2. Chapter 2(1)

Chapter 2

LZ-X-Ray

Farmhouse, 6 leagues from the Trading City of Italica.

"Come on, quickly!" the farmer said, tying the crops he had been able to harvest to the wagon, the sun barely rising over the distant mountain range.

His wife carrying a small girl quickly got on, saying "I left some prepared food on the table!"

"Good! Maybe that will slow them down." the man said, getting on the cart next to her and shipping the horse to make it advance.

"If we hurry, we should make it to Italica before midday."

They move as fast as they could past abandoned and decrepit old farmhouses, some broken and already falling apart, some already burnt to the ground.

The woman kept an eye on the tall fields of corn and grass that plagued the country side, their own farmhouse shrinking behind them. She worriedly looked at her daughter, the four year old asleep in her mother's arms, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in. Both parents had a look of cautious madness in their eyes as they proceeded in the lonely fields of what had once been a much more vibrant community.

They made it to the main road and their hearts sank.

"Hello! Where are you headed?" a armored man with a neatly combed moustache asked, grinning from ear to ear, a longsword resting on his shoulders.

"W-we're heading towards... towards Italica, sir... we... left food and water free for your men to enjoy if you'd like!" the farmer quickly said.

"Ah, that is certainly appreciated. Ever since those monsters from beyond the Gate arrived, we really haven't had much of a chance to rest!"

"O-oh?"

"Yes, sir! Most of the Imperial Army deserted, so now there are a lot... a lot of men roaming the countryside looking for food, water... women."

The farmer didn't have to look at his wife to know she was trembling.

"I... I can give you all our food, all our water, but please-"

"No, no... I don't think you understand. We're getting your food, your water, and your wife no matter what you do. All that may change is how quick we-"

"Run!" he shouted.

The woman was out of the cart in a second, clutching the child as close as she could while her husband picked up a dull sword from under his seat.

The man blocking the road sighed, saying "You really don't understand."

The woman made it to the tall crops only to get shoved back onto the main road by a large man wearing the Imperial Armor, clutching a lance aimed at her neck.

Around the farmer several other men appeared from the woods and tall grass.

"Oh, and she has a child, too!" the tall man said, attempting to still sleeping girl from the woman.

"Don't-" the farmer tried, but was silenced by the man seemingly in charge.

"Men have needs, sir, you know as much. It's a shame it has to be her, of course... she really isn't my kind of woman, but... honestly, you heading to Italica would have only delayed this."

"W-what?"

"Take them away, and you'll find out soon enough... we do need someone to deliver the message after all."

The man in charged had to commend his soldiers for their professionalism. They did as told despite the screaming of the parents and now awake child.

A shame.

Glancing at the rising sun, he smirked slightly.

I wonder how many more deserters we'll have once the Allied Armies try their hand at these monsters...

Then a slightly intrusive thought hit him that erased the smirk.

I wonder if we'll be able to take Italica before they arrive...

American Forward Operating Base, outskirts of Alnus Hill

April 1st, 1964

7:32 AM

Old Glory was now flying pretty on top of the poll it had been oh so meticulously placed attached to and hung to fly in the wind.

Right in view of the mass grave the American soldiers had found themselves digging and dumping bodies into. Which, given the lack of communication by these "Romans", he wondered if their dead deserved even that. Through binoculars, Dennis watched as a bulldozer pushed several of the now slightly bloated corpses into the pit, his mind too tired to really care about the awfulness of it all. His mind still shuddered at the gory images from the previous week.

Another Ranger walked over to him, a small notebook in one hand, pencil on the other, M16 slung on his back.

"Got the radio up and working?" Dennis asked him.

"Yeah, the guys heading back should be able to reach us much better now, yes sir!" the other ranger nodded and turned away from the large antenna and toward the view in the distance.

"Eighty thousand dead after our attack last week… right?" the young man asked.

"That's the number I heard. Panic got most of them, though. Once they broke, they killed more of their own than we did… brass didn't bother counting the trampled corpses." Dennis sighed, frowning at the awful images his mind refused to let him forget.

Screaming men and animals, pools of blood, the stench of death as the bodies were slowly moved away and buried.

Hell on Earth, or whatever this other world was called.

Dennis shrugged away the thought and began walking away, saying "Well, let's go. They started this, not our fault they failed to surrender. Any word on when we begin to move out?"

The other Ranger followed, asking "None I've heard. Captain Rhodes say something?"

Dennis shook his head, saying "No, but the Marines sent their recon guys out a while ago and they should be getting back here soon. We get the first wing of Hueys today, and if the maps from back home are accurate, we would be heading out to that trading city… well… this week at the latest, least that's what I reckon."

They climbed down the mountain path in relative silence, the rocks crumbling under their boots making the most noise.

They met another Ranger at the bottom, an older man with an M14.

"Nice going, fellas. 1st Recon reported in ten by ten."

"They're on their way back?" the other Ranger asked.

The older one nodded.

"Yeah, they also have some company."

"Are they being pursued?" Dennis asked.

"Nah, iffy on the details, but I know they brought in several survivors… refugees. Something must've happened on their recon op."

Dennis only shrugged and walked to the military jeep.

He paused then, noticing something over the horizon to the south west, following the highway that eventually led to Alnus.

"Hey, you see that?" he asked.

The men turned their binoculars in the direction of the smoke.

"Can't be the recon teams, 1st went further east, away from the capital."

"Better call it in then." The younger man said, moving to the radio equipment as the older one checked through binoculars.

"Yeah, seeing a couple of dragons with riders… hard to tell, but they look a bit different from the ones we shot down."

"Well, we're assuming everything here is hostile, right? Should give the big guns some targets sooner than expected." he mumbled.

Dennis glanced at the perimeter made on the main road.

The Patton tanks that had been disabled by catapult strikes had made the brass awfully annoyed.

It was one thing to be hit by bullets or anti-tank rounds, a giant rock hurdling at top speed would certainly disable the tank, not destroy it, but it painted a grim picture of what could happen if they didn't take control.

Now there was an entire armored battalion sitting there, probably already seeing the approaching smoke.

Dennis wondered if the army coming forward would make the same mistakes.

Outskirts of Alnus, Allied Camp

8:10 AM

The Army general and a translator drove ahead and met the approaching army or better put: armies.

Despite the artistic depictions, ancient armies did not have the uniforms of modern ones. Oh, certainly there would be some degree of uniformity amongst the soldiers, a way to identify friend from foe, why else would the Romans of ancient history carry identifying features that differentiated them from the armies they fought? These however, were far less uniform than the "romans" they had obliterated days prior.

The blades clearly varied, but it seemed that most of the men had some kind of lance or spear instead of a sword. One Army had large purple shields that might have been made of some kind of metal, the other had much smaller wooden ones that were similar to the ones the Army General had seen in artistic depiction of the Vikings.

