《OPERATIONAL DETACHMENT》 Operational Detachment chapter 1: Ordinary Night Sergeant Parker (Lucas parker) 6/4/2031, USS WASP, Philippine sea, 604 km from Guam, The crackling of fire soon invaded his ears. What was he supposed to do?, what can he do, all he could do was watch helplessly to change things as the fire engulfed the house destroying everything he loved, as it was before, and before¡­ and before, yet every time he is to bear witness this tragedy he feels no different, he feels as he was there all over again, seeing it for the first time¡­It was all his fault. The Fluorescent Lights Buzzing above drove him out of his sleep, his eyes automatically went to his watch, 19:30, it was time to get his ass up and work his shift, Lucas looked over the rack to see his rack mate Sawyer heading in to get some sleep. ¡°Anything I can expect for tonight Sawyer.¡± I say grabbing the attention of the man across from me, as I begin to get off my rack. And dawn my duty belt and cap. ¡°Some paper pusher fucked up the paperwork and now we have nearly double in some of our supplies and shit¡± said sawyer as he started to get into his rack. ¡°And that means¡±. ¡°It means you will be in the storage bay writing down all the extra cargo we have for tonight so we can compare that to the manifest and some other shit, you will see when you get down there now let me gets some god damn sleep¡± Sawyer said as turned away in his bunk getting ready for an good night''s sleep. ¡°Shit¡­ok well see you in the morning¡± I said heading out of the room, hopefully it won''t take the whole shift, I mean who wants to read labels all night, it is not appealing. One of the pros to having graveyard shift is that there less people around, and by less I mean a fuck ton. With being on a ship with 3,000 souls on board you don''t see this place being somewhat empty, with few marines and sailors walking about. Doing whatever their job entails. So getting graveyard shift is both a blessing and an curse, and trying to sleep during the day when there is a lot of activity. Entering the storage bay, Parker eyes come across the Lieutenant of his company leaning against an LAV-C2, an communications command vehicle in storage. Briefing a group of marines on what they will be doing tonight, though not Loved by the company, he was seen as one of the decent leaders of the group, and can be quite chill if you get on his good side. And luckily Parker is on his good side. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Good to see you sir¡± Parker said approaching once the Lieutenant sent away the marines to do what they were told, hopefully he was in a good mood today. ¡° Sergeant... I can''t say the same, now someone fucked up and now we ha-¡±. ¡°I already have been told the situation sir¡± I say though it was risky to cut off a Commanding Officer I''m sure he didn''t want to explain everything again. ¡°...yea how it went unnoticed for this long is beyond me, anyway get you and your squad to log all in the shit in the Depot 3 the others squads in the company will be logging depot 2 & 1 in¡± said Wilkins, it was quite easy to tell how fed up he is with this situation, by the scowl on his face anyone no matter how brain dead there are can tell how pissed he is right now. Doing inventory was not something no one wanted to do but hopefully last shift did most of the work and they could sit around for a bit after finishing it up, but now he must grab his squad and get to work. so off to the vehicle bay to grab his squad. Entering the vehicle bay, Lucas comes across his squad next to one of the new ACV well just one of his fire teams, most of his squad was on 2nd shift so he had to make due with who is available. Coming up from behind Lucas snatched a magazine from one of his squad members. ¡°Hey what the hell¡± said corporal James Madison, one of Lucas¡¯s fire team leaders in his squad. To be exact James was in command of fire team A, the only fire team that still uses the M249 instead of the M27 IAR. ¡°Is that how you act to your SL James¡± I say while looking over the magazine that I have snatched from him. ¡°Shi- wonderful night Sir¡± James said while Immediately standing at attention from his chair, nearly falling over in the process. ¡°Relax I ain''t going to kill ya, well not yet, anyways really? Hustler, come on man its not 2004 you can find better shit online¡± I say pushing the magazine into his chest. ¡°Well yes sir but we don''t have any connection to the internet out at sea¡± said James while Lucas could see him visibly relaxing, which was good, He doesn''t want the lower Enlisted to hate him. ¡°That is why you download that shit before, anyways everyone gather around I got what we will be doing tonight¡± it was going to be a long night, Lucas just wished there won''t be too many distractions. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°This is all just a shit show, I mean seriously we have been dealing with China''s constant harassment for about 5 years, it was manageable before that but now ever since they won the war against India its like their ego expanded 100 fold¡± James Said, he wasn''t wrong, it has been quite chaotic sense the second Cold War started, at least Lucas now knows how the US in the 1950-80s felt when going against the soviets, well it seems history always repeat itself. ¡°Yea I know, that Is why they are sending more Marines, because China might now be stupid enough to invade Taiwan now.¡± Lucas said leaning on the guardrail, looking over at the ocean. there was a strange calmness the ocean came off, like controlled chaos. ¡°At least Russia has been quite quiet since the Russo-Ukraine war, still can''t say who won that shit show,¡± he was correct. It was a pyrrhic victory. Who wins in that? ¡°but I don''t mind killing some Chinese peasant so I hope this shit blows up.¡± ¡°Yea I don''t want to end up like Jarhead, I''d love to kill something, that being some Chinese farmer or soldier...what d-¡± Lucas dropped his cigarette as the ship hit a large wave, watching it fall to the Ocean surface. ¡°Fuck.¡± ¡°Ha Tough luck sir¡± Said James with A smirk. ¡°Do you thi-¡±. ¡°Wait are you seeing that¡­the water¡­its glowing.¡± Then everything when black. Operational Detachment chapter 2: To Your Stations Sergeant Parker (Lucas parker) 6/4/2031, USS WASP, Philippine sea ?, ??? km from Guam, ¡°General Quarters, General Quarters¡­all hands man your stations¡± I haven''t heard that in awhile thought Parker. That alarm was something he always hated as it took anytime he could sleep away. ¡°Sir¡­Parker¡­Parker wake up¡± said an unknown voice. It sounded Frantic, as if the voice was calling out in a last ditch effort to..to¡­what? Parker woke up with a Jolt, adrenaline spiking through his veins. What was going on, are they under attack? Has China finally gone mad? Are they at war now? So any questions. Yet no answers yet ¡°what is going on.¡± ¡°I don''t know, I just woke up about 15 seconds ago, but the ship has been raised to condition 1. We are to get to our station¡¯s¡± James said, holding his hand out, to help Lucas up. Was the reason they black out so because the Wasp got hit by a missile? Yet he did not see any fire or billowing smoke. How long has he been out? ¡°Sir what is your order¡¯s.¡± ¡°Get to the armory, get our shit and link up with our squad at our station, simple¡± Parker said heading off, Not giving time for James to ask more questions, Parker turned to The once empty hallways of USS Wasp that are now active with Marines and sailors running about. ¡°General Quarters, General Quarters all hands man your stations¡± The Intercom repeated once again. As if anyone would still be asleep right now. ¡°Parker what the fuck is going on?¡± said a familiar voice. Turning around, Parker saw his colleague, Sergeant Bradford, the Leader of the 3rd squad in the company. Bradford was an old friend from back when he was at camp Pendleton during the golden days of his service but that was A story to remember another time. ¡°How am I supposed to know? The only people I believe would know would be the bridge.¡± There was a bit of venom to Parker''s voice but he knew that Bradford did not take it personally, And he showed that by being unfazed. So Lucas signaled for Bradford to come with him as they headed to the armory. ¡°got any ideas.¡± ¡°No, shouldn''t we report to Gunny¡± Bradford sounded a little panicked as he said that, I mean he was new to his rank and better yet Bradford had never been deployed outside the United States yet so this was all new to him. Usually we would report to a staff sergeant but he had to stay behind, back on Guam. So Our Gunnery Sergeant is acting as our direct command. ¡°No, if Gunny needs us, he will seek us out, just be at our stations¡­so all we need to do is be ready. Plus he''s probably reporting to his higher ups.¡± At this time Lucas and Bardford came into the armory, Looking around Parker could see the chaos going about as Marines and sailors put on Flak Vests and Helmets. It Felt as if they were about to Invade China. If there is A war¡­All Lucas hopes is that he won''t have to talk to the families of the men under his command. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Levinson (Richard Levinson) 6/4/2031, USS WASP, Philippine sea?, ??? km from Guam, ¡°General Quarters, General Quarters¡­all hands man your stations.¡± ¡°If the constant knocking at the door won''t wake him up then alarm sure won''t¡± Levinson Sarcastically said to himself as he got up from the bed. There was no time for his morning routine apparently as it seemed all hell has broken loose. Grabbing his Officers Hat from his table, He opened the door to find his Aid. ¡°Sir we have A situation¡± the aid handed him a coffee before following behind Levinson as they head to the bridge. Though everyone panicking was A bad sign, he had to remain stoic in order to make everyone calm down, if not then morale will crash and fear will set in. ¡°Captain on Bridge¡± someone yelled out as he entered the bridge. A flurry of activity presented itself as he entered the bridge. But that all suddenly stopped as they saluted me. ¡°At ease¡± Levinson said, with a hint of annoyance to his voice, Don''t stop because I enter, keep working or we will all die, Levinson thought to himself. Turning to the aid Levinson asked. ¡°What is the situation.¡± ¡°Unknown at this time sir¡± the aid said, shrinking back. ¡°Then what the hell is going on¡± Levinson said, cutting off anything else the aid was going to say. ¡°About 15 minutes ago everyone awake on the ship blacked out for approximately 30 to 45 seconds, no matter where they were, They all blacked out almost all at the same time, according to those awake at the time of the event¡± everyone quieted down A bit as the aid said that. Mostly in disbelief and doubt. ¡°This better be A joke¡± Levinson deadpanned. ¡°I am Afraid not sir¡± said the aid, seemingly regaining some confidence abruptly. This was A situation Levinson has never experienced in his 32 years of service. Actually Levinson was pretty sure no one has ever dealt with this issue before. ¡°What of our escort¡­are they dealing with the same issue.¡± ¡°USS Carney had to go back due to engine troubles¡­leaving us to rendezvous with 5th Fleet¡± the aid stated as Levinson took another sip of his coffee. ¡°Has the 5th Fleet had the same thing happen to them.¡± ¡°Sir we have been unable to raise anyone on the communications¡­Not even any civilian frequencies¡± Another sailor stated. Levinson once Stoic facade cracked upon that news, his expression thankful only his aid saw that, if people saw there leaders in distress then for sure Morale will plummet. ¡°What¡± Levinson said as if he was unable to believe what was said ¡°Have the ship on full alert¡± if this was A surprise attack on America, then It must be A EMP but if they took out Satellite communication, then how come they couldn''t talk to 5th fleet ¡°How long till we are scheduled to arrive with the 5th Fleet.¡± ¡°About 4 hours sir¡± the aid said. If that is true then it means we are in range of their communications. So why can we not get in contact with them? Just what the hell is going on? Operational Detachment chapter 3: Unknown Stars Sergeant Parker (Lucas parker) 6/5/2031, USS WASP, Philippine sea ?, ??? km from Guam Parker and Bradford watched as another F-35 took off into the pitch black for another flight patrol. Hours had passed since the Black out and nothing had happened, though nothing had happened everyone was still on edge, can you blame them it''s not everyday that you lose connection with all of the outside world. Or at least that is what the rumors say. But that is not what took Parker''s attention. ¡°The stars are different.'''' Parker said bluntly. ¡°The fuck you mean the stars are different¡­did you study astrology.¡± Bradford said dumbfounded, looking at Parker as if he just said the grass was red. ¡°Its astronomy you dumb fuck, and yes I had an telescope when I was an kid and because of that I can tell you the stars are different.¡± Parker said, coughing. something was seriously wrong. And to prove he was right, he needed A star map, and to his knowledge the only star maps are in the Tower. Though they lived in an age of information. Star maps used just in case of complete loss of navigation systems. It had been adopted back in late 2024 after the Atlantic Loss incident where an malfunctioning Satellite caused interference with navigation systems with commercial ships in the Atlantic, added a whole extra week to those ships routes. But that was not what was important right now. He must meet with Gunny about this matter. ¡°Hey Bradford, could you watch over my squad for a bit, oh and do not tell anyone what I said? I got to talk to Gunny.¡± Bradford Nodded, and with that Parker was off to actually put his old hobby to use. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Levinson (Richard Levinson) 6/4/2031, USS WASP, Philippine sea ?, ??? km from Guam Levinson entered one of the briefing rooms where Colonel Morgan Ranleen sat, the man that was in command of all the Marines on the ship. To be exact he was in command of the 5th Marines Expeditionary Unit that had been stationed on his ship and now he had been called by the man even after they just met an hour prior. Levinson observed that the room had few occupants that talked amongst themselves; there was the Colonel and 7 other Marines and sailors in the room, one being his navigation officer, and other high-ranking men within their respective branches. But that is not what took his attention. Why was there A sergeant in this meeting? Levinson questioned himself. ¡°What is this about? I have a ship to manage¡± He said alerting the group to his arrival as he sat down beside Colonel Morgan. The Sergeant, the poor thing jumped up at attention. ¡°At ease¡± He said to the sergeant. ¡°You shouldn''t be asking me that¡± Morgan said pointing over at the Sergeant who looked fearful which was normal when you are in front of superiors. ¡°Nice to meet you sir, I am E-5 Sergeant Lucas Parker from the¡­¡± ¡°Get to the Point sergeant!¡± one of the Officers said, coughing A little, it seems patience was running thin due to the dire situation they all found themselves in. or maybe it''s perceived as such, though it was no time to think about such things though Levinson. ¡°Sorry sir, To get to the point the Stars in the sky has changed¡± with that said Parker directed his Superiors eyes to the Star map that was on the table. ¡°This is what our sky looks like¡± Parker said once again before then pointing to the projector on the wall. ¡°And that is the sky that we see right now¡± even with an untrained eye they could see the major difference. ¡°How did you notice this?¡± Lucas said, prying his eyes off of the projector and onto Parker. ¡°Old Hobbies sir¡± Parker coughed out. Before sitting back down. Though he was slightly drowned out Another officer talked to someone over A radio as he spoke. ¡°We can''t really keep this away from the crew¡­they will find out eventually¡± Levinson pondered as everyone around discussed what this meant. Some were angry, Some were depressed and others looked lost. Levinson could not blame them. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Good work Sergeant Lucas we will have to take this into more than just consideration.¡± Morgan distractedly said as he looked upon the Projection on the wall. He wasn''t the only one. Levinson studied the image of the stars. There wasn''t much more to be said other than we aren''t where we were before. ¡°Well it seems we can''t keep this a secret as the sky has turned a different color¡± the officer who had been talking on the radio just moments prior said. ¡°It turned A different color?¡± Levinson asked questioningly. So many abnormal things had been going on that he did not doubt what the officer said. ¡°Yea as dawn struck you can see an Bluish green color in place of what would normally be A light blue sky¡± the Officer deadpanned it seemed as if everyone was getting tired of everything going on. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Parker (Lucas parker) 6/5/2031, USS WASP, (Location Unavailable) ¡°Firing Firing Firing¡­Speed reload.¡± The marines quickly reloaded as they tried to see who was faster, a common pastime for anyone in the military. Well it is to be expected as marines turn everything into a challenge. This time it looks like it was a tie between the 2. It has been multiple hours since daylight has come. But command wont let Parker and his Marines take off their flak vests, as they are afraid of an attack at any second. Earlier He was able to get dismissed by the Colonel, Allowing him to get as far away from command as possible. That meeting took longer than was expected but to think the Colonel and the Captain would show up...he was just not ready for that. Though what he had to say and show was very simple, It was nerve racking. Besides there are more pressing issues, Evidence suggests they are no longer on Earth. Or at least that is what most Higher ups came up with. Believing it is another story though. ¡°Hey James, How is Thomas doing, is he out of the infirmary.¡± Said Parker as he sat on some crates with James and a few other Marines while they watched the others carry out their competition. Thomas was another fire team leader within Parker''s squad. ¡°I talked to him about 2 hours ago, he said he should be good tomorrow, I mean that man can''t handle sea Sickness worth shit so it might be awhile sir.¡± James bluntly said while he kept his eyes on sharpening his KA-Bar. The KA-Bar, A old ass knife that was introduced during WW2 yet has stayed within the USMC to this day. ¡°Yea I asked him why he joined the Marines and Not the Army, and he said it was because of his old man¡± said a voice that sat on the other side of Parker. Turning he saw that it was the Squads Corpsmen, Hospital Corpsman Third Class (E-4) Landon Miyer, the Combat medic for Parker¡¯s Squad in the Marine Corp, well not for the Marine Corp but rather the US Navy, as Corpsmen were part of the Navy that had been assigned to Marine squads. an odd thing but much appreciated nonetheless. ¡°Yea I Joined because of my old man too, the reason I stayed though is another story¡± Parker said as he pulled out his phone. ¡°He what do you all think is going on back home.¡± ¡°Uh I mean they lost contact with us, possibly even the 5th fleet, so I bet they are on alert that''s for sure.¡± Landon said his eyes watching the competition unfold as 2 other marines joined in. ¡°How about you James.¡± ¡°Ah well I don''t know, probably what Landon said¡± James Distractingly said. His voice sounded sad, all he could tell was his voice was off. Parker was never good at reading emotions, in fact he is still to this day, surprised that he even got A wife. ¡°Hey man you good¡± Parker said Bluntly. ¡°Yea I¡¯m good I''m just worried about my family¡­you know it''s not everyday you lose contact with your loved ones.¡± James said looking down to his legs as he sat there. Parker put his hand on James Shoulder. ¡°Look I''m sure they''re fine it''s us that are in trouble, not them¡­just keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Thanks man, let''s just hope we get-.¡± James was cut off as an Voice came into the Vehicle bay. ¡°Land ahead, there¡¯s Land ahead.