in front of the coffin and bowed her head. Instead of praying, she started to think about what she would have to say when she went in front of the Yama. If the war kept on going on, this would start to become a regular thing. That realization almost moved her to tears.
?I never wanted to put you in this spot,? Yukari?s voice came from beside her. The miko had been so deep in thought that she didn?t notice when the gap youkai had sat down next to her. ?I hope I?m not interrupting anything.?
?I didn?t expect to see you here.?
?Lord Nai has called an emergency meeting and has requested that I attend. Since I?m not going to gap myself in there, I can say that I was late due to walking.?
?Is something happening??
?There is always something happening,? Yukari paused. ?I didn?t want you to be surprised when you hear about the announcement that he?s making in the funeral.?
?What announcement??
Yukari leaned in and whispered it into Reimu?s ears. The younger girl?s eyes widen when she realized what she had heard. She turned to focus her gaze on Yukari, who returned it.
?But, she?s not ready for it.?
?No one really is. But she?s the best chance they have, and Lord Nai isn?t hearing anything else. That?s what the meeting is for, he?s going to convince the Ruling Families to support his decision.?
?What if they don?t??
?They will, Lord Nai will see to it. He assured me that he has a few ways to get them to see things from his point of view.?
Reimu pauses as she organized her thoughts. ?Then what about her being placed under Eirin??
?That?s one of the main problems. The Ruling Families don?t want to seem like they?re allowing themselves to be placed under Lunarian control. Even though they are our allies, I still don?t want to give them a foothold in Gensokyo. They can have the Outside World, but nothing inside the barrier.?
?What if that?s what the Lunarians are really after??
Yukari bowed her head. ?With their regiments, I highly doubt that we would be in a positon to counter them. Having both Tenshi and Sumireko trained by Colonel Yagokoro would be a good start to closing the power gap. I would rather not have to worry about the Lunarians turning on us. They?ll think twice when they know that we?ve got too aces hidden in our sleeves. Especially after we premier our new fleets and new transportation method.?
?You mentioned the fleet for a reason.?
?I?ll need you to bless the ships. That way they?ll be able to hold their own in battle better.?
?How many are there??
?50 capital ships, with assorted support ships.?
Reimu?s head whipped around. ?You want me to bless 50 ships!?! Don?t you know how long it takes to bless one??
?I know, and I?ll help you. We?ll have five fleets with ten capital ships each.? Yukari stood up. ?I made them wait long enough. The funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow, isn?t it?? She gave Reimu a head pat that she hope wouldn?t betray her wariness. ?Try to get some rest soon, you look almost as rough as Tenshi does.?
With one last look at the shrine maiden, Yukari left the room and walked out of the mansion. Down the mountainside, the Council Chamber was surrounded by a small crowd. When they saw Yukari getting closer, they parted to allow her to enter.
She enters the building, walking up the stairs to the chamber itself. The sound of arguments could be heard through the closed doors, increasing in volume. Yukari enters the chamber, triggering an even bigger explosion of shouts. This time, Lord Nai gave the offenders a stern glance and silenced them.
Yukari takes a seat next to the leader and leans her head in.
?I didn?t expect it to get this bad,? Yukari sighed.
?As soon as they found out that Tenshi was training under a Lunarian, it all went downhill. The opposing Families are trying to say that we?re selling out to them and threatening our sovereignty.?
?Even if she?s your official liaison??
?They practically called me a liar when I brought that up.?
?Isn?t that grounds for a duel??
?That?s why they stopped before they crossed the line.? Lord Nai shook his head. ?But with the way Tenshi?s been acting, she might fight them in my stead if she had heard.?
?Then there would be a few less Ruling Families,? Yukari allowed herself a small smile. ?It would make it a lot easier to get things done.?
?Or it might open us up to accusations of tyranny, which we, as Celestials, are not supposed to engage in again.?
?I see.? Yukari moved her gaze around the chamber. ?Are you still wanting to go through with this??
?There?s no other way,? he rested his head on his hands. ?The current leadership isn?t suited to the way this war is going to happen. And, it?s time for us older folk to step aside for the new generation.?
?I hope you?re not calling me old.?
?You don?t look a day over 21, so I hope you understand why I was hesitant to trust you when we first met.?
?I appreciate the compliment,? Yukari smiled. ?I?m much more concerned with changing horses when we?re halfway across the river.?
?Peace has made me lazy and unsuitable for war footing. And I?ve got a feeling that something will happen tomorrow that?ll cement her right to the spot.?
?I look forward to it.?
Lord Nai nodded and then stood up. ?ORDER! THERE WILL BE ORDER!?
His shout silenced the room so fast and commanded so much attention that one noble didn?t realize that a shoe was heading towards him until it hit him in the side of the head. The loud noise it made as it impacted and then slide to the floor was ignored by the rest of the occupants.
?It has come to my attention that several of you have doubts about my daughter?s loyalty ever since she agreed to place herself under the tutorage of a Lunarian. I am here to assure all of you that those doubts are unfounded. I am also going to warn all of you to watch your tongues whenever you speak to her. The recent battle has done much to change her and I fear that her self-control has actually gotten worse. She may go straight to trading blows if she feels slighted now. So, as a gesture of goodwill, I will now ask this. Who here has a problem with my decision? Speak now.?