One Army had more orcs and monsters while the other had more men in heavier armor.

The M48 Pattons were behind him on the road, as were the 40-millimeter AA guns, a fair distance away, and all guns ready to fire as soon as the order was given.

He glanced at his translator, handing him the written notes as the jeep paused only a few meters ahead of the tanks, the army a very safe distance away.

On loudspeakers stuck on the jeep, the translator immediately read out in the awkward Latin tongue what was written on the notebook.

"We come in peace. We wish to talk."

The general noted several men in particularly customized armor step to the forefront.

King Duran of the Allied Kingdoms narrowed his eyes while some of the fellow kings glanced around.

What sort of army is this? Only a few dozen... what are those?

He called, as loud as possible, "Who are you and what are your intentions here?"

The reply was quick.

"The Empire of Sadera attacked us, we fought back. We are currently at war with them. If you are not with the Empire of Sadera, we will not harm you."

The men around him shifted nervously.

One king yelled "Did you really destroy the Imperial Army?"

Once more, the reply was quick.

"Yes. We routed them. We do not intend to fight you, but if you attack us you will be destroyed. We can begin formal peace talks if you would like."

Duran considered this. It didn't seem like it was a bluff as his army had seen a defeated legion slowly limping its way back to their capital days prior. He had heard rumors, but a part of him wondered how true it was.

As he considered this, one of the kings to his left shouted "Then you are invaders! It is our duty to avenge our fallen comrades and rid you invaders of this world!"

The old king whirled and suppressed the urge to slam his equal with the hilt of his sword.

"We have no idea who they are or why they are fighting!" He said loudly.

"Is it not obvious? They are pushing beyond Alnus, and fast! They are an invasion force that must be repelled immediately. Even if they are peaceful, their destruction of our allies is not something we can ignore!"

"I understand, but we cannot-"

"Silence! All soldiers! The enemy is in front of us!"

"If you attack us we will respond in kind! DO NOT ATTACK!" the urgent scream came from the bizarre carriage the enemy had in an incredibly loud voice that reached them in spite of the distance. It moved without horses, which wasn't exactly insane given the abundance of magic and its own variety of propulsion systems.

"They dare threaten- soldiers! Archers!"

"My lord, you-" the attempt at reasoning was almost immediately drowned out by the loud battle cry of soldiers.

"Silence! Take the rearguard and prevent the enemy's retreat! There are only a few of them! This will be over soon!"

Duran glanced at his own men, and waved them back as the armies began to charge across a wide field, no longer bothering to stay on the clear paths, simply rushing across the dirt.

The Army General simply shook his head as the driver calmly began to reverse the jeep, ignoring the wave of arrows that began to fly towards them.

"Don't let anyone say we didn't try to warn 'em." he sighed.

He didn't have to look to know exactly when and where the first 155-millimeter artillery shell slammed into the advancing mass of bodies.

United States Army Forward Operations Base

6:50 PM

The pounding noise from the artillery guns firing in the distance was now becoming more of a fact of life as the "battle" continued into its third hour.

Dennis saw four Patton tanks driving away from the base while four more returned, likely to reload, although at least one seemed to be being towed by another one.

Perhaps another lucky hit by a catapult.

The ancient artillery was capable of damaging the tanks to the point that the vehicle couldn't move properly and needed to be towed.

It would do them very little good given how much effort it took them to damage their armor.

In the time one tank can destroy fifteen catapults, fifteen catapults can seemingly disable one tank... If they're lucky.

Dennis walked down the recently set up camp out of his combat uniform, his mostly clean white shirt and shorts only remaining clean due to the large amounts of gravel established around the areas the camp was based on.

He stopped by a hastily set up fence line and glanced inside. Large tents with beds had been hastily set up by volunteers form the American Red Cross. Electricity was already running through the camp, with heat and water likely coming soon. A few tables had been set up outside for the refugees to have their dinner, and it seemed like they had better than the soldiers who rescued them.

Some refugee camp we have here…

Dennis eyed the group of blonde-haired children, now clean and happily eating porridge brought in by the American Red Cross. Pretty nurses from the deep south, though unable to speak the language, were more than happy to assist the people from another world.

And why not? This first group was a fascinating bunch.

Fair skinned, blonde hair that would make even America's sweetheart jealous, seemingly perfect skin…

The only thing that was technically alien were those pointy ears.

Elves... who would've thought?

James Hastings approached the young Ranger.

"Apparently their village welcomed our guys pretty warmly, even offered them a place to sleep. The next thing the Marines knew a massive dragon tried burning the place down."

Dennis noticed some of the looks on the survivors. A teenaged girl nervously looking around as she clutched the arm of a taller man, maybe her father, maybe something else, a little boy eating ever so slowly despite the Red Cross volunteers' best efforts… several were bandaged up, awful burns no longer visible.

Clearly many were missing someone.

"Damn thing tanked 40-millimeter rounds from the Dusters, but they drove it off… problem was the whole place was pretty much engulfed in a firestorm, so they had to pack as many as they could on their M113s and Pattons and book it outta there."

"Jesus…"

"Yeah, Roman armies, monsters, dragons… now giant dragons that can create firestorms in one breath." he sighed.

Dennis was silent for a moment, focusing on the sound of heavy guns firing in the distance.

"Anything on the current engagement?"

"Heard they're not letting the savages rest. I think there's something like two hundred thousand of them trying to charge our lines, and the guys in the artillery battalions have a lot of work to do."

Dennis nodded.

Then he asked "Captain calling a meeting yet?"

"Yup."

"What time?"

"At 1900."

"…it's 18:55."

"Yeah… but those girls are gorgeous, I'm sure he would understand."

"Come on, jackass." he groaned, grabbing the young man by the arm and dragging him away from the fence.

The sound of distant artillery continued.

…

"…fire for effect!"

The tank commander watched as the armies attempted yet another desperate charge.

A similar problem had been faced by the Romans they encountered that first day, but it had been corrected and the Romans had been able to retreat then.

Now… now was a different story.

The armies were too large, too bunched up. Once their air power was destroyed, all they could do was charge.

Problem was the ones in the rear had little idea of what the front was facing.

So, the rear pushed the front ahead despite the very clear and very visible efforts of many in the front line to push back to run or regroup.

The artillery was crashing down like rain, making it impossible for the enemy soldiers to even get close to the tanks.

Normally, a modern army would try to contact their commanders to halt all advances via radio, perhaps dig in and set up weapons of their own for the inevitable charge that would come from the forces firing the artillery.

But radio was a concept as alien to these people as electricity.

But even if they could halt the advance and stop walking into the field of death that the artillery was raining down, to try digging in was suicide.