¡± Everyone looked to the Sailor as he called out from one of the many entrances to the Vehicle Bay before the sailor scurried off. ¡°Oh I gotta see this,¡± Parker said as he got up and walked to the exit with other marines and sailors that Including James, Landon, and the other members of his squad. The fact that Land was sighted in the middle of what was supposed to be the Philippine sea. It only confirmed what everyone thought. They are no longer where they once were. Aka they''re in a different world. but jumping to conclusions is an idiots game, So Parker will remain skeptical. ¡°Holy shit I was expecting an Island but it looks like an whole continent.¡± ¡°Jesus Christ!, Bradford you jackass don''t come out of nowhere like that¡± Parker said pissed, he was leaning on the railing. ¡°My bad, My bad¡­anyway¡¯s have you ever seen any land like that, those look like jungle mountains¡± Bradford said as he also leant on the railing. Parker looked over to a private who was also watching the Land. ¡°Ay private, Give me your binoculars¡± Parker said gesturing to the ones the private was looking through. The Private gave it without any second thought, that''s how authority works in the military. Taking a good look, Parker could reasonably make out the land ahead. ¡°It¡­it kind of looks like the Zhangjiajie National Forest.¡± The place where he had his first honey moon, but he decided to keep that last part to himself. Operational Detachment chapter 4: Regroup President Richard (Richard Walker) 6/5/2031, White house. Washington DC. Richard entered the Oval office with A fresh cup of Coffee. He was going to need it just by looking at the Huge pile of paper on his desk. though sneaking suspicion tells him that pile will only get bigger by day''s end. He expected this to be a pretty normal day. ¡°Has the Aid package for Colombia been approved yet?¡± He knew that the Senate is dragging their feet on the deal. But it should be good enough for them to agree on it. They are just trying to make a statement against him, they always do. A knock sounded throughout the room seconds before another aid entered. ¡°General Mattis is requesting you in the situation room, Mr president.¡± the Aid stated. ¡°God damn it I just sat down¡± He muttered to himself. He had just jinxed himself. General Mattis Would not call him into the situation room for something minor. So he should not keep him waiting, before even touching his paperwork he was already dragged away. Really makes him wonder who is in charge of this country. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard took another sip of coffee once he sat down, making sure to take the chair at the end of the long table. ¡°Don''t tell me. Another embassy bombing?¡± Richard deadpanned, unlike his predecessor Richard was a no nonsense leader. That was the reason he was Elected in the first place, well actually one of the 3 reasons, the other 2 is, He won''t take American deaths. and most importantly¡­he isn''t elderly, Like his predecessors. ¡°I am afraid not sir. At approximately 2200 hours we lost signal with USS Wasp around 650km from Guam. Since then for the past 12 hours we have been unable to get back in contact with her.¡± A shiver ran down Richard¡¯s spine as Mattis finished his little briefing. A ship that large could not disappear due to some rogue wave or any other natural means, without a trace. Meaning it was either something occurred on ship or it was sunk. And Richard could tell everyone was leaning on the ladder. ¡°At this time we must consider her lost at sea, Put the radius of the search to 200 Nautical Miles. If nothing is found in A week then expand that search to 250.¡± This would be bad if she was sunk, war is definitely going to be a possibility. And Richard did not want to be the president who started world war 3. But if the Chinese were involved with WASP disappearance, oh there would be hell to pay. ¡°You have 3 days to find anything before I have to tell the public alright¡± he told the assembled staff in the room. ¡°And you,¡± Richard pointed to his intelligence advisor, ¡°get me a troop movement of any nations that have A chance they could be involved in this. If there is any movement that coincides with the disappearance of WASP, tell me.¡± the aid nodded upon hearing that. It was A tall order even for the intelligence agencies. But he knew they could do it. ¡°I expect A report on my desk by tomorrow morning.¡± Turning his attention back to the paper in front of him. One thing did not sit right with him. If USS Wasp got hit by a torpedo or something. Then why didn''t they broadcast for rescue. Jamming military communications is plausible but to jam Emergency Frequency is not allowed. Even Russia would not do something like that¡­Unless this is A false flag¡­Just like USS Liberty. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Parker (Lucas parker) 6/5/2031, USS WASP, (Location Unavailable) A fucking Gas Giant. We are now orbiting a fucking Gas Giant, if the Foregin stars werent an good sign. Then the fucking unknown Gas Giant is fucking terrifing. What in the Avatar type shit is this. All they need now is big fucking trees and floating islands, god damnit. It had been hours since Land had been spotted and USS Wasp had been just loitering near the coast much to the annoyance of every Marine on board. Because of this, Parker and his squad, as well as others had been put on combat readiness for like 13 hours now. God damnit why cant shit cool down though it was best if he got it off his mind. So he turned back below deck. ¡°You dumb fuck, How the fuck would you not know!, Yelled Gunny ¡°you skull must be so fucking thick that 50 cal must fucking bounce off you, dumb shit.¡± ¡°What''s going on James?¡± Parker said as he sat beside him. ¡°I don''t know, the Private had been getting decimated by Gunny when I arrived¡­Is been going on for about 8 minutes now and he is still not done, must have fucked up big time.¡± James said. But something else took Parker''s attention. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°Thomas, you look less like shit now.¡± Parker said, which also grabs James attention as he looks in the direction where he is looking. Thomas Approached chuckling Dryly Before giving a sloppy salute and imminently dropping down onto a pile of bags. ¡°Fuck can I get off this ship yet¡± Thomas spat out, though it was muffled as he kept his face buried in the bags. ¡°Don''t worry my black fellow, we shall be leaving soon...hopefully.¡± it''s been a bit sense they had sent out some RQ-21 Blackjacks.The Marines Version of the UAV. though he was pretty sure that they just bought it off wish.com, But it works enough. They had even sent up some Navy drones that were on their boat. MQ-8 Firehawks. A Heli Drone that was on their ship for some reason. Either way they have been sent out into the ever growing landscape. A whistle sounded over the loudspeaker throughout the ship, before the announcer spoke again ¡°All non essential personnel Please make your way to Hanger bay for Assembly¡­I repeat All non essential personnel Please make your way to Hanger bay for Assembly.¡± This even stopped the Gunny from completely decimating the poor Private. It seems they might finally have some answer as to what is going on. and what their course of action is in the future. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, Marines,...Sailors, Protectors of Democracy. we find ourselves in an unknown situation. Our Horizon has changed not just in color but in shape. and I''m sure you all noticed what we now dubbed the blackout, you have all been feeling lighter like there is slightly less gravity. We have confirmed this to be true¡­though do not let this sway you.¡± Morgan went on. Morgan faltered as he spoke. Morgan steeled himself as realized he had to show that he was not afraid, nor was going to back down to the situation at hand. ¡°It was not by design nor by choice that we found ourselves in this Situation. And yet, here we stand, because of this let us remember the oath we swore. the promise we made to uphold the ideals of freedom and justice, no matter the challenges we face or the realms we traverse. For though the stars may be different and the sky an unfamiliar hue, our resolve remains unyielding, our commitment unwavering. Colonel Morgan explained, which somehow made the situation feel less daunting. This feeling kept growing as he spoke but yet it was drowned out by the onslaught of negative emotions that flowed through Parker¡­no flowed through everyone. Despite Morgan''s best efforts Morale was plummeting, every hour as the situation started to feel more¡­well terrifying. It was at this time someone went onto the stage, heading immediately to the Colonel. The Marine whispered to Morgan as he leaned in. Parker Noticed Morgan''s eyes widened from whatever the Marine said to him. ¡°It seems I will have to cut this short. At 9:00pm tonight all personnel who do not work in confined spaces, will have to dawn your M50 field Protective Masks." Almost every Marine in formation groaned upon hearing that. ¡°As for those who will be working within the ship you are to dawn facemasks for the foreseeable future¡­you are probably wondering why? You have most likely noticed that you may have been coughing a lot lately¡­we have decided to conduct an air quality scan, only to realize the air has small trace amounts of sulfur. Thankfully the density is small enough where it will take an estimated 4 weeks of constant exposure for it to start causing serious damage. So beware when taking off your Gas Mask or facemask.¡± He turned to Parker''s platoon as he gave out the current plan. ¡°7th Marine Force Reconnaissance, I know you are missing over half of your element to the point you only have one platoon. But you will be doing as what your name entails. You will be deployed in areas where we believe would be A good landing zone to set up an FOB, once there, scout the area for possible...¡± Morgan cut himself off as he realized he once again went into briefing mode. ¡°More details will follow later. For the rest of you, standby for orders in the future. for the pilots, expect to be conducting supporting roles for 7th MFR¡­Dismissed¡± with that everyone huddled up in their groups as they headed off to their area. ¡°Fuck yea first in as always¡± James said after an few seconds of silence, Parker did not respond. but rather Parker headed away from his squad and to his Second Lieutenant¡­Mark Lanward, The person in charge of his platoon. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Hours Later The Venom Engines whined as the rotors started to spin. Parker and his squad stood by the tower as they checked over their equipment one last time. It sucked that he had to sacrifice. Sorry, transfer one of his fire teams to Bradford. Due to his squad being down 2 fire teams. The fact a lot of squads were missing men is concerning, they were supposed to meet with the rest of the 5th Marine Expeditionary unit on Camp Marswell in Taiwan. but either way he knew Bradford would not be reckless with his men he was always seen as a cautious Leader. Not saying that''s wrong but to hesitate to act will get men killed. Their orders seemed simple: Scout out the beachhead as well as a one 1 kilometer around the area, and then get picked up. Very simple. But as anyone who has been in the military long enough can say. The most simple of plans can be the ones that go wrong just as much as complex plans. But his attention was taken as what looked to be A pilot approaching him. ¡°Are you Sergeant Parker?¡± The pilot yelled out as his voice tried to fight back against the sound of the chopper behind him, well multiple choppers, due to the other¡¯s starting their engines as well. Parker nodded as he didn''t bother to yell over the chopper¡¯s for such a small response. ¡°I am Corporal Denis. I am the crew chief for Venom 5 callsign State side. If you and your squad will follow me sir we can get going.¡± The Crew Chief directed his squad to the venom. At this moment it finally set in. command is literally using his squad to test the waters in this foreign territory. If we die they would call it off and try again elsewhere. Parker once again looked up to the blue gas Giant above. ¡°I don''t remember any of this shit in the bible.¡± he spoke to himself as he sat down and strapped himself in. He looked once more to his squad as they strapped in as well Before he looked back to the gas giant. ¡°This is all A fucking fever dream, its gotta be.¡± Operational Detachment Chapter 5: Landfall Reslica 6/6/2031, (Location Unavailable), (Location Unavailable) ¡°Hey Sis, you''re going out hunting again?!¡± Reslica Little Brother Lamqi said excitedly. As he ate his stew. ¡°Yes I am,¡± She said as she ruffled her little brother''s Head, even flattening his ears as she did so. She got up from the table to grab a cup of Tea, Taking a Sip she contemplated where she should go hunt for the day. However, she did need to go talk to the Forge Master first before she headed out for the day. ¡°Get a big one today Sis!¡± Lamqi said as she left their Home. which she only smiled and waved as she walked away, her bow slung across her chest Entering the Forge, Reslica came across The Forge Master Himself putting away some newly made knives. ¡°Ah if it ain''t the great Huntress of our Beloved Village. You are just in time, the Arrow tips are ready and can be attached to the Arrow with ease.¡± The old Forge Master Smirked as he said that. ¡°Amazing work as always Rithmis.¡± Reslica said, which was true, his work had always been great, With his creations outliving anything that any other Blacksmiths could make in the whole region. Which to be honest was not much due to how remote this village was to the rest of the kingdom. These would be perfect for her hunt. She thought as she looked over the arrow tips once again. ¡°Well thank you for everything¡± she stated as she put the new Arrowheads in her quiver to be tried later. To be honest she couldn''t wait to try out Kiron-tipped Arrows instead of Iozer Tipped. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Her Ears darted wildly as Reslica listened, trying to find where that damned Lek went off too. She had injured it, Most likely fatally. Her aim was impeccable there was no way her arrow could miss. Well, She was the best Hunter in her village. The idea of her missing her shot is unthinkable to some of her friends. Having lost the Blood trail a minute prior. Reslica was fortunate to have spotted it again as she kept searching. ¡°Gotchya¡± she mouthed to herself. She kept her bow ready as she slowly tracked the trail of blood that hopefully was leading to her kill. though Reslica just did not get too far. The Selvis have been spotted in this region so going too far from her hunting spot would be dangerous. Then again she has been in these woods since she was A child. So she could easily get away from those foreign invaders. Finally, after A bit of tracking the Lek came into view. It was slumped over in the grass, blood surrounding it as it lay there. It seemed not to move so Reslica approached it. Yup as she thought it died of blood loss. No wait, it''s still alive. But just too weak to do anything. Reslica unsheathed her knife positioning it right above the Neck of the Lek. ¡°My thanks for your Sacrifice.¡± She stated as she plunged her blade into it, Ending its life in an instant. Reslica sighed heavily as she pulled her knife out of the Lek. It was a good kill; she hadn''t killed one this big in two summers. She smirked as she thought about how Limsic would be jealous of her praise for having the biggest kill this year. Yet something else took her attention as Her ears darted in the direction from where An unnatural Noise was coming from. ¡°Who goes there?¡± She almost yelled out as she prepared her bow. Her heart started to race again as whatever approached. She sighed in relief as she lowered her bow as the little Tibar came out of the bushes. Only to find herself falling over to the ground Face first. Her head was pounding as whatever hit her. It¡­It felt blunt and by the Cosmic Gods. Though adrenaline filled her blood, she could not get up, As she felt the pressure of someone stepping on her, forcing her back down. ¡°Well well, what do we have here,¡± an unknown voice said. ¡°You ran a little too far girl. And it will cost you¡­ you Disgusting Savage¡± The Voice spat on her as she finally got a glimpse of who was holding her down. A Selvis, In fact, she realized there were Selvis all around her. She had fallen right into their trap. ¡°Oh, I will have fun with you.¡± What seemed to be the Leader said as He pulled Reslica towards him. ¡°Make sure this one is tied up properly¡­oh and one more thing.¡± the leader turned toward his group of Slavers ¡°She¡¯s my toy first you all can have scraps later.¡± Reslica Heart stopped as The Selvis said that, it finally set in just how screwed she was. She was going to become some rich Selvis plaything. She had to try and escape but with her being guarded by them. she will have to bide her time. ¡°Now take her to the Wagon with the others.¡± With that being said they tied her up. The chains around her neck made her feel as if she was just an animal. Which would fit as the Selvis always saw her race as nothing but animals. Lamqi I am sorry. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) 6/6/2031, Landing Point 2, (Location Unavailable) ¡°Go Go Go¡± The crew chief yelled as he pushed one of The Hesitating privates out of the venom, The other Marines in Parker''s squad took that as a Hint and got out of the Venom as quickly as they could. ¡°Thanks for the ride, I''ll see you around,¡± Parker said, shaking the Crew Chief''s hand before Leaving the Gunship. The rushing of wind almost made Parker fall over as the Venom left the Landing Zone. and back into the sky. Soon it became quiet with the distant noise of the chopper in the background. Parker Turned away from the Ocean. only to look to the dense jungle before them. ¡°Alright let''s see what we are working with here,¡± Parker said to himself as he opened his pack. Only to pull out a blank sheet of paper with only a couple of markings on it. This is the Map! I know they made it last second before take off but damn. ¡°David get up here I need my Spark¡± With that said Parker''s one and Only Radio Operator ran up to Parker''s position. Once he arrived Parker immediately grabbed the Handset from his backpack. ¡°Get me in contact with the boat.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We are Golden sir.¡± David said after taking a couple of seconds to tune the radio. ¡°This is Whiskey 2-1 we are on station beginning area sweep at this time Over¡± Parker spoke into the Handset. ¡°Copy that Whiskey 2-1, Logging start time of Patrol to 0642. Best of luck Over.¡± ¡°Copy that Over.¡± Parker said, returning the Handset to David''s radio Pack. ¡°Thomas, James get up here.¡± which then queued those 2 also to come over. ¡°Assume a Staggered Formation. Thomas, you will have Team B take point, James you will have Team A take watch in the back. The command element will assume formation in the middle. Got it?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± they both said in unison. ¡°Ok.¡± Parker points to the Landing zone on the map. ¡°We will first move Northwest to the base of that Mountain,¡± Parker stated as he pointed to the mountain in question. ¡°Once there we will Rest and get ready to move South from the position. Which eventually circles back to where we started. We have a 2-day deadline until we are marked for pickup. So we can take our time.¡± Parker stopped as he thought over all the info that was given during the brief. ¡°That should be all. any questions?¡± ¡°Uh..yes you what is your question¡­¡± these damned Tinted Masks made it so goddamn hard to tell who you were talking to without seeing their name tag. Though he understood why they started to implement them. I mean the psychological idea behind it, is honestly quite ingenious. I mean if He were to go against faceless Soldiers, he would Second-guess his decisions as well. ¡°Uh James here.¡± James said, picking up on what was causing issues for Parker. ¡°What are the Rules of Engagement again?¡± ¡°Do not fire unless fired upon.