The room became quiet as no one stepped forward. Lord Nai swept his gaze through the room, challenging anyone to answer. Yukari studied the faces of everyone present, cataloging the information for future use. Even though politics wasn?t something she was fond of, she still had a good amount of experience in it.
?Now that this is settled,? Lord Nai paused. ?I wish to bring a matter to the attention of this body. According to the reports that I?ve been receiving from the latest battle. Lady Yakumo has advocated for the creation of a fleet that?ll help to create a buffer zone. This concerns us due to one ship in that new fleet. This new ship has a proposed name that will need our blessing. The name that has been proposed is Nagae.?
He waited and was not disappointed by several shouts of objection. Taking a deep breath and looking up to the ceiling in an attempt to keep himself composed. The head Celestial allowed the shouts to die down, and then pulled himself to his full height. Even with the wrinkles and white hair, he still created a formidable atmosphere.
?As one of the most important birthrights earned by being born into the linage of the head of the Celestial government, I hereby use my singular veto for this matter.? The expected shouts were louder this time, but were cut off by him summoning a keystone and slamming it down on the desk in front of him. He used enough force to break the keystone and create a small earthquake that was felt throughout Gensokyo.
This was the first time in a long while that he had used such a move to restore order. For the older members of the governing body, it brought back memories of keystones being thrown out windows and through walls. Some of them still couldn?t get over the time that Lord Nai had thrown someone out of a window by mistake. The families that had used the beautiful grounds around the building for picnics had their peaceful outing interrupted by that nobleman falling three floors.
?The matter is settled. Lady Yakumo,? he turned to face Yukari. ?You have our blessing to use Iku?s family name for that ship. All we ask is that you lead that ship to live like she did.?
?Since you gave the Nagae your blessing, I think it?s only fair if you decide who the captain is.? Yukari opened her fan. ?
?Would Tenshi be suitable??
?I have no problem with it.?
With a nod, Yukari takes her leave. Since her business was done, she really had no more reason to watch this anymore. If she wanted to see a circus, she could find better entertainment watching the kappas with their science experiments. She makes her way out of the chamber and leaves the building. The crowd was still focused on what little they could hear coming from inside. She kept going, past the front gate and onto the road that lead to another part of the mountain. This road was surround by a heavily wooded area, extending as far as the eye could see. A fair distance down the road, she steps off of the road and goes into the woods.
The gap youkai leans back on a tree deep in the forest surrounding the chamber and bows her head down. The emotions that she had been holding back for the longest time had reached the breaking point and she knew it. The tears that flooded from her eyes created a path that resembled waterfalls. Her shoulders began to tremor, shaking a few leaves off of the tree.
Yukari looked up, her golden eyes distorted by the tears streaming out of them. The sky was blurred, all that she could see was the light blue above her.
?I know my wish was selfish. But God, if you?re there, let her have a happy ending this time. I?m fine with my life being broken. Just please don?t let all of my sacrifices be for nothing and please don?t let her be alone.?
Hakurei Shrine, Youkai Mountain Branch, Bhava Agra, Gensokyo
Virtually all of Gensokyo was present at the funeral ceremony of Iku Nagae. Even the Lunarians had sent representatives in the form of Toyohime and Yorihime. Iku?s body was on a slab of the purest marble available that was placed on a pyre. Everyone was dressed in their finest funeral garb, with the exception of Reimu and Sanae, who had worn their traditional garments.
Iku was clothed in her usual outfit, with her hat on her chest. The magician that was entrusted to prepare the body under Reimu?s eye had completely healed the bullet wound that had killed her. He had done such a good job that she looked like she was asleep instead of dead.
Tenshi had worn her finest robe for the procession, the handle of her blade hanging off of her belt. Her hair was in a bun, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. She had her hands hidden in her sleeves in front of while she knelt in front of the funeral pyre. Under her robe, she wore a pair of pants and boots in case of one of the nobles decided to make a power play and she needed to put them in line.
Marisa sat next to Alice and Patchouli, a sinking feeling in her heart. During the last battle, she had lost count of how many times it could?ve been her in that casket. Sumireko sat a few rows back, next to Reisen and Youmu, feeling the same way. Even though the thought of being killed was always bothering her, this drove the point home more than anything else.
Reimu had her back facing the procession, adding more purified wood to the fire that would be used to set the pyre alight. She turns around and raises her gohei as she recites a funeral prayer. Out of respect, everyone in the room bows their heads. Once the miko is done, she motions for everyone to stand. Under her direction, everyone files past the casket in a single file line.
Marisa left a Chocolate Cosmos cutting, one that she found in the Forest of Magic earlier that day. Alice left a cutting of marigolds and Patchouli left an Agave plant. The librarian had shared a few drinks with the messenger, and Patchouli always had a bottle of mezcal on hand in case Tenshi had been frustrating that day.
Remilia left a peach color rose on her trip by and Sakuya left one of her best red velvet cupcakes. Sumireko left a boquet of flowers, she felt bad that she never had the chance to know her. Youmu left a small dagger and Yuyuko left a chocolate butterfly. Yukari left a bouquet of hyacinth, with the meaning behind them clear.