The Pattons fired their 90-millimeter guns and .50 caliber machine guns on all forces seen attempting to stop and dig in, using their versatile shields that unfortunately did very little to stop the hot led.

Thankfully, not many are trying… we might run out of ammo if they did.

Instead, the almost boring sight of men running to their deaths was the inevitable result as a second rain of shells slammed the ground they ran on.

For King Duran, still in the rear, the vision as the sun began to set could not be more nightmarish.

The foolhardy king that had tried to charge ahead was more than likely dead, his remaining officers barely in charge of half the force they had started with stared on in horror.

Worse, he could hear the whispers as the few wounded that survived long enough to retreat made it back to the rear.

"Cowards…" he heard a man from another army mutter.

"Why don't they let us charge and kill them already? Some fancy works of magic and they are already on the retreat?"

"Truly pathetic…"

He had seen the attitude before, but this was not his army to worry about.

His men looked to him for orders, and he was unsure of what to do.

Yes, there was the honor and debt he had to his fallen allies, but this was different.

They had tried to talk…

It had been the lack of effort to continue the talk that led to such a catastrophe.

He then noticed several men begin to walk back in the darkness of the night.

He watched as someone, perhaps an officer, perhaps a fellow soldier confronted them.

"The enemy is in that direction! Why are you running away from them?!" the man demanded.

"This is no war." The angry reply came.

Duran narrowed his eyes.

The armies were falling apart.

They were running to their deaths, and with the Imperial Army defeated…

A messenger ran then, saying "King Duran! General Marcus request you flank to the left side as the darkness finishes setting in! We hope to flank the enemy and destroy their magic machines once and for all!"

Duran huffed a cynical "Like he tried earlier with his two legions?"

"All I know is what he told me."

"Then tell him this, exactly as I have spoken, soldier… if he wishes to survive the night, then call off the attacks and prepare to beg for his life. If the enemy is half as ruthless as he is, then he should expect nothing other than the total destruction of his army…"

He noticed more men running away in the setting sun as the thunderous firepower from the unknown enemy continued to chase destroy them.

"Well… what remains of it."

…

The map was crude, but it worked for what it was, although any other officer would have likely preferred more details than the simplistic lines drawn on it. Sure, it being hung on a board for the entire room to see made it easier to understand, but still, far from ideal.

For Captain Thomas Rhodes, this was at least acceptable enough.

"We ride at dawn. The objective is to take the city of Italica, hopefully without having to fire a shot. While technically part of the self-proclaimed empire, they are essentially a city state, being a center for trade and all."

"Possible enemy force?" one of the other officers asked.

"According to our prisoners, mostly a volunteer militia and some palace security, although details are sketchy. One prisoner said they had maids that doubled as security in some sense, another said they had no real training and would only act as shield in case the lord was threatened. Regardless, the plan is to bypass all of that by landing right on the mansion, located dead center within the city. We secure a landing zone, and if faced with hostility we engage and neutralize it. The plan is to begin talking with the lord of the city, and gain a Forward Operations Base in order to begin preparing for the direct assault on the capital."

"Could we face some enemy air power?"

"After the hell we put them through? Not likely. We're building our runways and they should be done by next week, but we aren't planning on waiting that long. We plan to fly high enough and fast enough that even IF there is enemy air resistance, they won't be able to strike at us."

The men nodded.

Rhodes turned to Dennis and said "Orville, hopefully we can avoid a violent confrontation, but you will translate through our negotiations. The rest of you will keep watch and protect the LZ. No funny business, understood?"

"Understood, captain, we'll do our best not to bungle the negotiations with the locals." Alexander Matthew, the only other 18-year-old in the ranger unit, chided in.

"I would hope so. Hueys arrived earlier today, and will be ready in the morning. Behave yourselves, gentlemen."

Dennis suppressed a smirk.

The men around them shifted ever so slightly because… well… only a few of them knew the local language well enough to talk to anyone. So, if anyone wanted to speak with any of the locals, it would have to be through him or one of the few other rangers that knew it well enough.

And if the refugees had demonstrated anything it was that this other world had beautiful women that could use some talking to.

As if to drive the point home, once out of the main tent, Dennis was approached by Hastings, and simply told him "Don't start asking me to give you some elven phrases… the elves don't speak the same quasi-Latin the Romans do."

"Can't be too different. They live in the same area as the Empire… well… lived. Odds are they know a thing or two."

"Yeah, maybe… still, I haven't talked to them."

Hastings nodded, then a question popped into his head.

"Say... You aren't interested in any of the more pleasant looking refugees?"

Dennis furrowed his eyebrow slightly as he said "Oh, well they're fine looking and all, but I don't feel right going after them. Not like I helped save them or nothin'. Odds are the Marines have them claimed."

"Shame, I figured you could help me find a nice elf girl to take home."

At this Dennis actually stopped walking and asked "You want to take one of them home with you?"

"Why not? Apparently, they don't age past twenty, some live forever if Tolkien is anything to go by, so if I marry one, she would be nice and pretty until I die."

"Jesus, man, what would your family say? That right there is a miscegenation case waiting to happen!" he said, this time not joking.

"They look pretty white to me."

"The ears, man, the ears! Your kids would be laughed out of school, you would get fat and ugly while she stays young and attractive… hell, any young guy can just come along and steal her from you in ten years and to her it wouldn't matter!"

Hastings stared at his fellow Ranger for a moment with a look of mild discomfort before saying "Well, a man can dream, Dennis! Christ…"

Dennis said "Dream all you want; I'm not planning on getting a war bride any time soon, let alone intermingling with savages. Like marries like and whatnot."

There was a pause before Hastings broke the silence.

"You know my mom was a war bride?"

"No kidding?"

"Nope. Dad was with the occupying forces in Berlin, met this young German girl… married her a few days later and brought her to Georgia after finishing the paperwork and paying what he needed. Both are still happily married." he added with a look of triumph.

"Didn't know you were half krout." Dennis replied courtly.

"Man, you're probably half something."

"Nope. Far back as I know, my family came on the Mayflower, fought off the British, fought the Rebs, moved to Georgia, and settled there just in time to fight the Krouts and the commies. I'm as plain old American as it can get."

Hastings noted the almost imperceptible… something behind the words.

Frustration? No, that wasn't it.

Loneliness?

Not really about to confront the young man about it, Hastings patted him on the shoulder and said "Yeah, well, trust me. You'll find an exotic beauty soon enough that will catch your eye. I bet you'll find a nice cow girl or-"

"I got a girl waiting for me at home." He lied.

Hastings noticed but only said "Sure, but... she probably won't mind. And come on, cow girls probably have a bust size that..."

Dennis ignored the man talking about the lust he felt for the female body, the words slowly becoming a garbled mess as his mind wondered to other matters that he couldn't ignore as much as he wanted to.