¡± Parker stated Getting up from the crouch position they had been in since touch down. ¡°Alright, shall we go? And be on alert, we don''t know what''s out there¡­Anyways SQUAD FORM UP.¡± And with that Parker''s squad headed out. However, Parker just hopes that the Other squads do not get into trouble. He Doesn''t want to Come back to one missing squad. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Hours Later ¡°Damn this just feels like camping, but with no chicks,¡± Thomas said as he almost tripped on a Tree root again. ¡°Chicks? Wait, I thought you were gay. Why would you care about Girls¡± James said from over Comms, ¡°Man screw you, you''re just mad because that Girl from the bar was more interested in me than you.¡± Everyone chuckled as they listened in on the Interaction between the 2 Fire team leaders. ¡°Wait wait hold on¡­Hold that thought. Parker, I need you up front.¡± ¡°Coming, what''s the situation?¡± ¡°I found a Road.¡± ¡°A Road?¡± Parker said with A hint of confusion in his tone. ¡°Yup,¡± Thomas stated plainly. Parker arrived at the front of the Formation, once he had set eyes on the Dirt Road, He finally realized. If there''s A road, then that means there is civilization. That means there are people. Civilized People. ¡°Good find Thomas.¡± hmm If they were to follow the road they might be able to encounter the people of this world. Which would be a lot more interesting than some other creature. ¡°Let''s move south and follow the road¡± If they could find a settlement then they Might be able to get more information about the situation they are all in. ¡°Yes Sir.¡± ¡°Stay on High alert. If there''s people then there will be violence.¡± ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Hours Later It had been A bit since they had started following the road, And honestly, the quiet was getting to Parker, luckily the Squad had been filling the quietness with small talk since the beginning. And of course, he had to be cautious when deviating from the plan so Parker had told command of his find and his plan to follow the road. And fortunately, they did not try to tell him otherwise. Though Since this was his Idea Parker decided to position himself and other members of the command element closer to the front with fire team B. ¡°Hold,¡± Parker said softly as he signaled for his Squad to stop moving ¡°Unknown Noise front, about 200 Meters, and closing¡± At that time Parker signaled for his squad to move off the quite Primitive dirt road. ¡°Assume A Concealed Position, Remember the ROE.¡± Parker said through the Headset as he ran to some brush on the side of the road. With both Fire Teams following suit. ¡°Mark get on that Cliff, I need eyes on whatever is coming.¡± Mark, Parker''s Marksman, no pun intended, did as he was told and started to climb the mini cliff that overlooked the road. By the time he was in position. Everyone was still positioning himself to have the best lanes of fire if shit hits the fan. ¡°Sgt I have eyes on what looks like a Wagon being escorted by 12 Military Age males who are riding what appears to be, what looks like a combination of A OX and A Horse, Over.¡± ¡°Copy that, do you see what they are escorting¡± Parker stated as he triple-checked his M27 one last time. ¡°It seems to be a prison transport¡­Oh fuck me, these people don''t look like criminals. Sergeant, I have eyes on what looks like to be No combatants. Old men, Children, and women. people who wouldn''t really be a criminal. Maybe Spoils of War?¡± wait what the hell did Parker come across? He could only think but not for long as the wagon came into view, christ the stench of it was disgusting, it didn''t help they were downwind as well. But just looking at it made Parker want to puke. The living were sitting right next to the rotting dead. It was like the Photos of the Holocaust when the Train carts were stacked full of Jewish people either living or dead. He had never seen such an abominable site before. All he felt at that moment was Hate. ¡°We are stopping this Wagon!.¡± Parker spoke into his headset with Cold and Calculating Hate, which the rest of his crew picked up on. ¡°But sir what about the Rules of Engagement?¡± ah yes the ROE, Screw it He¡¯s sure his command would understand his actions if he were to tell them¡­or he could make them incite them to attack him. Parker was following more on the ladder than the former. He will have to put that thought on hold though as the Wagon was almost to them now. ¡°This is Capture or Kill.¡± Parker was hoping he was reading the situation right. However, that would be hard to do wrong right now because of the blatant cruelty shown before him. He got up and started to walk towards the Road. ¡°Parker what are you doing!!!¡± Parker ignores James, instead only stating ¡°Open fire only if they try to attack me.¡± This was the only way to get around Commands ROE, Get them to show Hostile intent and then his boys would be completely in the right if they were suddenly to Kill them. He smirked to himself as his plan seemed quite solid. ¡°That Fucking lunatic¡± Landon Miyer said to himself as he got his IFAK ready just in case Parker gets himself injured because of doing something so reckless. At that moment the carriage was right in front of Parker. ¡°Hwllk Zevenhaller Glenhar!!¡± Operational Detachment Chapter 6: WTF!!! Reslica 6/6/2031, (Location Unavailable), (Location Unavailable) The silence was obnoxious. It had been hours since she had been thrown in the back of this Wagon. And the stench still would not let up. Trying to get her mind off things She once again looked to the other prisoners. Most were just like her either other hunters or kids who had just gone too far from the village. ¡°How did you end up here? She whispered to the only other prisoner who was A young adult. Silence followed a bit before he finally spoke up. ¡°I am a courier, I was just delivering Mail at the wrong place, at the wrong time.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± Reslica said once more as she then looked towards An elderly Man who looked like he would die any minute now. This time the elderly man spoke up after a few seconds of deliberation. ¡°I am just a simple Merchant. When I was suddenly ambushed by these¡­Cretin.¡± Before she internally, was panicking at the thought of her Village¡­Her Little brother may be in danger. Though as she studied her captors and heard the stories of the other passengers, Reslica realized that this group was too small to attack any villages, so were they a probing force? Are they just here to probe for future attacks? Yea, that must be it. And might as well capture people while doing such¡­Right? As the Wagon hit another bump in the road. She subconsciously moved herself to be in between the Kids and the rotting bodies of recently dead prisoners. They just couldn''t handle the starvation and the outside elements that came upon them all day and all night, not even a piece of cloth to shield them from the scolding sun and the cold brutal night. The kids have long stopped crying, their gaze is distant as if they had just returned from war. Oh by The Heaven¡¯s Might, A kid should never have a look like that on their face. If it comes to it she will sacrifice her own life, if it means the kids get a chance to escape. She once again looked towards the Leader of this group. A handsome yet ugly bastard, with a Scar across his face. Internally she damned the man. If she were to say what she was thinking then she would have a beating coming her way. ¡°Halt Who Goes There!!¡± Reslica Perked up at that. She looked towards one of the Selvis that was riding on A Qance, the one that spoke to be exact. The Selvis had Partially unsheathed his sword as he stared at¡­at¡­A forest spirit? The being in question was clothed head to toe in what seemed to be some sort of¡­she did not know, it was too foreign for her to make a connection. Whatever it was the clothing was patterned in this blocky style of Green, Brown, and Black. With some sort of Tan Thing on its Chest and with some kind of Sack in the back that was also Tan. But the most Foreign thing of this being was the Mask¡­or she thought it was a mask. It was black in its purest form. It was as if she was looking into the Void of A Tempmez Mirror. Yet this mask is connected to the sack on his back by some flexible pipe that was just as black as the mask. ¡°hEy AsSholle hoWw Ar You doiNg¡± The Forest Spirit said, raising its hands slightly. Reslica had never heard this language before. This only reinforced the idea that this being was foreign to this area, No this whole Region. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. A moment of silence passed before one of the younger members of her captor''s group spoke up. ¡°Captain, what is that?¡± ¡°It seems to be a forest spirit¡­I had never seen one that looked like this before. they are nothing special, Kill it, and let''s get out of this dump.¡± the scarred Selvis said disregarding the Being in question. She kind of understood why he was acting like that. Forest spirits are known for their healing abilities, not their attack power. ¡°Ok, Captain.¡± The young Selvis said as he dismounted his Quance. and unsheathed his sword as he approached the Forest Spirit. A loud clap of thunder echoed as the Young Selvis raised his blade, only for him to drop down to the ground. Looking back to the Forest Spirit it seems to be holding something in its right hand pointing it at the Selvis that is lying there, blood now flowing out underneath him. ¡°They Ave Sown Hostil inTEnt, fre tO eNgage¡± the Forest Spirit announced before a cacophony of deafening Claps of thunder sounded all around her. All Reslica could do was cover her ears and crawl up as screams and thunder erupted from the outside. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) 6/6/2031, (Location Unavailable), (Location Unavailable) ¡°They have shown hostile Intent, free to engage,¡± Parker said as he watched the quite sizable group of Scum drop like flies, as his group opened fire on them. A moan of pain came from right next to his feet. Looking down Parker noticed that the one he shot was still alive, without thinking too much of it. Parker raised his M9 to the Idiots head and shot him once again. Elf? Really we are fighting Elves? Come on, couldn''t be something cool. Like some dragon people. But no, at first Parker thought he encountered other Humans. But after he got a better look at them, they have a greenish pigment on their skin and golden eyes. Outside of that, he got some Game of Thrones-style Elves. Normally he would like to get a prisoner or 2, but at this time his squad didn''t care nor have the resources to do so. So Capture is an available option. but any information they would like to get would be from the soon to be liberated Prisoners. At this time the rain from the dark clouds above began to pelt Parker, And everyone else. Approaching the Wagon, Parker pointed his M9 to the Coachman who was raising his hands in front of him. ¡°Janzeg Janzeg, Lunto Haq Janzeg¡± Without any thought Parker shot the man 4 times in the chest. Watching as the body went limp and fell to the ground. ¡°Sorry, I Don''t Speak German or whatever stupid language you''re saying.¡± Parker Stated to the Corpse, there will be No mercy for Cowards who enslave others. At this time the gunfire started to stop, as it seemed that all the Elves had been Eliminated. This was probably the quickest Gun fight he had ever been a part of. ¡°Thomas, James, Report.¡± Parker said into his Headset. ¡°This is Team A, All threats are down¡­Area is secure.¡± ¡°Copy that, Casualty Report.¡± ¡°This is Team B No casualties Over.¡± ¡°This is Team A No casualties Over.¡± ¡°Good recover and then pull security, I don''t want any third party joining this mess. Man or beast.¡± Parker stated into his headset as he walked around back to the wagon. Finally, he looked towards the wagon only for himself to freeze in his tracks. ¡°what¡­what in the anime fuck is this. I must be going schizo.¡± ¡°Sir what is¡­What the fuck.¡± James said approaching before he froze in his tracks as well. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°First elves, now this.¡± Operational Detachment Chapter 7: Humans in Animals Skin Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) 6/6/2031, (Location Unavailable), (Location Unavailable) The rain continued to pour, mingling with the blood-stained ground, adding to the grim atmosphere that surrounded them. Parker''s gaze was drawn to a group unlike any he had ever encountered. They were unmistakably human in form, yet adorned with animalistic ears atop their heads. with tails that swayed behind them. And some show more of the said features in question. Most have Smaller Animalistic ears in front and the bigger ones on the head. While others had extra tails behind them. It was odd as if they were and weren''t the same species at the same time. They reminded Parker of the coyotes he used to hunt back on the farm he grew up in. ¡°They kinda remind me of finishing an assignment at the last second. ¡± James whispered to Parker. Caught off guard, Parker looked at James dumbfounded. ¡°What does that mean.¡± he stated with obvious confusion in his tone. ¡°Look at them. It looks like they were created in a hurry. Like whatever divine being, used a human as a template then just started adding stuff to them then BAM!! You got a new species.¡± ¡°...hmm I never really thought it that way¡­damn James, you might actually have a brain.¡± Parker stated as they stared at the Emotionally disconnected people. Well No longer Emotionally disconnected as it seems life started to breathe back into these people''s sense combat has ended. All except for one. A young girl who looked like she was in her late twenties. She looked more clean and less starved compared to the others. So she must have been picked up not too long ago. Parker reached out his hand only to see the younger members of the group flinch back. Sighing Parker retracted his hand from the group. ¡°Ay, Sir what you doing.¡± Thomas said as he approached the two huddled on the back of the wagon. ¡°Making myself less scary.¡± Parker satiated plainly as he fiddled with his Mask. Finally, he took it off, revealing his face to the Group. He tried to have the most friendly Smile possible as they stared at him with mixed emotions though Fear dominated their faces. Pulling out a Snickers Parker partially unwrapped it. Looking at one of the youngest kids in the group of refugees. He made an eating gesture before he offered up the Snickers to the little girl. Though only seconds passed it felt like minutes before the little girl Grabbed it. Inspecting it a bit before she took a bite. The switch in the behavior of the little girl was night and day. As if she was experiencing Sweets for the first time. which might actually be the case. It felt nice to make another person smile again, Especially a kid. This seemed to win over the trust of the adults that have been staring daggers at Parker as he interacted with the kid. Well shit, they were in no shape to look after themselves. he should have thought this through. Yet he didn''t. Where do they take them? Back to the boat? Or maybe take them back to a nearby village. Yeah, that is what they will do. If he can make relations with a faction within this world. Then he won''t get reamed. Parker put his Gasmask back on his face as he looked over his plan again. ¡°Landon I need you!¡± Parker said into his headset. Which prompted his Corpsman to come up next to Parker as he served the people in the wagon. ¡°You still got that tarp.¡± ¡°Yes sir, why do you need it.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Let''s get these people out of the rain alright, try and get the tarp over the back of the wagon,¡± Parker said before following up with. ¡°Once that was done, examine them. let''s not have anyone die from something easily treatable.¡± ¡°Roger,¡± Landon said though just like the rest of us he hesitated as he looked at them. Though he did not say anything, unlike the others. picking up on Landon''s hesitation he looked to the quite shaken up people in front of them again. ¡°Oh and take Maria with you. The ladies would most likely not be comfortable with a male examining them.¡± ¡°Marinara, get up here and assist Landon with the civilians.¡± Parker stated into the Headset once more. A ¡°Yes sir¡± was heard through the comms as he looked back to the wagon. The Latino should be able to bridge the gap between his squad and the now-liberated refugees. Her motherly charm should do the trick. Parker thought as a smirk crept on his face. ¡ª---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporal James (James Madison) 6/6/2031, (Location Unavailable), (some Road) This is stupid. Sure it was nice to be the hero and save some civvies but we have no idea what''s going on. These people could be on the wrong side of history, they could be aiding bloodthirsty barbarians¡­or something. This was reckless, So reckless. And Parker knows this. So why? WHY DID HE NOT PUT MORE THOUGHT INTO THIS? After a ton of gesturing, Parker was finally able to tell the refugees to drive the wagon to the nearest village they knew of. Well, at least that''s what they hope was communicated. And now he and his fire team are on Escort duty, or convoy security, Whatever you call it. The fact is they are now walking alongside this wagon for the foreseeable future. ¡°Sir, may I have a moment of your time?¡± James said as he approached Parker who was supervising the whole situation. Like a Boss who''s constantly Looking over your shoulder at work. ¡°Uh yeah, You are usually not this formal, what''s up James?¡± After a bit of deliberation, James decided to just get to the point of what he was trying to say. ¡°Well, it''s about this whole situation. This was Careless, Rash, it was just¡­just, Impulsive sir.¡± It felt nice to get that off his chest as if he was absolving himself of his sins. ¡°You''ve changed Parker I can''t tell when, but you''ve changed since we arrived.¡± Oscar''s emotionless Mask shows, nothing, no hint of emotion could escape its dominant feature as it obscured Parker''s face. Leaving James¡¯s imagination to do the heavy lifting as the black mask beared down at him. Luckily the same could be said for him. ¡°If you do not like how I''m handling this squad have a complaint you can fill out an Article 138 against me later.¡± His tone sounded slightly could yet cautious. plus like they would do anything. We are in the middle of a crisis for everyone on the boat right now. ¡°Look sir, you are endangering us. sure it was nice to rescue people but we should have at least taken more time to look over the situation in front of us Before we took action.¡± ¡°We will talk about this later,¡± Parker said dismissing James at that moment. He never really fought against Parker before, so this was the first time he tested the waters. But screw it this isn''t something that could be held off for later. ¡°Is this about Helen and the kids?¡± Parker stopped in his tracks upon hearing that, though he did not turn around to face James. ¡°The reason you were Careless is because you sympathize with their families right? Because you know how it feels¡­to lose someone.¡± ¡°Corporal if you say My wife''s name one more time. I will kill you¡­you got that.¡± Parker said, turning to face James again. His tone was the coldest he had ever heard from Parker. He fucked up. he pushed too far and Struck a Strong Nerve. Before James could respond Parker was already walking off to the back of the formation. ¡°Fuck¡± James said under his breath, Now he will most definitely not listen to him. This is bad real bad. He gives it a week before the squad completes fractures due to a difference in opinion. He''s already seeing it with his own Fireteam, With Mark who fully supports Parker''s quick reaction to this whole situation. Only Time will tell. Operational Detachment Chapter 8: Geysers of Fire William Tyems (Callsign HOA) 6/7/2031, (Somewhere in the sky), (Air Patrol 2) ¡°Huh i''m getting a signal northwest. Its faint but its there.¡± ¡°Maybe its one of the drones that went missing.¡± ¡°You want to bet on that.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°How about this if I''m correct you give me a 10 and finally tell me what HOA stands for.