Reisen left a Houri plant, in full bloom while Eirin left a yellow ribbon tied into a knot. Kanako left a cutting of wisteria and Suwako left an iron ring. Staori left a kyber crystal and Koishi left an emerald. Byakuren left a set of prayer beads, Nazrin left a small wheel of the best cheese she had found and Shou left a lantern.
Tenshi was one of the last to pass by and she left a necklace with a keystone on it. She returns to her place in front of the casket and watches as her father is motion by Reimu to speak.
?I wish for everyone here to know how grateful I am for your attendance. Iku was a valued member of our government and someone we considered family. She had a large role in Tenshi?s upbringing, and deserves more of my gratitude than I can ever show. It is a devastating blow to the war effort to lose Iku. This occurrence has also shown me that I am not suitable for leadership in a time like this. With a heavy heart, I?m announcing that I?m stepping down as head of the Celestials.?
Murmurs swept through those in attendance, mostly concentrated on the Celestial nobles. One of them began to sneer as he conferred with his cronies.
?In my stead, I appoint-? Lord Nai was interrupted by the sneering noble.
?Old man, you?re not appointing anyone.? He stood up. ?The Centralist party is taking over now, and I?m in charge. I move for a vote of no confidence in your leadership and I demand that the vote be conducted now!?
Tenshi stood up and turned around to face the man. She drew her blade, but was stopped before she could bring up. Reimu had used her gohei to stop the movement and held a spellcard ready. Yukari had trapped the noble?s sword draw with a gap, drawing on her deep reserve to keep from striking him.
?This is a funeral,? her red eyes betrayed barely contained anger. ?I will not have a fight on holy ground.?
Lowering her blade, Tenshi left the shrine. The noble followed her out, then the rest filed out. Reimu and Sanae were the last to leave, but only went as far as the offering box. In the front of the shrine, the crowd was on the edge of the square. At one end, Tenshi had taken a knee and placed the handle of her sword in front of her. Lord Nai, Yukari and Eirin stood in front of her, listening to what she had to say. On the other end, the noble had done the same, with his cohorts listening.
A neutral party was needed to oversee the contest, so Alice was dragged into it. The puppeteer was familiar with how much damage Tenshi could cause, so she was ready to take to the sky at a moment?s notice. The two combatants stood and then faced each other. Alice looks at both parties and then steps back, signaling the start. With a strong kick off, Tenshi goes for an overhead strike. That strike gets blocked, so she goes into a spinning kick that connects. Then a headbutt sends him reeling back.
He jumps back and twirls his blade. Tenshi steps to the left and blocks the weak blow with her blade. With a twirl, she traps his blade and punches him in the face. He?s spun around, and fight the urge to end the fight right then and there. Instead, she kicks down and watches as he face plants. With a stomp, she brings up a pillar that sends him into the air.
The noble tries to flip to his feet, only for Tenshi to join him and grab him by the neck. With an effort, she slams him into the ground. A crater gets left in the ground and Tenshi lands softly on her feet. She twirls her blade and begins to pace again.
He rolls to the side, dodging a blow that never came. Tenshi watched as he got up and went into a low stance. In sheer contempt, the younger Celestial abandons all of her established fighting styles. She lures him to attack first, and steps back. He takes the bait and goes for a stab. Tenshi ducks the stab and drives the pommel into his stomach with enough force to crack ribs.
Before the noble could recover, Tenshi planted her fist in his face. Then she uses the handle of her blade as a knuckleduster to hit the same place again. To help him find his way to the ground, she dug her knee into his stomach. With the noble on the ground, trying to catch his breath again, Tenshi began to pace in front of him. She twirls her blade as she waits for him to get up.
As soon as he struggles to his feet, Tenshi grabs him by the face and slams the back of his head into the ground. Then she grabs him by the front of his robe and throws him. Before he gets far, she stomps up a pillar that stops the noble?s flight. Three steps bring her in front of him and she spins him to face her.
Tenshi cuts power to her sword, leaving just the handle. With a level of savagery unseen before, she continues to beat the noble with everything she can. Alice felt that she should step in, but with the force that the Celestial was putting into her blows, she hesitated. Yukari watched, not willing to step into internal affairs in this case. Lord Nai was sure that Tenshi wasn?t going to listen in her fury.
Several of the victim?s supporters made moves to step in, only to stop when Sumireko and Youmu reached for their weapons. Eirin kept quiet, watching as Tenshi whaled on the poor man. The noble started to slide down, balancing on the border of consciousness. Blood was splattered all over his expensive robe, which was the least of his worries.
With one last punch, Tenshi lets go of him and lets him fall to the ground. With a twirl of her blade, she attaches the handle to her belt and turns back to go into the temple. Once she?s in front of Iku?s coffin, she hides her hands in her sleeves and kneels. She bows her head and loses herself in her thoughts.
The beaten noble was rolled onto his back by his comrades, saving him from choking on his own blood. With their champion beaten like that in front of everyone, the Centralist party was done in the Ruling Council. Lord Nai knew that this was the best possible outcome in the current situation. With the way power has shifted, Tenshi would have overwhelming support.