In his mind, Dennis wondered, albeit briefly, what he was going to do once he got back to Georgia.

His mother was gone, joining his father in the grave, and with conscription having claimed several of the boys in town, it seemed that most of the parents were bitter towards the Army and Uncle Sam in general. Sure, it potentially left plenty of lonely girls in the small town, but...

He thought back to Mister Jones and the last conversation he had with the man.

He thought back to the small number of protestors dubbing the Americans "imperialists" he had heard about before officially becoming a part of the 75th.

He wondered if that attitude had reached even the older residents of his small Georgia town.

Am I even welcome there?

He glanced up at the alien sky as James Hastings continued his monologue.

It stared back at him with blatant indifference.

In defiance of such an uncaring cosmos, he turned his attention to the main base still under construction.

The tanks had parked on one end, the first squadron of helicopters not too far away, barbed wire and fencing establishing what was what.

I'll get through this first... we'll do some good here, and then they'll see...

Washington D.C, United States of America

9:15 PM

"Demonstrators continued to demand an end to the war across the gate in Berkley this morning, many openly calling the president and his cabinet 'fascists' for their actions." The newsman on the television screen said in a calm tone.

The screen flickered and footage of the demonstrators marching in circles with several "Democracy not Imperialism" signs lifted above them.

The picture then went to a group of four or five demonstrators, three men, one woman, a microphone being the only sign of the journalist asking the questions.

"We believe that the war needs to come to an end. We are a democracy, not an empire that conquers all, and if the president thinks he can just get away with this while so many people here continue to struggle just to get by… well, he should know that the American people will remember this once November hits." A young man with a badly grown beard and even worse hair said in a calm but clearly angry tone before the microphone he was speaking into moved on to another person.

"Make peace, not war!" the other young man said before the president shut off the Television and began to rub his eyes.

"They're in the minority, John; they're loud because the media is letting them be this loud."

The Vice president tried to keep his younger colleague in check as the man had a very idealized vision for the changing nation.

Unfortunately…

"I'm trying to spin it so that both sides of our party can agree, I know the Republicans are probably going to side with us on this, but without a majority…"

The Civil Rights Act sat on the desk in silence.

"Press is heading over to the other side of the Gate today, and I hear black tankers were very heroic during the opening battle for the hill."

"Yeah, same in World War 1, 2, and Korea… there isn't a doubt in my mind we would be drowning in heroic negroes if war broke out in Vietnam! I'm sure most Americans don't really care about blacks because it doesn't affect them, so I can expect some support on this, but…"

"It isn't enough to pass, is it?"

Neither of them wanted to say it, but what they needed, desperately, was a martyr.

And that simply wasn't an option.

"Another issue… the demi-humans… once we incorporate imperial lands into our union, they'll have free right to travel from their world to our own, citizens, eventually… how many kinds of races were there over there? Please stick to human races."

An aide slowly sifted through some papers, taking a deep breath before reading "Half human half cat, half human half wolf, half human half dog, half human half cow, elf, half human half elf, dark elf, half human half dark elf, half human half rabbit, half human half snake, half bird half human-"

"The point is, we're going to have a lot of… new people to thrust our superiority complex on... as well as more struggles to enact and enforce these new protections."

The Vice president said "Not necessarily. The report of an elven village that was ravaged by a dragon…" the man paused to take in the silliness of the statement as an actual incident where people had died and American soldiers had actually risked their lives to save people… "…well… the Red Cross is caring for the survivors, and they seem relatively kind. Our troops also liberated a few slaves, at least one of which was a… half bird, half human?"

The aide went over the notes and simply nodded his head in affirmative.

The President asked "So what? Our boys saved plenty of Japs and Koreans in both wars, didn't exactly make us feel sorry for segregating them."

"No, but liberating concentration camps helped Jews get proper sympathy and now look at 'em, Israel reestablished and everything is fine… except for all the problems of course." he added jokingly.

"Yeah, but it's not the same… maybe I can make the case around it, though… if slavery is still rampant in that world, then sympathy for these other races could give us a hand in pushing this act through."

The room stared solemnly at the paper on the desk.

April 2nd, 1964

Over the special Region

7:20 AM

Dennis observed the mountains in the distance, and sighed longingly as the formation of Bell UH 1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopters flew in the air.

"Get a shot of those, eh Tom?"

A black Ranger with a camera took a picture of the ground below.

Dead bodies littered the ground, a few tanks standing guard as the armies marched away in the opposite direction.

"So that's what fifty thousand dead bodies look like? How are we going to clean it all up?" the guy named Tom asked as loud as he could.

"Estimated, sir, and bulldozers probably." Alexander said loudly.

"Area is probably going to reek to high heaven by the time it's done."

Dennis only nodded.

They continued flying, seeing the defeated armies retreating in the distance, but noticing several large groups moving away from the large force, seemingly walking into the forests.

"Why the hell aren't they chasin' em?" he heard a Ranger ask no one in particular.

The reply that came over the chopper was "They used up pretty much all their ammo last night pushing them back! They're waiting to resupply before pushing further!"

Dennis observed the distant army splintering and breaking apart. Some soldiers marched back in clear groups, some seemingly on their own, but others...

"Hey, captain?" Dennis called.

The Captain Rhodes turned and upon seeing the young ranger pointing in the distance, focused on the view.

"Yeah, I see them! Pilot!"

"Yeah, I got them, captain. Eagle's Nest, this is Payload Three, be advised, we are seeing large parts of the enemy army splitting off and moving into the western forests. Could potentially become a hazard."

"Acknowledged." came the almost garbled reply through the radio.

The helicopters continued, the defeated Army becoming a distant line of ants from their view.

The grassy road soon turned into the visibly plowed fields of farmland, wheat being recognizable even from the helicopters.

Hastings said "Man, you think it's any different from the stuff back home?"

Dennis only shrugged.

He understood the excitement on the older man, though. This was the first real push into this new world. The earlier expedition once the foothold had been established was mostly to get a bearing on their exact location, confirm the previous statements by the captured soldiers, and try to find some friendly contact... which resulted in the refugees currently resting back at the Forward Operations Base. But this was the real deal, the first real thrust into enemy territory.

Dennis wondered if they would be met by hostiles.

He wondered if the previous week of on and off attacks by men with swords and spears would follow them all the way to this "Capital City".

He then thought back to a movie he hadn't seen but had heard a lot about.

"The War of the Worlds".

Would we be the same if another, more powerful force invaded us?

He scoffed at the thought.

If the October Crisis was anything to go by, the United States, and likely any earth nation, would expend all diplomatic options before pulling the trigger on an alien force.

Which begged the question...

Why haven't they tried to talk?

"There she is, boys!"

All eyes turned their attention forward, and in the distance, they could see the walls described by several POW's still in American custody.