¡± ¡°hmm, I don''t know. Money is well¡­ either completely useless now or extremely valuable.¡± ¡°Come on you know how I got the callsign Cable.¡± ¡°A well-deserved Callsign, you can''t hit those carrier cables worth shit smith.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Cable said in an exasperated tone. ¡°Hell Of an Ass.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°That''s what it stands for, Hell Of an Ass.¡± ¡°How did you get it,¡± William swore he could hear Smith practically holding back giggles as he said that. ¡°Well it was during my second deployment after I got to do the flyover for the 2025 Super Bowl. I was getting out of my F-18 when suddenly the flight suit ripped. And you could understand the rest. It''s Bad luck I suppose.¡± ¡°Even when I transferred to the Marine Corps. I still could not escape the callsign.¡± at that statement. Cable couldn''t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. ¡°Shut it! Let''s get back on track.¡± ¡°Yea yea sorry.¡± The Pair of F-35s moved to intercept, their sleek black hulls glistened in the slowly dimming landscape around them. A Stealth Fighter that now found itself Crippled of all the functions modern Technological Innovation gave it, with no radar, there was no stealth, with no enemy sam sites, there was no Electronic Warfare. At this moment, it was just a priced-up 4th Gen. But yet its teeth lay sharp as ever, showing the aircraft''s surprising adaptability within this new environment it found itself in. But now, it seems new challengers lay waiting for its arrival in this new world. ¡°what do you think this thing is doing,¡± Cable said which prompted William to look at his radar screen again. ¡°Looks to be circling something.¡± Wiliam commented as he observed the screen in front of him. Its estimated location dipping, only to reappear on the other side of the imaginary circle that the pilots had imagined. ¡°We are about 6 minutes out.¡± ¡°Yea I should call this in.¡± ¡°TOC this is AP 2-1, we''ve encountered an unknown signal on our flight path moving in to visualize at this time, 12 minutes out over.¡± William let go of the Transmit button. waiting for a response to come, A response that took its time. though it was only seconds, it felt as though minutes went by before an answer finally came through the comms on his helmet. ¡°Copy that Air Patrol 2-1, keep us updated on the situation. It''s your call.¡± the comms officer responded. ¡°Copy that relaying.¡± with a sigh he brought his attention back to the situation before himself. ¡°I think it''s finally kicking in.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°What''s kicking in?¡± Cable asked curiosity plane in his voice. ¡°This whole situation, the fact that every single person I know and love, will probably never see me again, nor would I ever see them again.¡± William said, his eyes move to look at the blue gas giant, just like all the other Marines and sailors on board WASP. ¡°I prefer not to think about it,¡± Cable said plainly, with a hint of pain in his voice. ¡°Hold that thought, Smoke front.¡± Turning his attention to what was in front of him only to see smoke that looked like it came from an oil fire, A huge oil fire. ¡°Double time it,¡± he stated, activating the after-burner, effectively cutting their intercept time down to about 30 seconds. The bright light from the F-35s Afterburners made it look like 2 shooting stars were passing overhead to anyone below. Soon they where upon the smoke. ¡°Is that a fucking Dragon!!!¡± Cable and William said in unison. just what in the fantasy shit is this, excuse my language but did he just join Game of Thrones. But the bigger the issues. The fire they saw was a village!, actually more like a city by medieval standards but nonetheless this is bad. ¡°W-what do we do in this situation.¡± ¡°We do what we can.¡± he is going to kill a dragon, this is going to be a story that will be passed down through generations. well if he survives to tell the tale. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Reslica 6/7/2031, (Location Unavailable), (Location Unavailable) 1 hour prior ¡°Then the Drill sergeant flips shit. Calling this Recruit all sorts of names. that I''m pretty sure if said today would get you kicked out of Marine Corp.¡± sighing Reslica''s ears angling away from the rowdy Savors. Just by their mannerism, they seem more like mercenaries than the Noble Forest spirits that heal the weak. ¡°I don''t think they saved us out of kindness.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Reslica said turning to A fisherman within the group. ¡°Well look at it this way, they will probably get a reward for saving our mortal souls, if they don''t then they will probably ransome us to the nearest village and be on their way. They seem to be mercenaries more than spirits.¡± ¡°You will disrespect our savors in such a way! In their presence! Are you mad!.¡± She whispered angrily. This idiot could get her killed if they heard him, though turning her attention back to the forest spirits, they seemed to show no notice to what he said, maybe they really have no clue how to speak or understand her language. They will need a translation seal if they want to get anywhere with her people, that''s all she knows for certain right now. ¡°Though you are not wrong, you better not say anything like that again alright,¡± she added. The man hanged his head as a sign of acknowledgment, or maybe he just didn''t want to get scolded again. The warriors converse in little groups around the wagon, forming a type of perimeter. She couldn''t help but feel as though they were stealing glances their way, as though they are just as curious of them, As she is of their strangeness. that leader though, his skin looked just like a keskin¡­just like her. A soft white that is known for most variations of keskin. Though he did not have ears or a tail, it was curious, Very curious. Suddenly a beam of light shot out from one of the soldiers, nearly every person in the wagon looked over at this weird spectacle. Some with panic in their eyes, as their ears dart up looking to uncover whatever threat might be out there. Was it some attack spell the warriors were casting? yet another question for the pile that was forming. ¡°It seems you startled them Mark.¡± one of the warriors said looking at the wagon. Amused Mark looked over before approaching the wagon displaying the weird bright tube-like torch. Reslica stood in awe as he showed it off. ¡°Flashlight.¡± he said before he suddenly tossed the torch over to Reslica, who was barely able to catch it, she held it in awe as everything she pointed at was illuminated by the strange torch, it was amazing, such a complex tool, she loved it as if she was a blacksmith looking at an expertly crafted blade. Holding this ¡°Flach Ligh¡± up to her arm, she was amazed to see the light shine through it, and on top of that it did not burn her when she touched it, such sorcery. It was only when she saw some of the marines running forward, it was when she did look up. A soft orange glow came forth, in the direction of¡­ her home. Without thinking, without any notice she leapt off the wagon, running straight in the direction of the soft orange light. ¡°Wait!.¡± someone yelled though she didn''t understand the word so it must have came from one of those strange beings, so she paid it no mind as she ran off in search of her home¡­ her brother, oh her brother. He better be safe, oh he must be safe. That little boy was the very reason why she decided to keep living, if something were to happen to him¡­it would be all her fault. She ran and ran and ran, as fast as she could. The scent of her home was getting closer by the second. Finally, she reached a clearing within the forest, she could see it, her home. But ablaze. A Dracarnan, why is a Dracarnan here? The beast breathed anger and hate upon the town. its flames engulfing most of the town square adding more to the screams and smoke. the fires illuminating it perfectly against the night sky. it was out hunting, why this far south? she never heard of one this far south. Before she could run into the fray, a hand grabbed her arm holding her in place, ¡°Don''t.¡± Looking back she could see that it was a leader of those strange warriors, the one they call ¡°paRker.¡± Before she could say anything most definitely break free, A thunderous roar came from above. One that struck the sky with beams of light. Operational Detachment Chapter 9: Thunders Wake Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) 6/7/2031, (Location Unavailable) (Unknown Village) ¡°Don''t.¡± she would just be a charred corpse if she just rushed in there parker thought. Christ it¡¯s a dragon, maybe he is losing his mind. Parker thought to himself as he held onto the weird animal lady''s arm. He would love to help her but with that thing torching up anything that moves¡­it''s a death sentence. Parker looked over the Large village, from his vantage point, the village itself seemed to have nestled itself in a large cove, allowing easy access to the sea, it looked more and more like your typical fishing village, but just bigger. Before he could do anything else, a roar came from above, one that even spooked the big ass flying lizard. He knew that sound anywhere, F-35s, the Flyboys came in clutch this time. The dragon hovered about, its attention now squarely on the f-35s as they started to turn around. ¡°David get up here!!¡± Parker yelled as the rest of the group finally arrived at the clearing. ¡°get in contact with those jets, make sure they know we are here. And for the love of god, get me some firefighting support as well.¡± Parker stated to which his radioman nodded. The dragon roared again flying to meet the pair of F-35s BOOOM!!!! Only to be shot out of the sky with a defining explosion, the sidewinder hitting it directly in the head. just as Rathyeon and General Electric intended, everyone stood in shock as the corpse of such a devastating creature fell to the ground, swatted from the sky like it was a simple fly. Well everyone except for Parker''s squad. they hooted and hollered as they watched capitalism at work. ¡°That¡¯s got to be the most anticlimactic boss fight I have ever had.¡± James stated turning his head back to the area where he was pulling security. The threat has been dealt with, just like that. But that did not stop the locals from fleeing as they now tried to seek shelter from the F-35s that circled overhead like sharks in the water. Parker let go of the young woman''s arm, after a couple of seconds of gawking she finally got hold of herself and began to run down to save whoever she was so fanatical about. Parker turned to the expressionless masks of his fellow compatriots ¡°Help who you can, this is not an order, but rather I am asking you as your leader, as your friend. Remember hurricane Mawelll in Venezuela, It didn''t matter that they were not Americans. they needed help and we answered. So should it matter now.¡± Parker paused his eyes roaming over the marines in his command. ¡°I am going into that hellscape either way.¡± ¡°Hell, I don''t mind being praised as a savior.¡± James said, mostly trying to ease the tension in the group. This spurred his compatriots into action, as they all started moving past him. Parker couldn''t help but feel a sense of pride wash over him as he looked at them. ¡°Wait.¡± Mark, I need someone to guard David as he''s on the comms.¡± Mark nodded, not arguing in any way as he walked back to the wagon. Parker''s breath quickened, as he once again looked at the distant flames. Those in the wagon just watched on, as only two of the marines remained by their side, the radio operator and the marksman. Some action music would be nice. Parker thought to himself as he moved to the outskirts of the town. His eyes lingering on the dragon''s corpse as he jogged past it. It Held a weird type of armor, like what you would see on an armadillo lizard. He would love to take a picture. You know, for history and fame, and bragging rights too. But desires, should not cost lives. He has learned that well. ¡ª--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The stench of death permeated the air, with the fumes of the fire and smoke. He had never been so thankful for wearing a gas mask before. If it weren''t for it, he would have passed out by now. Parker lurched into a stack of boxes, the rough wood tearing at his leg, but the sting barely registered. His breaths came short and shallow, his eyes locked on another house, a wall of flames devouring it whole. He willed himself to look away, but the inferno only fed the memories clawing their way back to the surface, vivid and relentless. Get it together. He had to. He pushed himself upright, his hands trembling as he took stock of the chaos around him. His crew was scattered somewhere in the smoke, and he was grateful for it¡ªgrateful they couldn¡¯t see the fissures cracking his mask. They couldn¡¯t see the weight of a past that wouldn¡¯t let him go, the struggle behind every breath. He needed to stay strong, to keep their confidence. But, in this moment, he wondered if that strength was something he could still summon. Wait¡ªwas that? Yes, it was¡ªthe woman from the wagon, the one who had been frantic when she arrived in the village. She lay slumped in the street, probably weakened from smoke inhalation. Parker pushed himself to his feet and approached her, her eyes lifting to meet his with an expression he couldn¡¯t read¡ªdespair, perhaps, or something close to it. ¡°I¡¯m going to get you out of here, all right?¡± he said, kneeling down to check her for any visible injuries. Thankfully, she appeared unharmed, just exhausted and shaken. He didn¡¯t know who she was, but she needed help. With a slow, shaky hand, she pointed down the cobblestone street toward a small two-story building. Embers had already ignited the thatched roof, spreading across it in a pattern of sizzling destruction. Without another word, Parker reached down and helped her up, letting her lean on him as he guided her down the street. She murmured, ¡°Lamqi,¡± her voice barely audible. He guessed that Lamqi was someone¡ªor something¡ªimportant to her. She had been calling for this Lamqi earlier, her desperation evident as they had arrived at the village. Determined, Parker braced himself as they made their way toward the burning building, hoping he could find whatever she¡¯d lost in time. Though only seconds passed by, it felt like an eternity as he practically carried the woman to her door. ¡°Stay here.¡± Parker stated as he set her down against a wall. Even though she did not know what he said, he still felt like saying it. Parker finally reached the door, his mind fixed on finding this ¡°Lamqi.¡± ¡°What is this, anyway?¡± he muttered, wrestling with an odd hinge that wouldn¡¯t budge. Ah, screw it. Slinging his rifle, he braced himself and kicked the door, each blow forcing the wood to groan and splinter until it crashed open, much easier than he¡¯d expected. Smoke billowed out, thick and choking, swallowing the room¡¯s details as he stepped inside. It felt strange, violating the sanctuary of a stranger¡¯s home. Not that it resembled much of a modern home¡ªjust a single, bare room that served as both kitchen and dining area, with minimal furnishings and a staircase tucked to one side. It reminded him of something out of a medieval history book. He muttered a silent thanks for the gas mask before moving further in, his rifle at the ready, his CQB training taking over as he methodically cleared the room. Upstairs, the smoke thinned, allowing him to make out the other side. ¡°Lamqi,¡± he called out, only to be met by silence. He was about to turn back, convinced he¡¯d have to look elsewhere, when he noticed a faint flicker of movement near the bed¡ªa small, quick flash of a tail. Lifting the edge of the bed, Parker found himself face-to-face with a young boy, maybe nine years old, his skin pale white in stark contrast to the black fur on his tail and ears. The kid was almost cute, in a surreal way, though he trembled with fear, holding a small blade defensively toward Parker. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Parker backed up, raising his hands slowly to show he meant no harm. ¡°Lamqi?¡± he asked again, his voice softening. ¡°You probably can¡¯t understand me, but you need to get out of here.¡± The boy¡¯s face remained set in wary defiance, his grip tight on the blade as firelight began to dance across the walls. Flames licked their way into the room, casting a warm, ominous glow that promised what was to come. No time. The roof could cave in any second. Parker moved in quickly, grabbing the boy despite his desperate attempts to stab and squirm free. The kid flailed, swinging his tiny blade wildly. Parker sighed, disarming him with a quick flick that sent the blade clattering to the floor. Right on cue, the boy¡¯s face crumpled, and he started sobbing, convinced, maybe, that this stranger meant to harm or enslave him. The display was both horrific due to its implications and exhausting. With a deep breath, Parker adjusted his hold, trying to shield the child from the encroaching smoke and heat as he prepared to get them both to safety. ¡°Im a Marine not a fucking caretaker.¡± Parker announced to himself as if that would do anything. he hoisted the kid up on his right shoulder like he was a bag of rice. Before Parker could dwell on it, his radio crackled to life. ¡°2-1, come in. Over.¡± ¡°This is 2-1, send traffic.¡± ¡°Parker, I¡¯ve made contact with command. They¡¯re sending birds our way, ETA seven mikes¡­ And the ship CAP wants to speak with you.¡± The last part gave Parker pause, and he took a breath before pushing through the main door and out into the street. ¡°Copy. Tell him I¡¯ll get to him when able.¡± He set the kid down, who threw weak punches at him before trying to scramble away, only to be caught in a tight embrace from behind. Realizing it was his mother, the child stilled, and the two clung to each other, trembling with relief and sobbing as if they¡¯d nearly lost one another forever. Parker averted his eyes, feeling something unsettling, a pang he couldn¡¯t quite place. ¡°Thomas, James, how¡¯s it looking on your end?¡± he asked over the radio. Outside, the thick smoke began to thin as locals and his squad worked together to contain the fires, preventing further spread. Breathing was easier now, especially for those without masks. ¡°Myers set up a makeshift med post at the docks. We¡¯re treating any civvies who make it here,¡± came the reply. ¡°I¡¯ve got around forty civilians in the town square, moving them toward you now. Good to see you¡¯re still in the fight, Parker. We thought we¡¯d lost you for a minute there,¡± Thomas added. ¡°So, I¡¯m the only one who got lost in the smoke?¡± Parker muttered, a hint of defeat creeping into his tone. ¡°Kind of,¡± Thomas replied with a faint chuckle. ¡°We regrouped quickly. I tried raising you on the radio, but you didn¡¯t respond.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Sorry. I got preoccupied.