In most other situations, having this played out in front of outsiders would have weaken Celestial power. But now, everyone knew that Tenshi wouldn?t back down anymore. Yukari felt a sense of pride for the young woman, she was shaping up to be a leader with a decent head on her shoulders. She looks inside the shrine, watching as Reimu and Sanae sit next to her.
Eirin was the first to leave the crowd and bow to Iku?s coffin as she took her leave. Instead of the chatter that some expected from the crowd, everyone stayed quiet as they followed Eirin?s lead. After a few minutes, the front was empty. Lord Nai bowed to Iku?s coffin and then went off to walk in the forest. Yukari watched him go, debating whether she should have another word with him.
Sumireko took one last look and took to the sky. Eirin had given them the rest of the day to take care of what they needed to before going back to the Moon. The memory of her vision weighed on her mind, she had to find something to counter it. A few minutes away, she was at the entrance of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. If her gut was right, she would have her best chance here.
The pig tailed girl takes her hat off and hangs it on the hat tree next to the desk in the deepest part of the library. Patchouli had promised her that she would be back to help and gave her free run to look for what she needed. A card catalog sat off to the side, she hadn?t seen one in a while. She pulls open a drawer and pokes through a few of the cards.
She slams it shut, knowing that just jumping in would get her nowhere. Taking a seat in Patchouli?s overstuffed chair, she rests her chin in her hand. She knew little about actual magic, so she decided to get a basic textbook first. A few minutes later, she?s in front of a fireplace reading.
The Magical Treatise of Solomon had a section on summoning demons, which seemed like a logical place to start. She scans the pages, looking for the shape she saw in her mind. None of them match, causing her to throw the book on the table next to her.
Taking a pause, she closes her eyes and rubs them. On the table under the book she had just cast off, a map of the library captured her attention. In the back of the library, a section peaked her interest. It was labeled as ?Phantasm?.
A few minutes later, she?s in front of the labeled bookshelf. She tilts her head as her eyes scan the books. One of them seems promising and she reaches out to grab it.
?I wouldn?t get that, if I were you,? Patchouli?s voice rang out.
Sumireko turns around and sees the librarian with a stack of books under her arm. ?There?s a reason why this bookcase is separate from the rest. Phantasm level spells have the power to cause unimaginable damage if not properly used. Remember the Black Death or the Tunguska event? I would wait until Eirin says you?re ready since I doubt a college student would be able to control the power needed.? She places the books on a nearby table. ?These books are the most basic that I could find about what you told me. If you find any leads here, you have free run of any section of this library.?
?And if I don?t??
?You have other matters to attend to, right? Eirin will keep you too busy to come back here for a while. But, I?m not too much of a grouch to let you leave empty handed.? She pulls a small book from the pile. ?One of my many works was to compile all of the books in this library into a single volume. It took until last week, but I did it. This book is what that is.?
?Then what about the other books you brought??
?Sometimes having the actual books in front of you can help,? Patchouli shrugged. ?But having this complete library can help keep you from ripping pages out of my original books. If you have a chance to see Marisa, tell her I have one to give her. Hopefully that can stop her from having to steal books every so often.?
Sumireko took the offered book. ?Are you sure that you want me to have this??
?You?ll find a way to put it to good use. All I ask is that if you find new books, put this one on top of it to copy the contents.?
?Anything else??
?Not really. I?ll see you again before you find what you?re looking for. Try not to get in over your head before you bring me some new books.? With that, the librarian left to take a nap before continuing her research.
Before she could focus on her own research, her phone vibrates. A glance shows her that it?s a message from Reisen, concerning an upgrade for one of her rifles. She would deal with that the next time she went to the range. The more pressing matter was to find out as much as she could about the figure haunting her.
-
Tokyo, Japan
With a good amount of negotiation, Yukari had helped Yuyuko with her wish of opening an orphanage and sitting out the rest of the war. The ghost princess was extremely happy with the new building that would be serving as her new home. A somewhat large yard with a small playground was surrounded by a brick wall, which gave the area a welcoming atmosphere.
Along with a small staff experienced in childcare, Yuyuko and Youmu were watching the arrival of their first group of wards. Officials from the government had already arrived and signed off on everything. Yukari was in the office on the second floor, watching through the window. Thanks to her transferring several of her bank accounts, the orphanage would never have to worry about funding.
Even with how happy Yuyuko was, Yukari still had bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. It started since she heard about how Global Arms, Limited had started ramping up operations in Japan. On the surface, it wasn?t anything to really worry about. But she knew that it was a shell company for the CIA that specialized in the arms trade. The CIA had a long and dark history of doing whatever they wanted to achieve their goals. This did not bode well for the next step of her long reaching strategy.
Marisa would be meeting with her first customers in a few days, Yukari remembered. The young witch would be trying to unload some of the M4s and M249s that had been left behind after the battles. Several interested parties, which include the New Irish Republican Army, the Ukrainian Ground Forces, and resurrected Panamanian Dignity Battalions, were drooling at the prospect of getting these weapons.
The chosen clients had a twofold purpose. The first was to sow confusion and more problems for the Americans, and the second was to create new targets. One of the aspects that Yukari had made clear to them when she had granted them the meeting was that any form of disrespect would not be tolerated. No one really knew, but Yukari had made arrangements for a long range strike against any target she choose. The problem was that it wasn?t really just yet.