The City of Italica.

City of Italica

House of Formal

The well-organized beauty of the garden would certainly impress even the best designers on planet earth.

Each tree was carefully trimmed, as were the bushes and green grass that complemented the marble walls of the House of the Formal Clan.

Partly due to the dedication of its staff, partly due to the keen eye of the previous lord, the city of Italica had been the center of commerce in the empire for a fair part of its thousand-year history. Its wide fields for farming and rural surrounding made keeping the local population fed easy enough, and the roads and highways built around it made business good. It was a perfect spot for anyone coming into the Empire from the ocean south and heading to the capital, or anyone coming out of the capital and headed to the ocean.

Then the Gate had opened up and everything had gone to hell.

This much was on Aurea's mind when her hair began to act up.

"Aurea, your snakes! Get a handle on them!" Kaine, the head maid of the mansion ordered loudly.

"I-I'm trying ma'am! Something is setting them off, I-" the young girl began to try and relax her very much sentient strands of "hair" as they began to hiss and stretch in multiple directions.

For a Medusa, controlling her "hair" was vital as it was made up of several pink snakes, each with a mind of its own, an existence that would confound even the most well versed of biologists, as not only did they have a bizarre symbiotic relation to the girl, but they also possessed the ability to drain the life off anyone unlucky enough to be bitten by them.

Despite her stature and appearance, the young girl was highly dangerous, and if not for the previous lord, the head maid would NEVER have allowed such a creature to coexist with all the others.

Yet the girl managed, exceeding all expectations, very rarely losing control of her snakes, but this…

She considered hitting the girl with a pole, but another maid quickly spoke up.

"Ma'am, the sound has only gotten louder. Whatever it is, it's coming closer… and fast."

The middle-aged woman turned to the more mature maid as the Medusa tried to soothe the visibly nervous snakes on her head.

"Are you certain?"

The maid nodded.

Her long rabbit ears were not mere decorations.

Mamina was, after all, a demi human.

Most of the maids were, and for all the downsides it could bring, it had its benefits.

"Very close now." Mamina said, her rabbit ears briefly twitching.

"Alright, take Aurea inside, and find Felicia. Once you secure the lord head to the basement and await further instructions."

"Yes ma'am." the bunny girl replied, quickly grabbing the medusa and rushing towards the mansion.

The middle-aged woman wasn't sure what to expect as the noise finally became audible to her.

It almost sounded like a group of hornets, but there was also something that sounded similar to the flapping of dragon wings, a whipping sound of sorts.

She was having trouble identifying where the sound was coming from when she saw it.

"What are…?" she asked out loud when the metallic bird quickly flew over the walls, circled the mansion grounds above her, and landed a fair distance from her…

…right in the middle of the recently trimmed grass of the courtyard…

Another one landed right next to it and, one by one, eight of the birds made the field of the courtyard their nest.

And then several young boys began hopping from them, kneeling on the ground, dark wands aimed at everything from the nearest bush to the furthest tree.

Somehow, Miss Kaine found it in herself to suppress the urge to murder the men that jumped from the metal birds and instead began to calmly approach them.

They spoke words she did not understand, nor cared to understand, but she did wish to find out just who they were and why were they there.

Her thoughts went to the fact that the Gate in the Holy Hill of Alnus had opened.

Could they be from…?

"Hello?"

A young man approached her, followed by another even younger man. Their stance, their clean-shaven face, the authority in the voice...

Soldiers...

"Yes, how may I help you?" she spoke simply.

The older of the men... boys, really... asked something.

The younger man replied with something that seemed to be an affirmative. The younger soldier turned to her and spoke slowly.

"Excuse us… miss… we are members of a… an Army of a nation called… the United States that exists beyond the Gate in Alnus Hill. Are you a servant of the Lord Formal?" the young boy spoke in a slow, almost careful tone that made the woman raise an eyebrow until she realized that the men likely did not speak their language very well.

"Yes, I am. What are your intentions if you don't mind me asking?"

The boy turned to the captain, said something in the language she did not understand before the man spoke and the boy turned back to her.

Oh, a translator...

"We are at war with the Empire and are planning on destroying it. We would like your permission to use the city of Italica as a… a headquarters as we move towards the capital."

"You intend to occupy the city?"

"That is negotiable." He said quickly.

There was an awkward silence as Kaine studied the men in green.

There had been rumors, yes, the armies of the Allied Kingdoms and Sadera had, to put it lightly, been decimated by these "out-worlders".

"Then you would like to speak with Lord Formal?"

The men nodded before the boy quickly said "Yes."

"Hmm… interesting that we both nod when we wish to affirm something without words… follow me, and please be careful with the garden. We just cleaned it."

Behind her, several of the metal birds took off, severely disorganizing the effects on the trees and bushes they had carved out, while several others stayed put, the older man, likely an officer, giving some orders before following her inside.

So much for today's work...

…

"Y'know, this place kind of reminds me of the White House." Captain Rhodes muttered as they waited inside the main hall of the mansion. Fantastical works of art on every wall, ranging from beautifully detailed paintings, to simple yet detailed vases and porcelain figures.

Dennis only raised an eyebrow.

"Visited it a few times. Very clean." The man replied.

Dennis said "I wouldn't know if the president is into… whatever the hell is happening here."

He mumbled the last part, glancing at a dark-haired girl with cat ears who has been standing still near a stairway, apparently keeping an eye on them as the head maid, the only person without animal features they had seen, was making the arrangements for them to meet up with the Lord of the city.

The cat girl made eye contact with Dennis, her eerie vertical pupils looking into his soul, her toothy grin widening, her long tail excitedly moving to and fro as she very impishly spoke.

"Nyan!"

Dennis did his best to conceal how disturbed the non-interaction had left him, tightening the straps on his helmet.

Captain Rhodes didn't seem to notice as he continued the conversation.

"I noticed that, too. All the maids here are demi-humans of some kind, and if the lord is the one hiring them…"

"Guess we're dealing with an especially perverted individual." Dennis mumbled, glancing at the medusa who was comforting the snakes she had for hair he added "Good God, some of them don't even look to be thirteen."

"That said… Whether or not President Kennedy is actually into this sort of-"

"Gentlemen, the head of Clan Formal will see you now." The middle-aged woman simply known as "Kaine" said as she appeared at the top of the steps.

"Lady says the pervert will see us now." Dennis translated.

"Well, let's go." Rhodes muttered as he placed his helmet back on his head.

The men walked past the cat girl and medusa who both politely bowed.

Dennis felt the tongue of a snake brush against his left ear and whirled around to glare at the girl.

"S-sorry! They have a mind of their own…" she said nervously, visibly flustered.

He didn't soften his glare, but nodded in understanding, quickly putting distance between him and the girl, following his captain as he did his best to hide how disturbed the contact had left him.