¡± Parker¡¯s gaze drifted to the mother and child holding each other tightly. Before he could dwell on it, a loud crash shattered the moment, making them all jump as the house he¡¯d just exited collapsed, the fire finally weakening its foundation. Parker looked up, catching sight of the gas giant casting an eerie glow against the black sky. The rain earlier had been brief; he found himself wishing it had lasted longer, enough to douse the flames. ¡°Myers, I hope you¡¯ve got more room because I¡¯m bringing more locals with me,¡± Parker called over the radio. He gestured to the mother and child, signaling for them to follow. But as they moved, both the mother and child suddenly froze, their ears perking up, catching Parker¡¯s attention. He heard it too¡ªa deep, rhythmic thudding growing steadily louder, each beat rumbling through the air as it approached, shrouded in smoke. The locals looked bewildered, glancing at each other, some readying to flee or fight. But Parker knew what was coming. Fortunately, with a town-sized fire blazing, he wouldn¡¯t need a flare to guide in the reinforcements. The deep, thunderous thuds filled the air, each beat intensifying as it drew nearer, until it seemed to hover right above them. The woman and boy clung tightly to each other, likely reeling from one shock after another, unaware they were about to face yet another. The CH-53E Super Stallion burst through the smoky haze, its massive rotors sending ash and flames swirling, momentarily clearing the air. Suspended beneath the metal giant, a huge container of water hung in a sling. Parker tried to recall the name¡ªprobably a Bambi Bucket, the kind used by firefighting helicopters to douse flames.Parker placed a hand on the woman¡¯s shoulder, hoping to reassure her that they weren¡¯t about to be devoured by this mechanical beast. She looked up at him, her expression softening slightly, as though she could sense his calm despite the gas mask obscuring his face. He gestured for her to keep moving, and she nodded, scooping up the child in her arms as they continued down the street. Behind them, the Stallion released its load of water onto a burning building, a massive splash extinguishing the flames until they hissed out entirely. Then the helicopter rose again, retreating toward the harbor to refill and continue its firefighting run. As they walked, Parker took in the surroundings. The cobblestone streets and simple buildings looked increasingly like something from a medieval fantasy, each step reminding him just how foreign yet oddly familiar everything was. He caught snatches of the woman¡¯s whispered words, ¡°Clamistky, reentary,¡± the syllables both harsh and melodic. If only I knew this language already, he thought, the struggle to communicate gnawing at him as he glanced back at the towering plume of smoke. ¡°Hey, you! Down the street!¡± Parker called out, spotting a figure moving quickly through the smoky haze. ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± he yelled, raising his rifle. After the bizarre things he¡¯d seen in recent days, he half-expected a creature out of a nightmare¡ªa Wendigo wouldn¡¯t even surprise him at this point. ¡°Parker, is that you?¡± The voice was familiar, and he immediately lowered his rifle. ¡°Marinara! Good to see you,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Please, sir, it¡¯s Maria,¡± she replied, clearly exasperated. ¡°Well, if you hadn¡¯t snuck seven jars of marinara sauce into the barracks¡ªwithout even having noodles, I might add¡ªI¡¯d call you Maria, on a side note, who even does that.¡± he shot back. Her head fell a bit at his words. ¡°All right, all right, if it bugs you that much, I¡¯ll stop,¡± he said, offering a rare truce. Maria let out a sigh of relief and then gestured to the woman and child Parker was guiding through the streets. ¡°So, who are these two?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t gotten her name yet, but she¡¯s from that wagon we escorted earlier. And I think this little one here is her kid.¡± Parker nodded toward the boy clinging to his mother. Maria¡¯s face softened as she looked at the child. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you adorable?¡± ¡°You really can¡¯t resist anything cute, can you?¡± Parker remarked with a smirk. ¡°No human can,¡± Maria replied. ¡°There¡¯s a reason we joke about humanity¡¯s tendency to pet anything cute, no matter what it is.¡± Parker nodded, his gaze shifting to the four humanoids trailing behind Maria. They looked exhausted, coughing and struggling to keep up, the smoke clearly taking a toll on their lungs. Thankfully, the thick haze seemed to be dissipating more rapidly. ¡°Oh, god¡ªParker, you¡¯re bleeding,¡± Maria said, noticing his arm. She grabbed him by the wrist, pulling it up to inspect the wound, already rummaging through her IFAK. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Parker stopped as he finally noticed the blood caked on his forearm. ¡°How did this happen?¡± Maria asked, pulling up his sleeve and quickly cleaning the wound before wrapping it in a tight bandage. ¡°I think¡­ the kid over there.¡± He nodded toward the boy, a part of him embarrassed of having a little kid draw blood on him. ¡°The kid?¡± Maria looked at the boy, her confusion evident. ¡°Don¡¯t feel like explaining right now,¡± he replied, relieved when she didn¡¯t push further. She released his arm once the bandage was secure, and he flexed his hand to test it, grateful for the quick patch-up. ¡°Thank you Maria.¡± Parker said after inspecting the wound himself. ¡°Hey, can you bring me to the Harbor?¡± ¡°Yeah can do. I don''t think there''s anyone I can help now, pretty sure that most of the town''s population is at the harbor now.¡± The Latino began to move back in the direction she had come from, in which Parker followed. Those both following Maria and Parker followed suit. he did not know what they thought he was to warrant following them like followers of Christ, but he did not mind it. Nor did he care. ¡°Man I just want to sleep.¡± Operational Detachment Chapter 10: Changing Tides Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) (Human) 6/8/2031, (Control Tower) (USS WASP) 1 day later The Captain sat down, glaring coldly at Parker with irritation, and¡­ what might be gratitude. He shivered to think of what that meant. ¡°So¡­you mind telling me why you didn''t bother calling in this whole situation until it was out of your control?¡± Levinson said, his eyes not leaving parkers, beads of sweat began to form on parkers head as he had this one-sided staredown with the one in charge of all operations involving this vessel. ¡°Your radio operator reports that you did not even make an attempt to report your encounter to TOC. You, however, did not report this in your accounts of the situation.¡± Oscar bowed his head, He would most likely be demoted, or worse, article 15. It had been two days since the fire in the village. USS WASP sat loitering a reasonable distance away from their port. All forces had been pulled out hours after the last fire was extinguished, just to keep tensions low. Sure just by gestures and the tail wagging most of them showed, that they were grateful for the help, but we don''t want to be seen as conquers by occupying their home. Though we did set up FOB (Forward Operating Base) near the beachhead we made, that was the only holding they had at this time. ¡°You were afraid we would have you just abandoned those people¡­am I right.¡± Parker looked back into the eyes of Captain Levinson. He was reading him like a book, yet he remained silent. ¡°I don''t blame you. I would probably do the same, let''s be honest, you will probably have been told to watch and observe.¡± Levinson stated, showing understanding of the predicament that Parker found himself in. ¡°Still because of your actions you jeopardized the safety of your team. And possibly the safety of every man onboarding this ship. that, I can not ignore, you have possibly started a war with that other nation. however.¡± The Captain got up from his seat dusting off his uniform as he did so. ¡°Thanks to you, we have possibly made an ally in this new world. And better yet a possible bright future. Saving another can work wonders on negotiating. Congratulations Staff Sergeant.¡± Parker sat up as well when he heard that, his mind was rolling as he listened to the change in rank. ¡°Let me get this straight I''m not the one promoting you, I don''t have that power nor do I think you should be promoted for this. Colonel Morgan Ranleen on the other hand believes your initiative and your independent actions are both commendable and a needed trait for our current situation.¡± grabbing his paper cup of water, Levinson looked out the small window in the room. ¡°I disagree with him in that case.¡± Levinson finally said, taking a sip of water. ¡°If it wasn''t for Morgan being busy with the construction of FOB Royalty I wouldn''t have to have this conversation.¡± ¡°Sir, Wait!. I don''t understand, am I not getting punished?¡± ¡°Oh you will be Staff Sergeant, since you brought us into this, it''s only fitting you and your squad will be our point of contact with them outside meetings with leadership. Don''t get me wrong if you step out of line one more time, it''s your ass Staff Sergeant. Congratulations, you will be playing politics as a marine.¡± ¡°You are kidding me right?¡± ¡°I am afraid not. you will be my escort in the village. We step off at 0700 tomorrow morning. We are going to see if we can meet with their leadership after everything cools down. With that final statement, Levinson left the room, leaving Parker to wallow in his befuddlement. Just wonder what the future will hold for him. And¡­how mad will his squad be at him? ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Melka Luns (Princess of the Kingdom of Wintkin) (Animalistic Humanoid) Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. 6/8/2031, (Royal Palace) (Capital of Wintkin) Melka opened the door to the throne room, it was empty say for the Queen and her advisors who were discussing something. another border incursion by the Selvis? Or maybe one of the named Dracarnan appeared. ¡°Mother, I have returned.¡± Melka said, giving a courtly bow once she approached the throne. She had finally returned from the Outerlands in the north, that bare wilderness might be the key to a safe future for her people. So a lot of interest has been put into the mapping of that territory, and finally, she is back home. She was expecting to have a grand welcome but no, the place lay cold and boring just like the city that surrounds the palace. So just what has got them so distracted? ¡°Ah, Melka, your home!¡± Queen Velmes Luns got up from her throne and approached Melka, before suddenly giving her a strong bear hug. Even though she was in armor she still felt like she could not breathe. Which really went to show how much her mother loved her. If anybody else were to say her name in such an informal way, they would be punished severely. ¡°What''s got you all on edge?¡± she said, pulling away from the embrace. ¡°The slavers have taken the fortress city Zenman.¡± one of the advisors said coldly. Silence took over the room for a bit before the conversation started back up. ¡°nearly 70% of our territory is now lost.¡± The queen said, a terrible tone in her voice As the heir of the kingdom, she had to read up and study all events past and present, all to be the future Heir to the kingdom. At this rate, there will be no kingdom left to rule by the time she takes the throne. ¡°Any ideas.¡± Melka said already knowing the answer to that question. ¡°We have tried everything we can possibly do.¡± another advisor said. ¡°Something will come up, have faith in the forge father.¡± The queen said once more, taking a seat on the throne. Before the discussion was brought back up, an assistant came in. Upon his shoulder was a messenger bird. The bird''s chest bore the insignia of the Eastern Borderlands. Quickly walking forward, the assistant bent down and offered up the message to the Queen. ¡°A Message from the Qella village.¡± Queen Velmes said, opening up the scroll. A fishing village contacting the royal palace is somewhat hard to believe. What would make them do something so¡­bold? ¡°An army?¡± she said, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it. ¡°Mom please elaborate, are the slaver''s forces in the region larger than we thought? ...what''s going on?!¡± ¡°A large Naval force has made landfall in one of the fishing towns on the east coast.¡± everyone stiffened upon hearing those words, I could mean death for the kingdom for all they know. ¡°According to witnesses, they wear garments fitting a forest spirit.¡± The queen stated, Forest spirits huh, maybe they revere such beings to the point they dress as them, though tales beyond the sea often show how our understanding of the world can be turned upside down. ¡°They have not shown hostility yet, but that may be because they are trying to gauge us first before striking.¡± the queen added, Her tail nervously swished ever so slightly. ¡°We must send our force down there now. We can not afford to open up another front.¡± one of the advisors spoke loudly, hatred evident in his tone. ¡°Agreed¡± another advisor added. ¡°Mother allowed me to take the 8th Royal Guard to push the invaders out,¡± Melka stated, silencing all others in the room. ¡°You want to take the only elite force protecting the capital and march east with it? That''s outrageous.¡± Someone in the crowd said. Chaos erupts all across the room, sowing discontent amongst the crowd. ¡°Silence!¡± The Queen bellowed, In an instant, the crowd fell to silence. ¡°Melka, my lovely daughter, you have just come home. I don¡¯t want to see you leave so soon.¡± ¡°Mother please, as the princess of this kingdom it''s my duty to defend our lands, from armies to famines.¡± the queen sat silently pondering her words. ¡°Please give me this chance. We have always been on the back foot of this war, at least let me get a chance to fight in it before it''s too late." The room sat in silence after her words, nobody refuting her request, it was obvious that she was determined to make the enemy bleed. ¡°Alright if it''s what you wish. I will allow it.¡± the queen said after some deliberation. ¡°Take a sky hunter squadron as well.¡± ¡°Thank you, mother.¡± Melka said, giving a bow. ¡°Just stay safe alright.¡± Queen Velmes said concern evident in her tone. ¡°I will mother¡­I will.¡± Operational Detachment Chapter 11: 2nd Contact Staff Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) (Human) 6/9/2031, (Port Side Boat Deployment) (USS WASP) ¡°?Happy nation, livin'' in a happy nation?¡± ¡°?Where the people understand and dream of the perfect man?¡± ¡°?Situation leading to sweet salvation?¡± ¡°?For the peo-?¡± ¡°Alright, that''s it, everyone¡¯s on board.¡± Thomas said as he stashed a cigarette pack in one of his pouches. ¡°Why are we using Boats when we could just fly to the shore?¡± ¡°Well probably due to the fact that Command has realized that fuel scarcity is now a thing.¡± Parker stated as he looked over the 2 RHIBs, Inflatable hull boats used by the USMC and many other militaries for river and other water operations. maybe in another life he would have bought one for fishing. ¡°We are recon marines, not bodyguards, we shouldn''t be doing this.¡± Thomas stated, resuming the conversation from earlier. ¡°An order is an order, ain''t much we can do.¡± Parker retorted. ¡°Hey on the bright side, we can go check out those chicks in the village again. ¡°Ah you''re right, most of them are hot. But will I be considered a furry if I were to hook up with one of them? ¡°Yes¡± James said, walking up to their conversation. ¡°Well, I think it''s who you hook up with.¡± Parker said, ¡°Those who just have the ears and tails, I think are not furry, but the ones that have splotches of fur over their bodies¡­yea furry for sure, especially the few we saw that looked more like a beast than man.¡± ¡°Eh maybe, but some sure do like Frankenstein''s monster.¡± James said after a moment of contemplation. ¡°I think that they were an experiment more than anything.¡± ¡°Yeah, an experiment over a hundred generations.¡± ¡°Let''s talk about this later, Thomas, James, make sure to give a good impression, some people here are quite nervous, and have yet to set foot on land since the blackout. Reassure them by your presence." The two gave a nod before walking off. The time has come to start diplomatic relations with these animal people, Captain Levinson, some officers, and any important staff within the ship were to ride ashore in hopes of talking to those of power on their side, or at least that is the plan. He''s just the protection detail, so he was given the water-down version of what we wish to accomplish. Before he could ponder further his company''s 1st Lieutenant came over, an unreadable expression on his face. ¡°Parker, how''s it going over here.¡± ¡°Good sir, VIP¡¯s aboard, waiting for the go-ahead for security to embark.¡± ¡°Good¡­but I got some bad news, whiskey 3 has gone missing, Bradford¡¯s Squad¡­I know you two were close so I thought to inform you myself.¡± the world seemed to shy away, the only thing he could hear for a moment was the ringing of his ears. ¡°I''m sorry what did you say sir.¡± Parker said certain that he heard wrong. ¡°Whiskey 3 is missing, We lost contact with them yesterday, They were supposed to be done with their reconnaissance after the withdrawal order but no response. We have search parties looking for them now but no luck.¡± ¡­The world seems to get smaller to Parker, one of his first friends in the core is MIA, no not just a friend, family, that man was there for his wedding and now he has vanished! No, not like this. clutching his chest he begins to hyperventilate. The world seemed to shut itself off, all he could hear was the ringing of his ears. ¡°Parker, Parker!, I understand how you feel, but now is not the time, Just keep your guard up out there. There is an ocean of unknowns before all of us, and we don''t know what we might encounter next.¡± he said, snapping Parker out of it. ¡°You''re right.¡± ¡°I''m sure they will turn up soon.¡± ¡°Thank you sir for informing me of this.¡± ¡°Be safe out there.¡± the 1st Lieutenant patted his back before ¡°Alright rest of you load up.¡± said someone from behind Parker. Allowing him to occupy his mind with the only thing he could think of, his job. After everyone was aboard the winch began to slowly lower the 2 boats down onto the waters beside the ship. of the boat roared to life turning in the direction of the cove the settlement was placed in. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reslica (Animalistic Canidae Humanoid) 6/7/2031, (Eastern Territory, Kingdom of Wintkin) (Chesk Fishing Village) ¡°Have you found some proper living arrangements yet? Rithmis asked putting away some materials in his forge, A bulky man with with that sat on his head, his characteristics fit a drake more than ever since her home was burned down, she and her brother have been living from house to house, living off of the generosity of others, the idea of being indebted to others is something she wanted to have nothing to do with, but at this moment it was her only option. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I expected as much. Even if you are our best hunter, no one wants to invite more people into their home. Most homes are already overcrowded, especially with refugees.¡± Rithmis said matter-of-factly. ¡°Wish I could help but I''m occupied as is. Since those strange people on that huge grey-colored boat out there haven''t collected the Dracarnan parts, I have to, or else disease will be rampant in what is left of this town. Plus just imagine all the cool Weapons I can make with those parts.¡± He said, his eyes practically glowing at that remark. Dracarnan, or Dragon to use the old language. Its parts are known to be some of the densest materials a backwater blacksmith could possibly get his hands on. Not to mention that some parts could be used for Alchemy. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I understand.¡± she said, a solemn look on her face. ¡°Hey, any ideas about what they might ask for in return for helping us?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Rithmis said after a moment of contemplating. ¡°Those metal beasts must cost a fortune so money ain''t an issue, maybe food, but we don''t have much to offer there.¡± ¡°Well, maybe a place to stay, but then they do not need to be nice to us if they want that.¡± she added, ruffling the fur on her little brother''s head while she contemplated the situation. The little kid looked unbothered as he played with some of the tools in Rithmis¡¯s workshop. As if they had summoned him, a Village official came into the Forge. ¡°Hey Rithmis, the weird forest spirits are coming, they might be here for the Dracarnan, so wait off on harvesting till we know what they want.¡± ¡°Oh come on, why must you tease me like this.¡± Rithmis almost yelled as he threw one of his many tools to the ground in frustration. ¡°Hey, I''m just the messenger.¡± The official stated before heading off. ¡°where are you going?¡± Reslica said, watching as Rithmis began leaving as well. ¡°These people use otherworldly tools, and I want to see more of it.¡± he said before disappearing through the doorway of the workshops. She would be lying to herself if she didn''t want to see those marvelous tools they have. Reslica walked out of the forge carrying her brother as she did so. Content that maybe the future will not be so bleak for them. And hopefully her aunt will be back home soon. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The harbor was crowded with most of the village''s population, 8 of the village elders approached, as 2 small black boats came up to the docks somehow they moved with great speed, without a paddle in sight. the men in the black masks disembarked after securing their boats. Instead of the blocky green and brown, some wore black or white uniforms, they were laced with gold on the edges, with a golden emblem of a bird that sat atop their hats. Where they were some sort of nobles, their leaders for sure. Either way, they all had those unsettling black masks, just why do they wear them, a religious symbol, if so why did he show me his face when we first meant it? The first people to get out of the black boats were the men from before, they moved about as though they were surveying the area of threats, definitely guards for these nobles. Wait, its him, the one that saved her from slaver¡¯s, the one that saved her in the streets, and the one that saved her brother from the house fire. His blocky patterned uniform still bore the burn marks from the ash that fell on his frame during the fires. such luck that their paths intersect 3 times. He seemed to have recognized her as well, as he looked at her, giving her a little wave as he did so. She couldn''t help but blush, her 4 predatory ears flattening on her head, the moment was a fleeting thought as time quickly moved along. She watched amongst the crowd as both sides of leadership tried to interact with each other. ¡°PleAsure to mEet you.¡± One of the Nobles spoke, approaching the elders. ¡°Great life to meet you¡± one head elder said as they greeted each other, or at least tried to. but after some gesturing the elders conveyed for them to follow. And so they did, it was only a moment but it felt as though it lasted an eternity. As the possible ambassadors left, with their guards in tow, the crowd slowly dispersed, some staying to see the sail-less boats, and if they could chat up those who were left to guard the boats. but the current language barrier will make that difficult. She started to leave as well, as her brother needed to rest. to when another official came jogging over to her. ¡°High huntress Reslica, it is to our understanding that you were one of the first to encounter these strangers.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± she said, still confused as to what they are getting at. ¡°The elders would like you to attend this diplomatic meeting.¡± Being dragged into politics is never a good thing. but saying no would make her look bad, so after a bit of deliberating she decided to accept the offer. ¡°Alright I will do it.¡± ¡°Good, come with me.¡± ¡°What about my brother, I cant bring him with me.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about him.¡± Rithmis said, causing Reslica to jump at his sudden appearance. ¡°By the Highlords! How are you so silent?¡± ¡°My apologies, I just overheard your conversation as I was examining those fast boats of theirs. I don''t mind taking care of the kid for the day.¡± he stated like a grandfather getting to spend time with his grandkids. ¡°Well Lamqi, do you want to spend the day with Rithmis.¡± she asked, gesturing towards the weaponsmith. ¡°Yeah!¡± he said enthusiastically, after a long 10 seconds of deliberation. She set him down, finally allowing her arms to rest after carrying him since her arrival at the harbor. ¡°Well then thank you for your help Rithmis.¡± she said, giving an appreciative bow. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± he said ruffling the kid''s head. ¡°Do you want to see how I make my swords little one?¡± he asked the kid, but she could not hear his answer as she was guided away by the official. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Hour Later She uncomfortably moved in her seat, she made sure to sit far away from the strange militaristic people. There was an uncomfortable silence as they took their seats. It as a shame that our baron was off to war right now, because no nobility was available, it just meant village officials had to take the role as representative. A couple of Scholars came into the village hall after everyone had taken their seats, in their hands was a mana-engraved wax, as well as parchments of paper, the words glowed with a dark blue, which seemed to silence there guests, as they beheld the scripture, once the scholars had finished setting it up, they approached the leader only to hesitate, there eyes on his pristine white and black uniform. It would be seen as an insult to sully such wears with a seal, so they guested that they needed to place it on someone, after a bit, the leader of the group brought one of the guards forward, Probably being ordered to, he stepped forward. Even with the mask she could see that he did not want to be a sacrificial lamb for us. Which did make her smile a little at their great suspicion, it was just a translation seal, but to them, it could be some sort of blood ritual. They chattered amongst each other. About what? She did not know. Lining up the seal, on his odd chest plate, they finally pressed on wax and stamped it, sealing the paper on his chest. For a brief second A soft glow began to emanate from his body., causing his compatriots to jump back in alarm, with some surprise, but stood their ground. ¡°What is this a purity seal from 40k¡± ¡°Greetings, it''s a pleasure to finally be able to speak to you.¡± one of the elders said, causing the man to jump back in surprise, nearly bringing up the strange loud weapon they use. ¡°How-how can I understand you now!¡± ¡°Yes you can thanks to that Translation seal.¡± ¡°Excuse my rudeness, I am Lucas Parker, Staff sergeant within the United States Marine Corp. An expeditionary force of the United States of America. I am speaking on behalf of Captain Richard Levinson, Commander of the amphibious assault ship USS WASP.¡± he stated, keeping his hands behind his back. ¡°Then let''s start with the first question: why are you here?¡± Parker listened and then said the question back to his commander. In which he gave a reply for him to say. ¡°To be honest, we are lost, we have suddenly been transported into these waters about a week ago.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you are from beyond the sea?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± he responded, after a moment of the two whispering. ¡°Alright next question: Which god do you serve?¡± After some whispering between the two, Parker responded ¡°We don''t serve one god, but we consist of multiple different religions, with our largest being Christianity.¡± ¡°How odd.¡± one of the officials commented. ¡°Never heard of a god named Christianity.¡± another official added. ¡°It would be rude for us to interrogate our guests like this, especially when they saved us. So the last question¡­What are your intentions?¡± Once the commander was informed of the question, he started unclipping his mask, revealing his face beneath the void that was his mask. A face that was quite similar to most people of this nation. ¡°In the short-term friendship. in the long-term¡­A possible home.¡± Parker stated in response to the captain¡¯s words. Maybe these¡­Marines aren''t so bad, Reslica leaned back in her seat, content at the idea that this possible Gem mine could aid them in their war for the right to survive. Operational Detachment Chapter 12: Devil dogs need a break too Staff Sergeant Parker (Lucas Parker) (Human) 6/10/2031, (Eastern Territory, Kingdom of Wintkin) (Chesk Fishing Village) ¡°What a fucking day.¡± Parker said looking up at the glowing night sky, thanks to the gas giant, most of the nights feel more like a vibrant full moon, making what would normally be a pitch black night back home a vibrant low light night, becoming the perfect world for their night vision. Well that''s if we aren''t facing away from the gas giant. After a couple of hours of Parker wearing the mystical translation purity seal. it had shown that he wasn''t slowly dying or something else, so others began to use these seals as well, with Levinsion having one placed on his hat. So there was no need for him now, he was dismissed. ¡°hearts and minds.¡± Levinson said. ¡°Mingle with the populace,¡± Levinson said. How is he supposed to do such things, when it''s in the middle of the night? Let''s be honest it was just his way of saying fuck off, do stuff, be productive. That''s probably what he meant. finding an alley obscured in shadow, Parker sat down against one of its walls, watching the little number of people walk about. Unable to handle it anymore, Parker ripped his mask off, talking in the cold Sulfer-tainted air around him. The stress of all this was getting to him, he lost his family, His closest friend is missing in action, hell he even lost his own world. He really can''t take much more of this. The motion of breathing in and breathing out is all he could do at this moment. That was all he could think to do right now. Was this an anxiety attack? He did not know, he never had gone to a doctor about this before. ¡°Parker?¡± some said walking up to the alley. Glancing over, he saw it was James. ¡°Oh hey.¡± Parker said, exhaustion evident in his tone. ¡°You look like shit.¡± ¡°Yea, I don''t think I''m going to renew my contract next term.¡± a small smile showed itself on his face. ¡°If you get a chance too.¡± they chuckled as James sat down besides him. ¡°You got a cig.¡± Parker asked. ¡°They''re worth more than gold now, but sure.¡± James brought out 2 cigarettes, handing one of them to Parker as he did so. ¡°I got these from Thomas, so ask him if you want more.¡± Parker brought out a lighter and lit both of their cigs.¡± After a bit of smoking in silence, Parker spoke up. ¡°Hey, James.¡± ¡°yea¡± ¡°I want to apologize. You are right, this whole situation was too close to me, and it clouded my judgment, especially back at that holocaust cart.¡± ¡°I want to apologize too, I overstepped back there, and brought up something sensitive.¡± ¡°I guess we both have some regrets about what happened back there.¡± the two once again chuckled, as the alley they sat in felt evermore lively. ¡°I need some sleep.¡± Parker says getting up, ¡°wake me when it''s time to rotate security. I''m going to take a nap by the boats. ¡± James nodded. With that statement he started to walk off. You would think that getting a new rank means you wouldn''t have the same position, but here he was, still a squad leader. Which really goes to show how cut off we are from the rest of our world.. Damn it''s been like a whole week now, though it feels as though it has been months. How time can be so warped in their minds? trying to navigate through these streets is something else at night, especially when you have only been in the village for about a day now. He put his mask back on, any longer could cause problems with his health for the day. He crossed another alley only to do a double take. His eyes fall upon that woman he had saved from earlier. A makeshift tent was set up in the alley, though it was sloppy. It could still be called home for any survival enthusiasts. Amongst her was her kid, yeah it was her kid, it was hard to tell with all those blankets he was wrapped up in, I guess since their home burnt down, they were currently living off the streets. ¡°Well we can finally speak to each other at last.¡± She perked up at his words, her ears angling in his direction before she turned her head to face him, a mixture of surprise on her face. ¡°It''s you again!¡± ¡°I''m glad you''re alive, all my hard work would have been for nothing if you were to kick the bucket.¡± ¡°Kick the bucket?¡± she said back confusion fused with her tone. ¡°Just a term we use, don''t worry about it.¡± Before he could get back on subject, she spoke first. ¡°Let me express my thanks for saving me and my family not just once, but twice. You don''t understand how much this means to me and my culture. I am forever indebted to you.¡± ¡°Hold up, no need for all that, I was just doing my duty as a United States Marine.¡± Parker stated, or at least that''s his excuse for his actions. ¡°Well anyway, what is your name?¡± ¡°Reslica.¡± ¡°Well Reslica, I am Lucas, but you can call me by my last name, Parker.¡± ¡°You have a last name? I didn''t realize I was dealing with a person born in nobility .¡± ¡°I, huh what? I am no noble, do you not have a Last name?¡± Parker asked, leaning against one of the alley walls. ¡°We don''t really have last names, We more or less use our home village as our last name, so my name would be Reslica Chesk.¡± ¡°How interesting.¡± Parker commented. ¡°So why are you living out here? I know your home has burned down, but there''s still gotta be some friends you could live with.¡± She looked down upon his words, Not conveying much emotion. ¡°Homes are already flooded as is, I was just unlucky and couldn''t secure a place to live in time. There are only so many people that the remaining homes can take in, hospitality can only go so far.¡± ¡°Damn, Even if you have a child you couldn''t find a place to stay.¡± he gestured to the sleeping kid. ¡°Oh my, that''s my brother, not my child.¡± she shook her head dramatically, embarrassed for some odd reason. ¡°But yea, there''s many families here that need help more than me.¡± Parker''s eyes went wide at her words, if that was her brother then that meant, her parents are dead. with her home now gone as well¡­well that''s a hell of a thing to go through. ¡°Do you not have some relatives you can live with?¡± ¡°I wish but my aunt is on a trip to a trade city, she won''t be back till the start of winter.¡± She stated. Parker took a moment to think about how to help her, but before he could say anything. Reslica spoke up, ¡°If you don''t mind me asking, why the mask? Is it some religious symbol?¡± Parker shook his head, ¡°No, it''s not religious. when we first arrived here we found your air to be tainted with sulfur, making it difficult to breathe and as well as shortening our lifespan. that''s why I didn''t give you a mask or a cloth back at the fire. if you can breathe in sulfur daily then breathing in some smoke shouldn''t be life-threatening, priorities and all that.¡± ¡°Ah, well thanks again for that, you allowed me to gather my strength when my body was so weak, I hadn''t eaten or slept at all that day, and it hit me hard as I tried to get to my house.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°How about you come with me? We set up some tents for you all back at the harbor, I''m sure you can use one to spend the night in.¡± out of kindness, and to show good intentions they had set up 2 repurposed garrison tents, since the word was put out to set them up while he was stuck dealing with diplomacy/politics. He still hasn''t seen what they look like yet. ¡°I must refuse you all have already done alot for me.¡± her face grimaced at those words. ¡°Don''t worry about it, plus I''m lost so I do need directions.¡± he said, chuckling a bit. ¡°If you insist.¡± she said, scoping up the sleeping child in her arms. Parker grabbed her lantern and followed her as she held on to what little belongings she had. You gotta do a good deed when you can, or that''s what his old man said at least. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The moon cast its enchanting glow on the harbor, illuminating the encampment from the darkness, its synthetic lights blazing like beacons against the warm, orange glow of the surrounding buildings, which seemed to slumber in the night. showing both the Marine''s technological superiority and their foreign understanding of the world order. ¡°I''m back.¡± he said to a pair of guards as he approached. Before him was his Radio operator David and his medic Landon. The two talked as they sat on some barrels that where already at the harbor when they arrived. ¡°Hey Parker, what''s with the company?¡± Landon asked, looking over at Reslica. ¡°Ain''t that one of the girls from our first encounter.¡± David commented. ¡°Yeah, she''s currently homeless with her little brother. So i''m just trying to do a good deed, and let them find a place to stay for the night.¡± Parker retorted. ¡°What, are you trying to get to first base?¡± The dumbass known as Landon said. ¡°Screw you, you haven''t even been on a date since you began your time in the Marine Corps.¡± Parker shot back. ¡°Alright just don''t come calling me if you get shot up.¡± Landon stated, in which David got into the middle of the there soon-to-be argument by changing the subject. ¡°Where are you even going to put her, the tents are full.¡± David asked. ¡°Then I will let her stay the night in one of our supply tents, one without all our important or sensitive gear.¡± Parker said back. ¡°Well that tent is mostly empty. The squids have been funneling resources in all day, but that is where they are storing water and MREs, you can probably let her stay there for the night.¡± ¡°If she needs anything, I don''t mind helping, maybe I could tell her about the word of god.¡± David commented, one of his hands resting near the cross he etched on his mask a way for others to identify him more easily. ¡°Maybe another time you could spread Christianity, but now''s not the time, so keep that bible in your pocket.¡± David was sometimes too devoted to god, that it started to rub off on the rest with his preaching. Parker didn''t mind it but sometimes he needed to read the room. And in this case he might have a field day with a whole world of non-believers, showing god''s love through helping others had to be his favorite pastime. He really got to ask why he would join the USMC in the first place with his contrast to what a regular marine would be. ¡°Follow me.¡± Parker spoke through his mask, as he turned to face Reslica. ¡°Okay.¡± she said quickly. She seemed embarrassed that this whole conversation was surrounding her, or at least that''s what he guessed. They made their way into the supply tent, finding a stretcher he set it up in a far corner of the supply tent. placing her lantern on one of the Harden Boxes, after a bit of work, he had made this dark corner of the tent into a little home. ¡°See this, this is a propane heater, it produces heat. he pushed down on the button and after a few seconds clicking noise began to sound, before a small spark ignited causing the inner frame to glow with heat, creating warmth, this seemed to surprise Reslica, her tail no longer moving about, but stood frozen only for a moment before wagging with more vigor, she reached out her hands feeling the warmth from the Heater. ¡°Make yourself at home.¡± Parker said, looking at the makeshift bed. ¡°Thank you I really mean it, Whatever you desire, may it be my body or¡­.¡± ¡°Woah woah, I am not helping for a prize like that!!!...I just.¡± Parker stammered, walking back a couple of steps as he did so, his hands out like he was surrendering. He sits down on one of the boxes after a second, ¡°I am not looking for anything like that, you see My father once said, your life is only as good as the others you support.¡± Parker took a moment to gather his thoughts before he spoke again ¡°I think he meant that one who helps and supports another is one that will have the most support when they too need help themselves.¡± Replica watches Parker, her tail not even twitching. It''s usually back and forth motion behind her disappearing showing her attention to his words. ¡°I didn''t put much thought into what he said, in the beginning, but after I too lost my home, I found those I helped, reaching out to support me, and I will tell you this, I had little support when I needed it.¡± Lucky for him, the mask blocked any emotion that may have been on his face as he said those words. ¡°So I decided to support others that need it the most. My little mission I gave to myself, all because I know how it feels to be lost.¡± ¡°I see¡­Thank you.¡± Feeling embarrassed for venting to her all of a sudden, Parker quickly sat up, ¡°well I must get going gotta take care of a squad¡±, he quickly began to leave the tent. His footsteps were quick and precise as he did so. ¡°Wait!¡± Reslica said, but it was too late Parker was gone. A soft smile crept on Reslica¡¯s face, which Parker got a glance at before leaving the tent; Outside he was greeted by David and Landon who had seemed to have heard a bit of it. ¡°It seems someone has a crush.