The Americans were still steaming about the two back to back losses they had just been dealt, which encouraged several of their oversea agents to forget a few rules. If they manage to grab hold of Marisa, they would be put into a really bad spot. Especially since Reimu would move heaven and earth to get her back and Yukari would have to come along to make sure she didn?t do anything too reckless.
The American House of Representatives had just passed an emergency measure for more funding for Homeland Security with a rider for CIA contractors. According to her sources, the bill was set to be fast tracked through the Senate and would be greeted by the President?s signature as soon as it landed in the Oval Office. There was also a rumor that it had an immunity clause hidden in it.
Just a few days ago, the United Nations had been sealed off due to a confidential emergency meeting of the Security Council. Only the members of the Security Council were allowed in the building, sending shockwaves through the international community. Yukari had a feeling that the organization would soon be entering its death throes and would fade into history. Once that happened, she expected NATO to pick up the slack and expand. The Warsaw Pact was also rumored to be brought back, which would give the west a major headache.
The Kalashnikov Concern had just picked up a major set of contracts from both Russia and numerous other nations, giving Yukari a target for some embezzlement. This money would go towards buying more weapons that could be turned around for a profit. She might even have a few modified to create a thirst for magical weapons once humans saw how effective they are.
Yukari knew that Marisa would need more than a kitchen gun shop to counter CIA shell companies. Maybe something on the scale of Heckler and Koch or FNH. That would mean Marisa would have learn a few languages, like English and maybe Russian. The gap youkai would have to make some time to give her some lessons.
She sips some tea and opens a newspaper. The Mainichi Shimbun had a front page article about the developing partnership between Gensokyo and Japan. Yukari had sent a message to Finland, since she knew their history in stopping larger opponents. With the aggressive brown bear of the new Soviet Russia to the east hungrily grabbing land and the increasing aggressive NATO forces to the west, many of the northern European nations were being pressured into joining either one. But some of them would rather have a third option.
The Finnish government had jumped at the chance to have a powerful ally and had signed an agreement with her. They had even sent a few crates of weapons as a trade for some of the magical ones. Encouraged by her success, Yukari had sent messages to other nations and was waiting for responses from a few of the more isolated ones.
South Africa had responded to her feelers by giving her a small gift. They had sent thirty MK 1 Centurions, which were obviously mothballed since they smelled pretty bad. The small nation had recently examined their power and were wanting to get out from China?s influence. Having Chinese corporations try to force themselves on natural resources would wear out anyone?s welcome quick. Egypt was also wanting to leave the shadow of the United States and didn?t like the other alternatives.
The arms expo in London had been a complete success. With Maribel leaking the designs for the Royal Assault Ship to select corporations at the event, naval design had been put on its head. Hopefully this would delay the refitting of the Iowa and the reorder of the Montana class that was in the works. If the Rejuvenator could be brought out of the shipyards, they would be a match for those two classes.
With the success of the retrofitted fighters and bombers, Yukari had ordered full scale production of more P-47s, P-51s, B-25s, Spitfires, Typhoons, Shindens, and Zeros. A design flaw with the Rejuvenator class would be the lack of an onboard hanger, which meant that they would have to keep the restored carriers for the foreseeable future. Thinking about the available options, she reminds herself of something she had to do.
Typing off a quick text to Reisen, she sends it and lays back in her chair. Yukari was expecting noise later on, once the children became used to their new home. A wee little Welsh Corgi waddled next to and started to sniff her. She picks up the dog and sets him in her lap. His fur was soft and he stretched out to get comfortable.
?I?ve always wanted a dog,? Yukari began to scratch him behind the ears. ?But I don?t think Yuyuko would like if I took you with me.?
The gap youkai took a doggie treat and held it in front of the pup. He began to hop a little, trying to get the outreached treat. She had thought about getting a platypus, but then she remembered how sensitive they were to environmental changes. The gap youkai had even picked out a brown hat for him to wear. She even thought about teaching it martial arts if the chance ever came up.
A tap on the window pulls her out of her thoughts. A crow had a small scroll and was waiting to be let in. Yukari opened the window and allowed the crow to fly away. The small scroll had a list of crime families that were rumored to be open to working with CIA shell companies. In other words, it was a hit list for Yukari?s people since the ICPO was wary with accepting her information.
Eirin had sent her a message earlier about Sumireko?s progress, which gave her high hopes. She had exceled in learning Northern Shaolin and Hung Ga kung fu, was progressing in tai chi, and getting the hang of Baguazhang. If the pigtailed girl kept up the progress, she could be the one carrying out the hits. Once that was done, she would have more time to devote to her research and watching over her younger sister and Maribel. At least until the foreign crime organizations got CIA backing to undermine the new partnership.
Yukari sits back down and opens another scroll laying on the desk. It was the proposed ship names for the new Rejuvenator class cruisers. Each of the five fleets would have a flagship, a backup for the flag, and a communications ship. They would have at least ten capital ships assigned to each fleet at any given time. The First Fleet, or the Home Fleet, would be commanded by Atago, with Kongou serving as backup and Haruna as signal.