Felt like she was trying to eat me…

"I do apologize for the mess of things. Ever since the Gate opened up and the death of the previous Lord things have been very hectic."

Dennis translated to Rhodes.

Rhodes said "We understand. It was difficult to organize everything for our war effort due to our own situations back home."

Dennis translated to Kaine.

Kaine said "I'm sure you will be able to give plenty of details about your world in a moment."

A large door at the end of the hallway opened, a girl with bunny ears that almost looked fake greeting them.

"Welcome." the girl said with a smile.

Rhodes mumbled "Well, damn, there's a type I wouldn't mind."

Dennis said nothing as they were beckoned into the room.

"Captain Rhodes, private Orville, this is Lord Myui." The older woman said, introducing the other person in the room.

Both men visibly flinched.

Things have been very hectic…

This much would be obvious as soon as any viewer noticed that the person sitting on the throne was a little girl of no more than eleven years old.

Rhodes simply said "Is this a joke?"

Dennis didn't even bother translating, saying "I don't think so, captain."

"Ask her anyway."

He did.

The older woman frowned, saying "Of course this is the head of Lord Formal! Surely you've heard of child rulers in your world!"

"Seems she's the real deal, captain. She asks if we've heard of child rulers in our world." Dennis translated to Rhodes who simply said "Not in our country, certainly not in a long time… where are her parents?"

Dennis turned to the woman and translated.

Dennis listened for a moment as the woman spoke, then turned to Rhodes.

"She says the old Lord was in the first wave of the attack across the Gate due to his position in the Empire. Never came back. Miss Formal over here was the main heir, but there was some kind of family disagreement that sparked a small-scale war of sorts that only recently got resolved…"

Rhodes winced.

"Resolved? How did it get resolved?"

Dennis turned to the woman and asked.

He listened for a moment and simply said "She says the sisters that challenged Lady Myui over there waged a brief war that only destroyed the countryside, and they had decided to retreat far away as the empire drafted the few troops they had left for the defense of Alnus. Apparently, they figured the fight wasn't worth it, took what they could, and ran, leaving the kid in charge."

That's why we never saw any farmers or farms still standing…

"I see. Well… how do I say, 'my condolences' in Latin?"

"Mea te consolatores."

"Mea te consolatores, Myui."

The little girl sheepishly turned to look at the floor.

Kaine said "Perhaps we should discuss your intentions?"

The boy turned to his officer and translated.

"Yes, we should." He translated after the man replied.

Kaine saw the young boy listen to his captain for a minute before speaking the translation.

"Our country was attacked by imperial forces five months ago; they killed many of our people. Simply put, we are here to remove the Empire from power. We intend to use Italica as a… a place where we can regroup before moving on to the capital."

"You intend to topple the Empire?" Kaine asked, mildly surprised.

The boy translated.

The man spoke.

The boy said "Topple isn't the… exact term we would use. We do intend to take much of its lands and effectively take control of it in order to ensure such an attack does not happen ever again."

"Conquerors, then?" she asked, now worried.

"More like liberators. See, we Americans believe that all people have certain… um… privileges… that are protected by the state. See, the empire, from what we have seen has not served its people."

At this Kaine found herself more than a little confused.

Before she could ask, the officer spoke and the boy translated.

"An example that comes to mind is slavery! Now, we understand the… necessity of labor in this world, and when you defeat an enemy you certainly should put the prisoners of war to work until a peaceful resolution can be reached, but what the Empire does is far beyond what we would consider necessary slavery."

The older woman thought back to the horrors seen by some of her maids who had escaped slavery, glancing briefly at Mamina who looked invested in the discussion.

"So, you intend to free all the slaves in the land?" Kaine asked.

The boy translated, the man spoke, the boy repeated.

"On our territory, yes, and we wish to work so that slavery becomes a thing of the past. See, we used to utilize slaves ourselves, but eventually, both with the advancement of technology and thought, we chose to rid ourselves of such institutions."

"Technology… I noticed there was no magic behind those machines… and what do you offer the head of this great city should she join your cause and abandon the Empire that has guarded her for so long?"

Translate, speak, repeat.

"If anything, the Empire has already abandoned you. You mentioned the… family quarrel from earlier, did you not?"

"That does not answer the question."

The boy simply said "You will gain our guaranteed protection and be the first to gain access to what new inventions we have to offer this world. We will protect your territory from all aggressors, in exchange, you allow our forces to use this city as a base to move on to the capital."

Kaine stepped closer and took a very good look of the soldier.

He stared back at her with indifference.

"And how exactly do you plan on defeating the empire?"

Translate, speak, repeat.

"Our war machines and weapons of fire killed most of them in the opening ours of the battle of Hill Alpha, err- Alnus Hill. Soon we will be able to strike at them from the sky without their dragon riders ever being able to catch our own fliers."

Weapons of fire? War machines? Fliers?

She glanced at the black… contraption slung over the man's shoulder.

If it was supposed to be a sheathed magical sword or ax of some kind, she didn't recognize it, but given the odd machinations of these men's war machines she had seen so far…

"Allow me to discuss this with the lady."

Translate, speak, repeat, and then the men nodded and walked out of the room.

Kaine walked over to the eleven-year-old and began to whisper as the men turned to step outside the chambers.

"These men are the reason we saw defeated legions a week ago. They could be a more powerful ally than the Empire."

"They haven't even suggested wanting much other than to use the city… why?" the girl said pensively, despite being eleven, she was, at least, somewhat smart for her age.

"Rarely are the ugliest details given during opening negotiations, and I do not like the looks the younger man gives the maids, it-"

"You don't think he would try to… hurt… them… do you?" the little girl nervously asked.

Certain protections were supposedly guaranteed by the Empire to all citizens, but Demi Humans weren't really considered anything more than second class citizens at best, a nuisance at worst. It was the whole reason why the old head of the House of Formal had made a point of hiring Demi Human maids. Not only did he appreciate their looks, they were also easier to find and train, and some of them already had added benefits of being veterans or possessing deadly skills.

Kaine was certain if any of these… Americans… tried to individually hurt one of the maids, she would hold her own and likely win… but if their goal was to exterminate them and these men had decimated the Imperial Army, then there really wasn't much of a choice they had if the men demanded the maids be killed.

But they hadn't done so, the older man had appeared pleased by the looks of some maids… pleased enough to hurt them in other ways?

The older woman wasn't sure; she simply said "The young man appeared more disgusted by their appearance, perhaps even afraid. His captain seemed more tolerant of their presence, he even seemed to smile when he saw Mamina. But if they wanted to, I see no reason as to why they wouldn't just take them or kill them. They defeated the empire, and we were caught off guard… yet they haven't done anything to them."

Myui sighed.