¡± one of the two said. ¡°Shut up.¡± Parker quickly retorted, Grown men can be so childish at times. Right as he entered his squad''s tent, and was about to take off his gear to have some oh-so-sweet sleep, his hand-held radio flared to life, ¡°Whiskey 1-7 to Whiskey 1-1 come on over.¡± ¡°This is 1-1 send traffic.¡± ¡°Cap and the others are coming out now, seem¡¯s Diplomacy has finally Ended.¡± ¡°Alright, I''ll be there.¡± Parker began to head back walking past Lucas and David who looked at him questioningly. ¡°You alright?¡± ¡°I''m fine.¡± Parker said, waving them off. As he walked past them, their heads tilted as he headed out once again. The streets were still quiet as the morning light crept up in the sky. That was the last thing he thought before a blade was pressed against his neck and the chilling words that followed. ¡°If you value your life, you will do as I say.¡± ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maz Paskel (Humanoid, Elf) (Commander of the Selvis High Guard) 6/10/2031, (Capital, Selvis Empire) (War Room) ¡°Let''s make sure we get as many that are fleeing from that prized Fortress city of their focus on their evacuation routes, then mop off the military remnants in the region.¡± Maz Paskel said as he looked across the war map of the Wintkin kingdom, this war has gone on for nearly 90 years now and finally, their inner provinces have been exposed. Those vile beasts will finally be part of the empire, or what''s left of them. The other commanders and strategists nodded in agreement. Some looked tired as this meeting hit its 5th-hour mark. ¡°When will the 9th livestock fleet hit their Eastern shore.¡± he asked. ¡°Last check-in says they will be hitting the shore in 3 days from now, the perfect time to cause havoc with their forces most likely diverted.¡± the commander of the Selvis Naval forces Mosmel Kelcak responded, the man was more bloodthirsty than him, to the point his giddiness for the hunt a bit unnerving. Looking over his stack of paper, it seemed they had finally gone over all that was on the agenda. ¡°Now is there anything that anyone wants to bring up.¡± His words were met with silence marking the time to wrap up this meeting of the empire''s war leaders. ¡°This is the biggest campaign yet in this war, so let''s make it the best we can make it. so that when the next Heavens World Meeting happens, we can show our might to our neighbors,¡± he stated, the other officers and commander cheering and laughing as they imagined all the new unbroken toys that would soon enter the market. He never was one for slaves, but culling those damned beasts was something he could get behind. ¡°For the Empire! For the Empress!¡± Maz said, his hand pounding on his chest as the other followed suit. With that everyone was dismissed. Now what was else on the agenda? Yes, he must run an errand for the prince, god that insufferable man should not have such power, but he still wished to have his head so he wouldn''t say anything about that twerp, yet at least. As he walked through the halls of the palace and then into the streets. there was always at least one slave in his line of sight. Why does the empress want them as slaves when they could just exterminate them, that has got to be one of the few things that he and the empress disagree on. The early morning light illuminated the streets making his armor shine bright wherever he was. The city began to wake up as businesses opened and men and women started their daily tasks. WRACK! Looking down he saw a slave girl had accidentally run into him, such insolence, how dare it sully him with its mere touch. His prestige armor should never be touched by such trash. ¡°YOU DARE! YOU FILTH.¡± Maz said, instinctively pulling out his Sword. ¡°Sorry master, please forgive this slav¡­.¡± the girl said but it was too late, the blade cut through her throat causing blood to gurgle before the thing fell dead. Lifeless in a moment, dead as all of those keskin should be. Sparing only a moment, Maz went back to walking, he just wanted to get done with this as soon as possible. He kept thinking about that over and over again even as he signed the paper that brought 5 slaves into imperial custody. Looking at them, they were all females, the most beautiful this market had, All for the lust of that prince. ¡°Come one you vermin, if you trail behind I will kill you.¡± Then again he didn''t want to give the prince damaged goods. That would just cause more problems for him. They flinched as he said that. They were not broken yet, which may be why the prince wanted them. Toys were just toys after all. Operational Detachment Chapter 13: Arrival of another Army Melka Luns (Princess of the Kingdom of Wintkin) (Animalistic Humanoid) 6/11/2031, (Eastern Territory, Kingdom of Wintkin) (Military encampment) ¡°Set up scouts from here to here.¡± She pointed to the map that showed the entire province in the region. ¡°I want this village surrounded.¡± Melka had the army set up camp in the ruins of the trade city Athmell an hour from the fishing village Chesk. Something did feel off about all this. Not a single one of these Forest spirits the messenger described. The crisp, cold air of the distant ocean surrounded the area, causing the lofty scent of old ash and blood to blow inland. She had yet to see what this small village looked like, but she could taste it in the air; the scent of death was apparent even if she was far away. Just what had they done to the Fishing Village. ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± the officer said before scurrying off to relay her orders. From one of the shadows of the old stone walls, a hooded figure clothed in black from head to toe approached her before kneeling down in front of her. his clothing a stark contrast to the Blue gold-lined attire she wore, a symbol of her Royal status and the future of the kingdom she carried on her back. A uniform of war. The chest plate made that apparent. ¡°Shadow report.¡± she said to the black clothed figure. Assassins, an order meant to dispatch or capture enemies of the kingdom. They lurk like predators in the night. Infiltrating enemy strongholds, moving with seamless grace as they remained unseen. true hunters in her eyes; luckily she had a few under her command and had sent them out a day before to gather what information they could. And now¡­they have returned. ¡°Your Highness, we have made contract and have discovered an unknown force within the village. they have taken over the Chesk village. They are highly trained to the point we had trouble moving around without being spotted, your highness.¡± ¡°So some highly skilled forces, is there any connection to the Selvis?¡± ¡°No your highness, they¡¯re behavior and gear suggest no connection.¡± ¡°That''s good at least. what else.¡± ¡°We found one ship of the coast, hard to tell its size due to the darkness but it is large and had peculiar lights with some small black colored boats at the harbor.¡±The shadow stated, one ship brought them here huh, Well that''s good at least, it will be easier to take care of then a fleet. The peculiar lights were something to question about, but for another time. Maybe she could capture it with some wyvern¡¯s ¡°Is there anything else shadow?¡± ¡°Yes Your Highness, we have lost a shadow, his whereabouts are unknown, and most importantly, we had captured one.¡± The shadows nabbed one, this is the perfect chance to get some information. But they lost one, that almost never happens. They''re expensive to train so losing one will be a loss that will take awhile to recover from. ¡°What happened to this shadow?¡± ¡°Unknown your highness, he was scouting unknown sounds to the southwest of the village. We couldn''t investigate due to the daylight.¡± understandable, hard to dash around when you are wearing all black in the middle of the day, one downside to their abilities. ¡°Alright, once we mop this up, we will start a search party for him.¡± A great leader is one that looks for the needs of her men, or at least that''s what her mother had instilled in her since she was young. Now the faster she gets that prisoner to talk the faster she could stop this incursion into their territory. ¡°Bring this Prisoner here to my tent.¡± Her voice was cold and demanding, making the shadow vanish, Later, as she shifted through reports, 2 shadows appeared, much less stealthy this time, as they carried the Prisoner to her tent. At least they were correct in one thing¡­it did look like a forest spirit, though just a little. There were no leaves or branches on the body, but the color scheme did match the description. At this moment, her second-in-command joined the tent as well, looking not too pleased. ¡°Why must we sit here when we could just go in and Liberate the village?¡± The commander of the 8th Royal Guard, Icar Nerl stated. ¡°Because we don''t know who we are fighting, it''s better to have caution right now.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say, the longer we wait the more those people in that village suffer under tyrannical rule, We must push them out before any more reinforcements arrive for them especially due to signs of a Selvis raiding party nearby.¡± Melka gave an exaggerated sigh as he said this, the man objected to her in every turn; this was just icing on the cake. The prisoner just looked at the two as they bickered. his expression unreadable due to the mask it hid behind. ¡°We will talk about this later as you can see i''m in the middle of something.¡± ¡°You should just kill the thing and be over with it.¡± with those parting words he left, and the atmosphere of hatred surrounding the man seemed to leave with him. She turned her attention back to the prisoner. its equipment was stripped, its tools and armor were in the hands of the other shadow. Though a mask and a vest were still on it. The mask was as black as a Wyvern scale, its faceless facade intimidating in a way she could not describe. The vest on the other hand, was a dark tan color, made out of some sort of material, and had a seal on it. A closer look showed that it was a Translation seal. At least he knows what she is saying. What was really interesting was the fact it looked like them. Well to a degree, round ears on the side but no Horns. no extra Beast-like ears on the top of its head, no tail of any kind, no scales across the skin she could see. Its skin tone looked like theirs. ¡°Who are you? what is your purpose?¡± she said, venom in her tone. She tried to sound intimidating, but it did not show on the creature. ¡°I am Lucas Parker, Staff Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps, Number M-2964480551.¡± ¡°And What is your purpose?¡± she said. This was going easier then she had thought, maybe she could have this done within the hour. ¡°I am Lucas Parker, Staff Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps, Number M-2964480551.¡± she spoke too soon. She almost face palmed herself as he kept repeating himself over and over again, definitely A way to block her out. ¡°Stop that.¡± She said loudly, but it seemed to not listen to her. it kept talking in a loop like a lunatic. She ripped off its mask to see¡­It was a male. There was nothing odd about that, but you don''t see many this handsome. His face look exactly like most of the kingdom too. Yet it was so foreign, it was kind of unnerving, as if she was gazing into an alternate reality. ¡°Get me a Seeker. If he won''t talk we will make him talk.¡± She said turning to one of the guards in the tent. The guard nodded and ran out of the tent. Turning back, the man kept saying the same sentence over again. Was it some sort of way to reject the interrogation? If so, it wouldn''t last long. ¡°Why the Mask?¡± he did not respond; rather he just kept repeating himself once more. He only stopped as Melkas fist struck his head causing him to fall over on his side, his bound wrists behind his back making it difficult for him to get back up. This was getting infuriating. Just who are these people? ¡°Get him up, at her words At that thought, the guard arrived with the Seeker in tow. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your highness, you called for me.¡± The seeker said, respectively getting on one knee. ¡°I need you to work your arcane on this man and make him respond to my questions.¡± she stated bluntly, truly getting fed up with all the work to get this man to say more than his name and rank. ¡°As you wish, your highness.¡± The seeker got up and approached the Man After a bit of studying, He began to use his arcane abilities to transcribe word of the gods onto the man''s skin, causing him to try and break free as he grunted in pain. The burning sensation must be painful. After A bit the Seeker was done, and the glowing words started to fade into the man¡¯s skin. Soon, it was over. ¡°For the next half hour, the man will respond to any question you may ask; however, they may be the twist of the truth. It will cause terrible burns if he were to lie or not give you a proper reply.¡± The seeker said, showing himself out, joining up with the rest of the army as they moved about in the encampment, preparing for the next step in dealing with this new threat. Little did they know about the RQ-21 that flew high above, watching their every move. Well, hopefully, this will at least make him give her something. ¡°What''s your goal?¡± ¡°Wouldn''t you like to know?¡± The man''s sarcastic response only caused the spell to activate, unbearable burns to appear on parts of his body, only to disappear after a couple seconds. She snapped her fingers, causing one of the shadows to pull out a blade and press it against his neck, drawing a little blood. All to add more..persuasion to the interrogation, if the spell wasn''t enough. ¡°Why¡­why should I talk to those who kidnapped my friends, kidnapped Bradford?¡± ¡°...what? what are you talking about?¡± The man looked up at her in confusion as she said that. ¡°You mean you aren''t the ones who have taken some marine buddies of mine.¡± ¡°No...we just got here, You are the first one we have captured.¡± ¡°...oh.¡± ¡°Now answer me or I promise you, you will suffer a painful death.¡± he seemed to hesitate as she stated that. The serious tone of the conversation came back in full force. ¡°I am a Marine from the United States of America, a nation on the North American continent.¡± ¡°Good. now tell me, what is a Marine?¡± ¡°Soldiers for the United States military,¡± he stated. This was good; he understood his position now. Fear can really get in a person''s way at times. Why are soldiers in her territory? ¡°Why are you in my kingdom?¡± ¡°You wouldn''t believe me even if I told you.¡± He grunted out, the shadows blade pressed harder against his neck. Before he could give a reply a guard came into the room, his pace hurried as he quickly bowed down to her. ¡°Your highness I bring news.¡± ¡°What''s so urgent?¡± ¡°Message from the scouts: large unknown flying Beasts coming from the direction of the Chesk Village, heading directly towards us at quick speed.¡± The message was quick and to the point, showing just how urgent this situation was. Spurring her to action as well as everybody else as the message was automatically spread amongst the Army. Just shows how experienced the 8th Royal guard was to the point that they don''t need orders to understand what to do next. ¡°Set up defenses, battle mages, bowmen, and any other soldiers that can deal with aerial threats are needed.¡± The marine suddenly pauses before something changes in his posture. ¡°how about this, you let me go, and maybe I could tell my people not to blow this place apart.¡± He seemed to be a completely different person now, his eyes now locked on hers, A dangerous look in them. If he said that, then he knew what was approaching, and that meant they were on his side. ¡°Your one ship''s worth of men you could go up against my army of 16 thousand.¡± She cut herself off as a fast, repetitive thudding noise filled the tent, her ears standing tall on end, including her tail as she felt something monstrous approaching at great speed. Even if it was a mile away her ears could still pick it up, and her guards can too. They rushed about, preparing defenses from something unseen, something that could pose a threat to every person in the army. Well maybe she could use him as a shield if he is so confident of his rescue, she must use every tool available to achieve victory, or so her books back at the capital say, though with how this war is going, they really are not helping. ¡°Bring him outside, next to me.¡± leaving the tent she saw as two wyvern riders that were not on patrol began to lift off into the sky. Their low altitude allows for the possibility of an ambush on anything approaching recklessly. ¡°If you plan on publicly executing me in front of them, I can assure you, you will all die.¡± ¡°I can assure you that you still have some use, so you won''t die¡­yet.¡± ¡°Ha, alright, I just hope you didn''t kill anyone yet, If you did, then expect no negotiating.¡± he stated, his posture is that of someone who has lost his fear in the moment. The thudding of something cutting the air came closer and closer. everyone was on edge, including herself, those who could not fight were sent to the rear, she pushed Lucas onto his knees, her own sword drawn and at his neck. A display to whatever is approaching that they will have to meet her demands. What approached was something out of myth. Two grey-colored beasts revealed themselves from behind one of the many mountains. Their bodies did not move about but were stiff as steel. Their metal gray bodies held many shapes and symbols that could hold a plethora of stories behind them. It reminded her more of a ship than a creature. It had short wings on its side, but oddly, the wings did not flap. It seemed to carry something below it. "What in the forge father''s name is that!?¡± one of the guards said softly, more approached a short distance behind the two. They looked more fatter than the 2 thin ones in the front, inside these¡­things, where more of these Marines, they all looked just like the man she has next to her sword. Quickly, the 2 wyverns tried to ambush the two as they approached, their claws out as they quickly approached the two from their side. They seemed to be noticed quickly as the two grey beasts turned in the direction of the Wyverns. BURRRRRRRRRRRT! A thunderous crackle washed through the air, causing all of them to cover their ears, Looking back up, she saw one Wyvern was downed, its right wing torn apart. It limply fell down, dead before it hit the ground. its rider falling out of its saddle and down into the forest below. Maybe there was a chance he survived. though she was hoping. A bright flash of light came from the other grey beast. A trail of smoke followed as the light approached the last wyvern, which erupted in an explosion of blood and gore. Eviscerated in a moment. Their ambush was dealt with before they could even get close. She had never seen such displays of power before. Quickly the royal guards stood in front of her, shields raised, spear drawn. They stood between her and the possible incarnation of Death. Where was Icar Nerl? She tried to hide it as best she could, but her body trembled in fear. Her ears flattened upon her head. But she quickly regained her composure. She turned to her Prisoner, fear and fury etched on her face. ¡°JUST WHO ARE YOU!!!¡± ¡°Being one of the few Marine recon on this ship, you tend to be noticed if you go missing.¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°What are you, some elite guard?¡± ¡°Well uuh..¡± Whatever he was going to say was cut short as the two grey beasts turned back to address her army. The 3 less intimidating ones of the beasts moved in behind the two, they landed in the grass meadow where they all were situated. The Marines disembarked from things like they had just come from a 6-month voyage. All except for one; instead of a helmet, he wore a hat. It still had the same color scheme and pattern as the rest of the marines, but he carried himself with authority, casually strolling up to them, unlike the other Marines that aimed their odd weapons at them. Once getting close enough to speak, he stopped his hands behind his back ¡°I am 1st Lieutenant Norm Kazinski. You have one of my men, and I want him back. Hand him over or face the consequences.