The Second Fleet would be under the Kiyama, with support from Sphinx and Uiharu. The Third Fleet would be headed by the Furukawa? and have Otosaki and Ibuki. The Fourth Fleet would have Gensokyo, Courusant, and Gallifrey. The Fifth Fleet, or the Reserve Fleet, would contain Akemi, Kaname, and Shimada.
The rest of the ships in their respective fleets would follow the same theme as the command team. The prototype of the class, the Rejuvenator, would be allowed to float about from fleet to fleet instead of being tied down. Since it was the testbed for new technology, it also had to be kept out of enemy hands. Yukari believed that having it more mobile would be better than surrounding it.
The most important part of the new ship design was the ability to have the main cannons go into sustainable overdrive. The normal firing rate was limited to a little less than three rounds a minute, which was somewhat decent for a large caliber cannon, and faster than the cannons on the USS Iowa. Activating the overdrive for the cannons would boost the firing rate to fifteen rounds per minute.
But due to the extreme heat that was generated by the rapid fire, the cooling charms would not be able to keep up. To keep this feature from being abused, it would require two keys to be turned at the same time. The keys would be in the possession of the captain and the chief gunnery officer. And the pair would be required to help change out the barrels and calibrate them with the targeting computer. This was to make sure that they didn?t abuse the ability.
Looking around to make sure that no one was looking, she lets out a breath. She takes a scroll out from her tabard and spreads it out on the desk. It was the design for a ship that she was working on herself. Nobody outside of this room knew about these designs. That also meant that she had no one to crew it or even build it, which was somewhat of a roadblock.
But that was only true until she had perfected that one of the last research topics she had been working on. Full artificial intelligence had been beyond the grasp of the outside world, but Yukari had finally developed it for her own uses. Now she had someone that could build it and crew it without anyone else knowing. There was a reason she had ordered all of the tools and materials using untraceable accounts.
The keel was being laid in a deserted shipyard near the North Pole, away from the prying eyes of the world. Once it was completed, the shipyard would be made to disappear. Then the fleet that was still being constructed would be rendered obsolete and she would be able to end the war singlehanded. With the end of the war, the new Age of Magic would begin.
Twenty inch triple cannons in six turrets would surpass any armament in any ship in the world. Armor twenty five inches thick would also provide the best protection anywhere. An anti-aircraft complement of over 100 double 88mm autoloaded cannons would provide so much protection from aircraft that having onboard fighters would be a waste of space and materials. They would also provide double duty as secondaries. The projectile cannons would work until Yukari perfected the Lunarian laser magic that she had gotten her hands on.
If Eirin ever found out about Yuyuko sneaking out the laser technology from the Lunar Capital during the Second Genso-Lunar War, Yukari knew that their alliance would be over. Just a little bit more time and they would be able to blame the Americans since they were close to making a prototype. Once it was fielded for the first time, she could say she got it from them.
Yukari saw the current situation as a sunset of sorts. As the light began to disappear, the humans would see their power over the world go with it. Humans were never good in the dark to start with. Science was on its way out of the door, to be replaced by the clearly superior powers of magic. Youkai would be able to walk all over the world, free from the suppression of humans. A new balance of power would be created from the ashes of the old. Reimu would be able to enjoy the rest of her days in peace since she wouldn?t have to worry about the balance of power any longer.
The United States and NATO would be forced to step aside while Yukari?s new empire would spread over the planet. Even if she had already promised the Lunarians all the land past the barrier, she had no intention on sitting around while they surrounded her on all sides. She really liked Eirin and Reisen, but once the darkness fell, they would be fair targets. With limited interaction with Kaguya, Yukari was still reserving judgment on how she felt about her. The gap youkai was also trying to find out what to do about the two immortals if she had to get rid of them, just in case.
Just any night wouldn?t be enough for her. It had to be a special occasion, one that would be written down and echoed through the halls of history. It would also be a good luck token to name the ship after that night. German legends had the perfect name for the ship, just like usual. One that would strike fear into everyone that hears it and left no doubt about the power behind it.
Walpurgisnacht?Yukari repeated the name over and over in her mind. All we need now is that pure Kyber crystal. Once I have that, the night of the dancing witches will begin. A night that will go down in history as Walpurgisnacht and will bring world peace. Then the next phase of my plan can start.
Lunarian Defense Corps Armory, Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
Reisen frowned as she worked her way through the crate before her. This had 20 M39 Ukko-Pekka rifles, all in almost new condition. She took a look through the barrel with a light, not making a judgment until she had gone through them a second time. The moon rabbit had already promised Sumireko an upgrade, so she had to deliver.
Just to be clear, there was nothing wrong with the off the shelf 91/30 that she had scoped. But the Soviet made rifle could only dream about the accuracy of the Finn modified rifles. The Finns had installed a heavier barrel and shimmed the action to wring every last drip of accuracy. The stocks on them were much nicer than the mass produced stocks that had rough tool marks when they left the factory.
One of the M39s with a date of 1942 catches her eye. Sharp rifling and a smooth action even with all the cosmoline proved that she found a winner. Grabbing a small pellet of lead, she coats it in grease and sets it in the muzzle. With a hammer, she uses a dowel of bamboo to force it down. The lead pellet falls onto the bolt, with grooves cut into it.