"An army of men in flying machines that can defeat the empire that has been protecting us for so long… Can we really trust them?"

"You must be strong, little one. Consider what we know. Your sisters tried to kill you, and the only reason they failed was because the empire was in dire need of their troops. These men were right to point out that were abandoned, but we don't know their full intentions, either."

The little girl didn't reply, instead asking "What did that boy mean by privileges?"

"They spoke of privileges in an… odd form. Perhaps the young man meant to say rights and misspoke?" she mumbled to herself.

The way he had spoken about it was certainly different to what the Saderan "Rights" were.

Citizens had the right to elect certain officials, but the actual decision of government actions fell upon the Emperor, the Senate being more a large body of advisors that represented their respective regions in the empire.

All they did was make cases for why certain areas required certain laws and request the Emperor approve said laws, and all the Emperor did was approve or deny them.

"Still, this would be a major betrayal of our century's long pact. We would be turning our backs on them completely and helping the very enemy trying to destroy them..."

Outside, Captain Rhodes and Dennis Orville stood at a somewhat disciplined stance, the ever-watchful eye of the bunny eared woman never leaving them.

Dennis turned to Rhodes and quietly asked "Should I strike up conversation with the local, captain? Maybe get some information?"

"Got an interest in bunny girls, son?"

The boy simply frowned.

The older man let out a light chuckle.

"Yeah, no, I get it… she isn't a simple maid, is she?" he mumbled eyeing the girl.

A civilian maid does have her own posture and form to embody discipline, not unlike soldiers depending on the training, however between civilians and soldiers there was usually some very subtle differences that anyone could tell if they stared long enough.

Dennis, having worked with miners who were vets and miners who were not, knew better than anyone how to distinguish between soldiers and civilians.

That said, the idea that the maid that looked so calm and harmless could be or had once been a soldier trained to slaughter civilians like the army America faced five months prior felt very much alien.

And yet…

"I'll ask her… hey, rabbit!"

The girl raised an eyebrow, noting that she was being addressed, but not exactly sure what the words meant.

The boy switched to the local tongue then.

"Apologies. Excuse me, miss, but… you aren't a regular maid, are you?"

Her lips curled into a sickeningly polite smile as she said "My, what gives you that idea?"

"Stance, figure… you remind me of some of the soldiers outside."

She smiled politely and said "I suppose us soldiers can recognize each other regardless of world, yes?"

Despite agreeing, Dennis said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"I used to be part of a small kingdom; we were small but somewhat powerful. The Empire destroyed us a few years ago after our queen betrayed us to save her own skin, leaving the rest of us to die, and those who survived now find work where possible."

She saw no real reaction from the young man who turned to his captain to speak in the tongue she didn't understand.

"Captain, she says she was a soldier. Apparently, her queen betrayed her people in order to save herself when the Empire came knocking."

It was Rhodes who said "Queen? What happened to her? Does she know?"

The boy turned to the girl, switched back to the native tongue and asked, "Do you know what became of your queen?"

Mamina huffed and simply said "She is likely living somewhere in the Empire's capital. A rich and wonderful life, paid for by the dead. If you ever hear the name Tyuule in your destruction of the empire, do me a favor and make it hurt."

Dennis translated.

Rhodes mumbled "Or we could use her for our own purposes…"

Before Dennis could reply, the girl with snakes for hair and the girl with feline features stepped into the hallway in a sprint, a pair of young men with sheathed blades carrying a wounded man who was missing both hands, blood dripping from the badly tourniquet stumps.

"Mamina, this man needs to speak with Lady Myui and Kaine immediately!" the cat girl said.

The bunny girl apparently named Mamina quickly turned to open the door and politely interrupt the discussion going on inside.

Dennis and Rhodes stared as they carried the wounded man into the chambers in uncertain confusion.

"That… you don't think that guy was our doing, right captain?" Dennis managed to ask, wondering if a local thought helicopter blades would be fun to touch.

"Saw a guy get his hands blown off by a grenade once, didn't look like that… no, someone chopped his hands clean off. You noticed the tourniquet was tied around-?"

The rabbit maid appeared and said "Please, gentlemen, would you kindly join us in this meeting?"

Dennis turned and said "They want us in there, captain."

Rhodes slowly nodded and followed the maid back into the main chamber of the mansion.

The man without hands was speaking quickly and stumbling over his words, drops of blood fell on the floor as the maids tried to wrap up the wound any way they could in order to slow down the bleeding.

The little girl looked pale; the head maid appeared concerned.

Rhodes quietly asked "What the hell is he saying?"

"He… he's saying something about… brig… ands? Um… sounds like his family got attacked as they left thir farm earlier this week."

"Brigands? So gangs of thieves?"

"Err… he seems to be describing them as larger than that…I-"

Dennis stopped and focused the bleeding man for a second.

He turned to his captain and said "They sent him to warn the head lord of Italica to prepare her city for war. Not to surrender, not even to evacuate, but to prepare for war. Lot of emphasis on war, captain."

Rhodes turned to the head maid who simply said "Captain Rhodes… it appears that circumstances have forced our hand… we need your help."

…

The image would have raised some eyebrows even with context.

An entire platoon of United States Army Rangers just kind of milling about, several helicopters standing by, engines off, some were still in the process of unloading the equipment they were required to install in order to keep proper radio communications with their main base, but other than that, the big fight they had been geared for had been completely avoided.

The half human maids weren't bothering them, some even appeared interested in the men, which may have turned off some of them… but not others.

As one of the half human maids walked into the field, Hastings saw his chance.

"So, uh… miss… kitty cat?"

The maid simply smiled, not understanding what in the name of all that is holy the strange young man was saying, but certainly not in any mood to annoy the strange guests form another world.

Hastings wanted to sigh, but decided that the best way to communicate was to just show her basic inventions… like the flashlight… or a compass, or perhaps… chocolate?

Wait, are you supposed to give chocolate to cats?

At his clear insecurity at proceeding, she gave him a more sympathetic smile.

Hell, she seemed mildly bemused.

Any attempts at flirting were, unfortunately, cut short as Captain Rhodes and Dennis Orville soon walked out of the mansion with worried looks.

"Hastings, get the equipment for the radio antenna off the Huey! I want a scout op to the immediate west of here!"

Dennis glanced at the pilot who worriedly asked "Something happening, captain?"

"Yeah, city may be facing an all-out attack pretty soon. Get a couple of brave pilots and scout the forests to the west, right where we saw the deserting men run into. If there is an army gathering over there we need to know right away!"

He then turned to the other Rangers.

"Get the radio up and running, we need full a communication center up and running ASAP and an exact ammo count!"

The pair of Ranger technicians already working on the antennae quickened their pace and began to set it up as fast as possible.

Meanwhile a pair of Hueys began taking off.