¡± She gestured towards her men to move aside, their shields parting, allowing this man''s eyes to see her and Lucas. ¡°I am Melka Luns, Princess of the Kingdom of Wintkin. Why should I do that? You have invaded my kingdom, and that gives me the right to destroy you as I see fit.¡± ¡°Lady, the only people that will get destroyed here will be all of you.¡± he gestured to her army as he said that. ¡°If fear won''t work, how about we do a prisoner exchange?¡± ¡°And who do you have that is worth as much as this man?¡± The lieutenant turned, signaling to one of his compatriots; seconds later, a Shadow was brought up beside the man. it was the one that went missing. They captured him, she had never heard of one getting captured. killed yes, but captured¡­no. ¡°I''ll release him if you meet my demands. Leave Chesk village and hand over that shadow, those are my terms.¡± ¡°Agreeable as long as you return the gear you have stolen as well.¡± She nodded in agreement after a second of deliberation. ¡°We have terms.¡± The Lieutenant nodded towards one of his Men, who began to nudge the Shadow forward. She did the same, pushing Parker forward. One of her guards is carrying his stuff. Before the swap was done, Lucas turned to her, his expression unreadable. ¡°May the next time we meet not be like this.¡± Surprisingly, she did not hear any hint of hatred in his tone. Operational Detachment Chapter 14: More Issues 2nd Lieutenant Lakewell (Paul Lakewell) (Callsign DUI) (Human) 6/13/2031, (International Waters) (Northwest of Guam) ¡°?Prometheus they say, brought gods fire down to man? ¡°?and we have caught it, tamed it, trained it since our history began?¡± ¡°?Now we are going back to heaven just to look him in the eye?¡± ¡°?And there''s thunder across the land, and a fire in the sky?¡± The Roar of the F-18 thrusters stole the ambiance from the ocean as they flew past. The aircraft flew high in the sky, giving a commanding view of the ocean floor below. It was quite a relaxing sight¡­if it wasn''t for why they were out here. ¡°We got about 3 more hours till nightfall, should we turn back, it would be a pain in the ass to do a night landing.¡± his wingman LACK said. ¡°Let''s stay out here for 1 more hour,¡± Lakewell said over comms. The pair of F-18s turned to do another patrol pattern, There had to be hundreds of aircraft that had been sent all across the North Pacific. looking for any sign of where the USS WASP went. So far, not even a little piece of wreckage has shown itself to sense its disappearance. It was disheartening, to say the least. So far the public hasn''t been told yet, but this seems to be getting out of control, with all the Chinese fishing boats flooding the Pacific. People''s Armed Forces Maritime Militia or the PAFMM to be short. It''s their fishing vessels that are pushing into the Pacific like a fleet, Which only means China wants to know what is going on. ¡°How does a ship of nearly 4,000 just disappear like that?¡± his backseat driver, ahem, his Weapon System Officer Petterson said, his eyes also skimming their surroundings. They both had an unwritten rule to just call each other by their surnames instead of their callsigns when it is just them. His callsign DUI goes without explaining and Petterson callsign SNAKE is a story for another time. There was also LACK which for every aviator in this squadron, stands for lack of a brain cell. It''s a good example of how you never get a cool callsign like in the movies. Your fate is decided by your peers, And that never ends well for you. ¡°Who knows, the Chinese wouldn''t dare do something like this.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t put it past them. They always test the waters; it''s their thing.¡± Lakewell looked at the setting sun, the ocean''s surface creating a beautiful reflection against its surface. Reminding him of a border between two worlds. In some ways, it was precisely that. Lakewell once again checked his display. Altitude: 1,200m Fuel: 43% remaining. Nothing new, but still habits always get the better of him. ¡°Wait, Wait¡­ I got something.¡± Lack said over comms, making both Lakewell and Petterson perk up. Only for it to turn to annoyance as he gave a dismissive sound. ¡°Never mind, it''s just a fishing boat.¡± ¡°Can you stop that?¡± ¡°My bad, I''m getting ahead of myself.¡± ¡°Yeah, stop that, I''m tired of getting my hopes up with your dumbass.¡± Lakewell, said over the radio with a huff. Maybe they should head out now. it''s been over a week, if nothing had been found the first few days then it would be impossible to find anything now, with the shifting of tides and all that. ¡°Wait, hold on, something is up.¡± ¡°Oh not you too.¡± ¡°My Radar is going crazy. There''s too much noise ahead of us.¡± ¡°What! Are we being hit with Electronic Warfare?¡± ¡°Usually With Electronic Warfare, the radar goes crazy in one direction, but it''s like a bubble ahead of us. Freaking out like a computer having an aneurysm.¡± ¡°Oddly descriptive, LACK you got that.¡± ¡°Yeah, we are having the same issue as well.¡± The two F-18s kept course heading towards the strange interference. ¡°Alright everyone eyes up, we don''t know what we have just come across. I''m going to radio the boat.¡± Lakewell switched frequency if they could get in contact with USS John C. Stennis. He could report this, as per protocol. Maybe that E-3 sentry AWACS near Guam might be seeing this too. ¡°This is-.¡± before he could even get a quarter into what he was going to say¡­everything went dark. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Captain Levinson (Richard Levinson) 6/13/2031, (Medical Bay) (USS WASP) ¡°WHY is it always you!!!.¡± Levinson yelled as his aid shut the watertight door behind him. Parker almost jumped up as the doctor finished checking him out. Everyone in the room moved to a position of attention. ¡°At ease.¡± he says, making every Marine and Sailor in the medical bay go back to what they are doing. Grabbing a stool he sat down beside Parker who still looked tired even after sleeping a whole day. Just goes to show how sleep-deprived everyone is. ¡°Evening Sir.¡± Parker said, sitting up and straight. ¡°I want you to tell me everything that happened.¡± He would rather hear this from the man himself than some statement on a paper. ¡°Before I start, may I ask, how did you find me?¡± ¡°Blu-force tracker Staff Sergeant.¡± ¡°Don''t you need a satellite for that sir?¡± ¡°Yes but we could still use it to play hotter or colder, A drone was the one that found you. All that was needed then was a rescue party.¡± he said, thankfully blu-force trackers had become handheld these days. So now squads can be seen on map instead of just the whole Company. Parker seems to have pondered that before he started his recount of what happened to him during his very brief moment in captivity. ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Magic¡­Fucking Magic?¡± Levinson exhaled quietly. His hand rubbed his temple as he contemplated another issue on top of the pile of problems. ¡°Are you sure this is right?¡± ¡°I''m positive sir, there weren''t any magic circles in modern fiction but glowing words like runes.¡± Parker said matter of factly. The way he described it all. ¡°How do you feel about the fact they tortured you?¡± Parker seems taken aback by his words, did he not consider what he told was not an interrogation laced with torture? Or maybe Parker thought he did not care. Depending on how the Staff Sergeant feels, it will be how he addresses this down the line, He can at least give him that for all that''s happened. ¡°Well sir, I don''t feel much about them. I kind of understand how they feel, imagine your home gets invaded by some random person and takes your front door. and now a new person just shows up and takes one of your windows, I would show hostility as well¡­I understand them...and because of that, I can''t help but not hate them for it.¡± ¡°Parker¡­I did not expect that from you. Very well I won''t put pressure on that subject in our talks but it will still be mentioned.¡± ¡°This princess, how would you describe her?¡± Levinson asked. ¡°She has the spirit and leadership qualities but I get the feeling she is quite naive, the kind that gets all their knowledge from books and not experience.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­This may go better than we thought.¡± ¡°What do you mean sir.¡± ¡°Well this princess can''t just leave us to wonder on her close, diplomatic talks will be soon, I know it and if she is inexperienced we could pressure her into a more¡­desirable agreement between our two factions.¡± ¡°If you don''t mind me asking sir? What exactly is the plan here? I know I''m not the only one asking sir.¡± Well he knew many sailors and marines are getting discontent with the silence of upper command, and because of this, he couldn''t blame Parker for taking the opportunity. The truth is the plan is constantly changing, the only thing not changing right now is the need for resources and that''s what every plan revolves around right now. ¡°Understand this Staff Sergeant, we need a place to stay, this ship can''t function without a port, without resources we are done for. So I say we make an agreement, we need rights to their Port and resources they may have, I just hope they have something equivalent to diesel on that account. But what worries me most is what they may ask us in return.¡± Levinson stated, sitting up from the stool, the synthetic lighting above making it impossible to judge what time it is right now sense he walked in. Now that he was finally able to get in contact with someone who wasn''t some backwoods village official, they may be able to make some ground. Losing their holdings in Chesk was a setback but thankfully if she cools her head, they might make a somewhat decent ally out of this. ¡°I got a ship to run, thank you for the Info Staff Sergeant, this will be useful, at least what use we can get out of this clusterfuck.¡± he stated as he pulled the blinds behind him, leaving Parker to himself as he waited to be cleared by the doctor. Unexpectedly, 1st Lieutenant Norm Kazinski of Parkers Company waited outside by the door. ¡°Am I good to debrief him now.¡± his drinking buddy Norm said, making him like the man more, very few ever are this carefree with their leadership. It was fresh to be spoken to in such a way especially since he won''t probably be talking to anyone higher than him anytime soon. Not mentioning Colonel Morgan, but we are considered Equivalent in rank. ¡°He''s all yours, though he is still being screened by the Doctors, apparently magic exists and he got into contact with it.¡± Levinson said. ¡°You''re kidding me.¡± ¡°I wish. And why are you checking in on him yourself? " Levinson said. ¡°I''m missing 2 out of the 3 platoons for my company with leadership as well, A squad of mine is now missing, leaving just leaves 1 squad left¡­if this keeps up, soon the Marine Force Recon Regiment¡­no Remnets on this ship will be extinct.¡± ¡°...Im sorry, I forgot how little there is on my ship.¡± ¡°Ain''t your fault there''s too many marines on this ship to count, we were just hitching a ride to Taiwan, never had something become Past tense like this before.¡± grim yet relaxed tone in his voice as he said those words. ¡°It''s never hard to die.¡± Levinson commented. ¡°Where are some Marine Raiders or Marsoc when you need them.¡± Norm said as he began to unlatch the water seal door. ¡°Still though, we are the most well-trained unit on the ship, don''t be afraid to use us as you see fit.¡± With that final statement, he gave off a quick sloppy salute as they parted ways, showing both his respect for his authority and his carefree attitude. Is the future of every man or woman under USS WASP as bleak as he thinks it is, only time will tell. Operational Detachment Chapter 15: Plans and Tragedies 2nd Lieutenant Lakewell (Paul Lakewell) (Callsign DUI) (Human) 6/14/2031, (???) (???) ¡°A-Altitude! Pull up! Pu-u-ull up!¡± Lakewell awoke to a cacophony of noises as his aircraft steadily fell from the sky. The F-18 Hornet screaming at him only made him more disoriented as he tried to come to his senses. ¡°Altitude! Pu-Pull Up! Pull up!¡± The system flickered as if it had just gotten water splashed on its motherboard, his heads-up display showed this as well, its indicators glitched about like a videogame. He quickly pulled back on the stick, causing the F-18 to nearly go vertical as it climbed in altitude. His vision blurred as the Gs he pulled began to take their effect, the F-18¡¯s airframe stressed as he made sure to dodge¡­a mountain? In the middle of the Pacific? Well, it''s a Mountain island¡ªa very tall one at that. As he stabilized the jet, he got a good look of his surroundings. Looking to the west, there seemed to be hundreds of mountains similar to the one he had narrowly crashed into, but soon enough, his attention was directed back to the issue at hand. ¡°Petterson?...SNAKE, are you there?¡± Lakewell said over the radio, but there was no reply; his Weapon System Officer must have also been knocked out by¡­whatever did this. But better yet, where was his wingman? Flipping on his transmitter, he spoke once more over the net. ¡°LACK, Report...LACK are you there?¡± No response came from the net. Thankfully, he was close as he spotted his aircraft, he maneuvered above him and then to his side, thankfully, his F-18 drifted away just enough to clear the mountain Island. But yet LACK, no Richard¡¯s altitude was dangerously low. ¡°LACK, wake up!¡± Lakewell yelled over the radio, but to no avail. All he could do was stare at his wingman, just watching the slumped-over forms of both Richard and his WSO Mike as they approached the ocean at high speed. ¡°WAKE UP DAMNIT.¡± But it was too late, as soon as the F-18 skimmed the water, it came to an abrupt halt as it plunged into the Ocean. Its mangled airframe somehow still floating on the water, but it wouldn''t be like that for long. ¡°LACK!!!!.¡± Still no response, yet he refused to accept that. Lakewell watched helplessly as his own F-18 circled LACK¡¯s Aircraft as it began to sink into the depths. A terrifying way to die for any person, Aviator or not. but that didn''t stop him from calling for help. ¡°Anybody on this net. This is Huntsman-1, Huntsman-2 is down, I need search and rescue at my position!¡± Lakewell said through gritted teeth. But all he heard over long range was static. LACK¡¯s F-18 should have automatically course corrected but he guessed the EMP or whatever did this fucked with that as well. At least his F-18 seemed to be getting itself together, its system was no longer glitching as it was a minute ago. After a quick check of his instruments, it was as if his Hornet didn''t just have an aneurysm, it just flicked back to normal. ¡°Ah my head.¡± ¡°Petterson!!!¡± Lakewell said his voice showed how happy he was to hear him speak. ¡°What happened? Did I pass out.¡± he said, his mind still processing where he is. ¡°Yeah, everyone did.¡± ¡°Where''s our Wingma-¡± ¡°They''re gone, crashed into the ocean, I...I didn''t see anybody bail out before it sank.¡± Lakewell quickly said, A quiver in his voice, showing just the whirlwind of emotions he was going through. A long silence followed before Peterson finally responded. ¡°I see, How long was I out.¡± ¡°About 2 minutes and a half¡­It all happened so fast.¡± Lakewell responded after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Jesus.¡± ¡°fuck...FUCK.¡± Lakewell yelled. Emotion dripped from his voice as he slammed his left fist on the side of the cockpit repeatedly, over and over. Soon, all he could feel was the warmth of his blood coating his gloved hand as he brought it back to his instruments. Taking a moment to collect himself, he finally broke the silence that followed his outburst. ¡°Is there anything on radar?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°No, not even an airliner. Hold on, I''m going to reset it.¡± Petterson said, but Lakewell¡¯s mind was drawn to something else. ¡°Petterson¡± ¡°Hold on, give me a sec.¡± ¡°Petterson!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Look up.¡± He could practically hear his astonishment as they both sat in silence, the soft humming in the cockpit being the only thing keeping them in reality. All they could see was a massive form hanging in the sky, it was cloaked in darkness, its form blocking out the sky itself. A vibrant blue of many shades peeked out from the side like a crescent moon. Its sight was captivating¡­and horrifying at the implications it held for them. The silence was only broken when Peterson finally spoke. ¡°What the fu-¡± ¡ª------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Melka Luns (Princess of the Kingdom of Wintkin) (Animalistic Humanoid) 6/14/2031, (Eastern Territory, Kingdom of Wintkin) (Chesk Village) The Ocean view was stunning. Its blue color fell in line with the blue marble in the sky, creating a perfect art piece if it were a painting. They say that''s where the gods live, on Lira beneath its many shades of blue. They say the forge fathers crafted the spear of Pleti within its core. Yet, these Marines'' power rivals what she has seen from the gods. Studying their behavior from the day before, they are as strong as they seem, but by how they act, it''s as if they are running or lost. One doesn''t just enter another nation''s territory without violent intentions unless it is done out of necessity or by mistake. That seems to match their behavior so far, especially after interviewing the people of Chesk village. ¡°What decisions are you making now?¡± ¡°I am getting tired of your disrespect Cousin.¡± She shot back, Icar Nerl may be favored by the queen herself, but that does not mean he can just talk to her in such a manner. One of the many things that infuriated her about the man. ¡°But I guess I will enlighten you, I want to give them sanctuary.¡± ¡°SANCTUARY!!! You can''t be serious, they attacked us.¡± Icar Said ¡°Unlike you, Commander, I do not see everything black and white; there may be a hidden gem here for us. These people only attacked when one of theirs was threatened, some would say they had every right to destroy us. They had more than the means to achieve it if they wished. And yet they kept their word, they backed off, they have honor.¡± ¡°They are outsiders! Remember when we trusted the Ocllmar Sea folk. We are still recovering from the loss of ships, and that was nearly 20 years ago!¡± ¡°So what? Imagine if the beast they have were to be turned against the Selvis, imagine all the people we could free, and all those scum we could kill.¡± ¡°You think I don''t want that. To free our people.¡± ¡°Our goals are the same, but our methods are different. Understand this: if it means sacrificing my life to save this kingdom, I would gladly do it. Don''t think I would put us into possible danger just because I want to.¡± ¡°So you say.¡± Icar Nerl said, glaring at her before walking off. She looked down at her garments, dirty and disheveled from all that''s been going on. Being too busy, she hasn''t had a chance to bathe or even a change of clothes. The fresh air of the Ocean once again washed over her, bringing her attention back up to the horizon. That large grey ship floated there, unbothered by the waves around it. She grabbed one of the small tan colored packs that sat by the port, left behind by its creators. One thing she noticed is the expert craftsmanship for such a small bag. On it was a faded red cross symbol. ¡°Shadow, Report.¡± As she said those words, 2 shadows appeared, kneeling before her like clockwork. ¡°How goes the search for those lost Marines?¡± she asked. If she were to get her hands on those men and turn them over to their people, she could use that as leverage to build some proper diplomacy down the road. Mend the bad blood that she had made upon her arrival. ¡°Nothing yet, your highness.¡± ¡°That''s your top priority: get me something on them.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± They once again disappeared like smoke in the wind. Tomorrow may decide the future for her people as a whole, they have always been on the backfoot for the last 60 years. And maybe, just maybe, that might change¡­with these Marines, from the United States of America.