The moon rabbit takes a caliper and measures the flat spots of the pellet. It comes out to .310 of an inch, which was outlined in the instruction manual. A bore in like new condition, Reisen knew that Sumireko would like it. But it would need some cleaning before she could turn it over. The Hornandy reloading manual had raised a question about .308 bullets being more accurate, but she would leave that for after she tried the .310 bullets.
She field strips it and throws the metal parts into a barrel of heated water. With another cleaning solution, she wipes down the wooden stock. Once she?s satisfied with the amount of time the metal parts have been swimming, she fishes them out with tongs. With a rag, she wipes down all of the water that didn?t evaporate. Once she?s done, she applies a light coat of gun oil.
Eirin had instructed Reisen to change out the sights to see if it was worth the trouble, replacing them with peep sights that were much more accurate than the standard. A few seconds of heating up the pin holding the rear sight and she was able to easily knock it out. Then it was a simple matter of putting the new one in and applying a little bit of silver to secure the pin.
Once that was done, she bring the rifle up to her shoulder and focuses on a target. She has trouble focusing on the small target and begins to double guess if she really has it centered. After a few minutes of trying to get it right, she gives up and reinstalls the original sights. With the ladder sights in their rightful place, she was confident the rifle would hit accurately at up to 1000 yards.
To insure that the ladder sights were really accurate, she would have to replicate the original D166 round used during the Continuation War. The notes that she had received called for Lapua brass in 7.62x53r with Vihtavuori N140 smokeless powder. Winchester large rifle primers would be suitable for the round as long as they weren?t defective.
But just because she had the materials didn?t mean that she was ready to load it. She still had to find the right powder charge so the rifle didn?t blow up in Sumireko?s face when she shot it while being strong enough to reach its maximum effective range. The Lapua reloading manual was a good place to start since it listed the D166 bullet with the N140 powder.
Now that she was done preparing the new rifle, she sat down in front of the ballistic manual and an alchemy textbook. What was happening was that she needed to find the sweet spot for explosive and penetrating rounds. The explosive rounds would come later. Minutes late, she has multiple charts and graphs in front of her. If she started with a 150 meter zero distance instead of the usual 100, she would be able to squeeze a few more dozen meters.
With the distance somewhat worked out, now she had to worry about the energy behind the round. The minimum amount of energy she was looking for was 1000 foot pounds. She superimposed charts over each other, comparing the curves. Once she finds a few that she likes, the moon rabbit opens up the machine next to her.
She punches in a few numbers and closes the lid. The machine creates a few rounds, which she picks up and puts on top of a spell card. Once it stops flashing, she puts the card on top of the rifle. The final step was putting the spell card on a paper target. A few seconds pass and dots appeared on the target, showing the point of impact at various ranges.
Nodding to herself, the moon rabbit cycles the bolt on the rifle one last time. Her phone vibrates in her pocket, letting her know that she had a text. Yukari had checked in with her to see how the rifles were. Reisen types back a quick reply and tosses the phone on the table. It slides to a stop right by the armorer?s wench and almost knocks a bottle of oil over.
She had given up on the red dot for the Vepr and decided to put a POSP 4-8x42 scope on it. With the spell cards next to her, zeroing was extremely simple and cost effective. With all the time she saved, she could either take a nap or disappear. The last weapon that she needed to work on was an FNH P-12 shotgun, but that was ready to go as soon as she pulled it out the box.
The double ought buckshot would be devastating out to fifty meters if she needed it to be. Reisen was happy that this was all that she had to do today. On the workbench at the far end of the room sat an M1 Garand that she had to get started on soon. But Eirin had said that this one could wait a little. She had even suggested that the moon rabbit use H4895 smokeless powder once a pallet of it came in.
A look down the barrel gave her hope that this old rifle would be capable of at least a minute of accuracy. The reloading manuals that she had reassured her that any of the loads in the chart would be suitable for what they needed. If she used what she knew about Sumireko as an indication, she could bet that the Garand would be her main weapon if the saber wasn?t practical.
Reisen had created a larger gas plug that would allow Sumireko to fire any .30-06 ammo without having to worry about bending the operating rod. The moon rabbit thought about playing a prank on her by making her close the bolt on an empty receiver. But she decided against it since the pigtailed girl would probably break her skull for it.
After sitting there for a while looking at the Garand, she decides to go to the hanger and see how the progress of the modifications to the newest group of fighters that the GDF had given them. Five Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIIIs and seven Focke Wulfe 190s sat as mechanics switched out parts. The British .303 machine guns were also being switched out, in favor of Lunarian designed .68 caliber cannons. The 190s were being outfitted with prototype laser cannons that would hopefully provide a bit more punch.
Realizing that she had nothing else to do here, she leaves the hanger and picks up a boxed lunch to take with her as she heads to a table on a balcony. She sets her box on a table and buys a drink from a vending machine nearby. A can of green tea dropped down, giving her second thoughts about her choice.
?I hope you don?t mind if I join you,? Reisen II?s voice snapped her namesake out of her thoughts.
?You can if you want, but don?t you have to deal with the supply chain??
