~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
The Oncoming Storm
The Dratini Farmer:
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.
The Dratini Farmer:
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.
The Dratini Farmer:
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.?
The Dratini Farmer:
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.
The Dratini Farmer:
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.