?My Chief of Staff is taking care of it. They know more about it than I do, so I got out of the way.? The pair sat down and unwrapped their boxes. ?Colonel Yagokoro wants to use the 4th as a testbed for the updated laser rifles.?
?How much is a Royal Regiment??
?Mine has about 3500 with a training cadre of 200.?
?They have that many ready??
?Last I heard, we should have them next week.?
?Even the cannons??
?They said those were the easiest ones to change over. At least we got off easier than the naval forces.?
?I thought those didn?t exist anymore and that they just spent their time at the old folks home.?
?Nobody?s really proud of it. The only reason they got any funding or respect was because of the Serene Insurrection. Now most people are forgetting about it.?
?Isn?t one of the Royal Officers married to the daughter of the fleet commander??
?I think so. She?s also the captain of the last remaining ship of the line.?
?So that means that she commands a third of the fleet. Is it the one that?s falling apart??
?She?s a good captain. I met her a few times and she knows what she?s doing.?
?Then what?s happening to them??
?A complete reorganization from the bottom up.? Reisen II took a moment to eat some of her ramen. ?This includes a modernization of the complete fleet.?
?How? We haven?t done any research on ships since the insurrection.?
?The new ships that Gensokyo is building. The princesses managed to get a few of the new Youkai Cruisers to add to our fleet.?
?How many??
?We?re starting out with a full fleet of ten. And there?s rumor of a name change.?
?What kind of name change??
?They want the naval forces to be brought under the authority of the Royal Family instead of the individual prefectures.?
?I think I know where this is going.?
?They want to rename it to the Royal Navy just to piss off the British.?
Reisen took a bite out of the chicken she?s been staring at, while the regimental commander drank her tea. ?I?m surprised that I haven?t heard any of this.?
The younger rabbit shrugged. ?You?ve been cooped up here for a while, so don?t feel bad. But since I have you right here, I wanted to ask you about that new girl that?s joined us.?
?You?re talking about Sumireko.? Reisen eyeballed an oddly shaped piece of chicken. ?Master Yagokoro was so impressed with her progress that she gave her the rest of the week off.?
?Is she around??
?She?s doing research at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.?
A commotion came down from below the balcony, causing them to stop their conversation. Someone was being roasted because of a horse leaving a present on the front lawn. The horse in question was also being roasted by another officer, but kept a blank look on his face.
?Where does she fall in the hierarchy around here?? Reisen II asked.
?She?s not really in the LDC.? Now that she was done with her chicken, she opened up the container for her desert. ?She falls under Master Yagokoro for the time being, but she really belongs to Yukari.?
?I heard some of the nobles talking about her and complaining about Colonel Yagokoro gaining too much power.?
?Don?t they realize that she?s one of the writers of the Constitution and a founding member of our civilization? If she ever felt like it, she could easily take over the LDC.?
?You know how the nobles are, they always have to complain about something.?
Reisen laughed. ?I?ve forgotten how this place is sometimes.?
?I hate that I have to sit in on the staff meetings again.?
?That?s something that I don?t miss.?
Reisen II frowned. ?You know that the other commanders don?t like moon rabbits.?
?I know.? Reisen?s mood soured as she remembered the historical division between Lunarians and moon rabbits. ?I thought that with you being commander of a Royal Regiment, it wouldn?t be a problem. Guess I was wrong.?
The two sat in silence after that. A few minutes later, a wing of Lunarian airborne troops flew over the building, one of the usual patrols to keep order in the area. But the number of patrols were being reduced due to the festival that was being held in the nearby town later that night.
The monthly festival was a way for the moon people to forget about everything for a day. It was also a way for the LDC to make some money for rainy day funds. That was one of the reasons that Eirin had given her the half day. All that Reisen would do at the festival would tour the food stalls and watch the fireworks before turning in. But she liked it like that.
Down the hallway, the two moon rabbits could hear someone else being roasted. This time it was over not cooking the eggs right. It sounded like they were so raw the baby chicken was eyeballing the sizzling pan and that there were feathers everywhere.
?I just remembered that I have to go to the Capital Art Gallery tomorrow,? Reisen checked her phone. She was trying to see if she had any more messages about other matters tomorrow.
?I never took you for an art rabbit.?
?Master Yagokoro wants to teach me about how art can give you an insight into your enemy?s thinking.? Reisen took a bit out of the last sugar donut. ?She hopes that I can get the hang of it enough to teach Sumireko later on.?
?Didn?t some great admiral have that ability??
?Yeah, it worked wonders until he was betrayed by his bodyguard. Stabbing him right in the middle of what was supposed to be his most important battle.?
Reisen II was biting into a chocolate chip bagel and thinking about getting some milk as she thought about what she was going to say next. ?That?s?depressing.?
?Depends on which side of history you view it from.?
?I always hated those kind of responses.?
?Only because it?s true.?
?Some of the nobles have been saying that it might be time for that to happen again.?
?Why doesn?t anyone remember what happened during the Serene Insurrection and the Solar Festival??
Reisen II shakes her head. ?The sad thing is that talk like this doesn?t even bother me anymore.?
?It has been like this since even before I left.? With that the older moon rabbit stands up and collects her things. ?I have to tie up some loose strings in town before tonight.?