Dennis observed the choppers begin taking off as the rabbit girl approached him.

"I sent my dispatches to gather up the militia, and with some luck we should have a few hundred men ready for combat."

The boy shrugged, saying "Good, I suppose. We'll try to bring in as much weapons and men as we can, but if the numbers that guy gave are accurate, even with our weapons it may be too much."

It took us a day to kill 10,000 of their men with tanks… now all we have are a few guys and a few guns… but a good defensive position.

The ancient looking walls looked formidable enough, large and well built. They would not be rammed or blown apart, although ladders could become an issue.

After ensuring there was a round in the chamber, he slung his rifle on his back and left the maid by herself, his mind briefly drifting to the missing Queen who betrayed her own people.

A part of him wondered how true that was, and how useful she really could be if she was such a traitor.

Before he could really find a nice shade to rest while he awaited orders, Hastings interrupted him.

"Orville, can you do me a solid and give me a hand with one of these gals?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, man, I'm begging you! I've seen a few bunny girls back home, but never any cat girls like these!"

"You really are some unique sort of pervert."

"Hey, Captain made it clear we're dealing with a possible attack, right? What's so bad about getting a little tail beforehand?"

"The good Lord will likely judge you for fornication." Dennis said, forcing himself to ignore the very obvious "tail" remarks he could make.

"Aw, come on, Orville! You ain't doing nothin' bad by helpin' a guy out!" Hastings said, his New York accent mixing badly with his very bad attempt at a southern drawl.

Dennis simply said "Okay, okay, okay, come on… jackass… if we find any jackass girls you better watch out."

Hastings scoffed while Dennis eyed at the line of maids outside.

One of the few feline maids was staring at them.

"Dark hair, right? Not… weird… purple hair… what even is that color?"

"Yeah, dark hair." Hastings quickly said.

Dennis walked up to the dark-haired girl, Hastings following mere inches behind.

"Okay, tell her-"

Dennis spoke before Hastings could ask him to say something specific.

"Vos amici amet velit. Et facti sunt non poterant potens est vir." the young man form Georgia said.

The cat girl smiled slightly and asked "Vere nunc?"

"Sed ipse est… uh… etiam nimis… fugax."

She giggled and very quickly latched on to the American soldier.

Hastings stared at the girl clutching his arms tight and couldn't help the brief blush.

"Whoa, Orville, what did you tell her?"

"That you're a coward and that she should take pity on you. Go crazy." he sighed in a very disappointed manner.

"Yeah? Well-"

Before Hastings could reply he found himself suppressing a scream.

He glanced at the girl still clutching his arm, noticing that she had seriously scratched the top of his hand with her slowly retracting… nail claws?

"U-uh…"

The impish smile she gave him silenced him long enough for her to say "Nunc mea es tu." in a very pleasing tone as she tightly clutched his hand with her own and pressed her body against his.

"Y-yeah… sure… why'd you have to scratch me, lady?"

The girl actually managed to understand the question, but didn't bother explaining.

It seemed these men from another world didn't know cats marked their territory by scratching.

…

His men gathered their weapons, and he tossed the small piece of parchment onto the cauldron used to heat up the metal weapons and iron out any imperfections. It seemed appropriate as such an "ironing out" would be necessary for the entire empire soon enough.

Destroy Italica… I would have done it regardless of orders, Emperor…

Still, the fact that he now had the orders to do it, not encouragement or permission, but the orders to do it… it made him wonder how serious the situation had become since his men deserted a week prior.

They had, of course, survived off the rich lands surrounding the trade city in secret, gathering forces where possible as the schism within the House of Formal had left few people to tend to the vast fields, but since the allied armies pathetic attempt at breaking the enemy from beyond the gate, the numbers he commanded had quadrupled along with their needs, and now he had the force to invade and sack Italica. The plan had been to go ahead and attack the city perhaps later in the month, when supplies would begin to run out and the men had the motivation to take it, but now the order had arrived.

"The Emperor is enacting a scorched earth policy. This does not bode well for the residents of the trading city." He muttered to his officer, the man cleaning his blade after slaughtering another naïve farmer and his family that had confused him for loyal legionnaires of the emperor. He hoped the man he spared delivered the message so that they could at least have some form of resistance from the small Italica militia.

Still, it wasn't the "war" he wanted to lead his army into.

His officer replied "Then the men simply have to cause chaos. However, we need an organized attack. Small militia or not, those walls are formidable, even at their smallest, they are at least three fully grown men in height."

"How many siege towers have we managed to construct?"

The officer said "None, sir. The men who deserted most recently had plenty of wood, and with it we might be able to build one if given time."

At the strange sound in the distance, the disgraced leader simply said "Time is something we may not have."

He turned his gaze to the skies and saw them.

They were flying high, too high for arrows and ballista shots, and despite their relatively slow movement, he knew their speed was deceptive.

"These other worlders always seem to have some sort of surprise… Forget the siege towers, focus on constructing ladders. Prepare the men, we strike tonight!"

"Our scouts haven't even-"

"We have no choice. If the other worlders get a hold of Itallica then we won't survive! They must be weaker at Itallica than at Alnus, no army can move this fast I don't care WHAT magic or god assists them!"

He turned to his table and glared daggers at the parchment with a map of the city.

"We probe their defenses, strike full force on all entrances, see where they are strong, where they are weak… then we push hardest at their weak point! That mage from the Allied Army still has enough to cast rains of flaming arrows!"

"He is quite weak, sire."

"He isn't dead yet! The enemy took Myuute, so now we rely on him! Gather the men, they must be ready for tonight."

Alnus Hill, United States Forward Operating Base

9:00 AM

"Yeah, the issue is definitely going to be defending this place. We got four entrances each opening into the town's urban areas blocked only by a somewhat sturdy wooden barrier, so if they get past the barricades, we're setting up it's going to be a nightmare of urban combat."

General Abrams listened calmly as the Ranger captain explained his situation over the radio.

It wasn't pretty.

10,000 men, a conservative estimate, all decently equipped with deadly weapons and a worrisome amount of training that even made the general somewhat nervous.

He had studied the attacks in Dallas and the actions taken by the National Guard to flush out any remaining resistance that existed in the city, which had very much been difficult, in spite of the enemy's lack of guns.

Urban combat, house to house, room to room…

"Well let's try and avoid that outcome. We have elements of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment that got through this morning, should be good to go at a moment's notice. Haven't even unpacked last I checked." He said, glancing outside the hastily set up radio room.

Across the field, work on the actual main base and cement buildings were still in the construction process. From the Gate, more M48s rolled out with trucks carrying fuel and supplies right behind them. American soldiers in green patrolling the area.

"We could really use the manpower, General. We may have guns, but we don't have the numbers to effectively guard this city."

"Yeah, it's going to be a good old-fashioned siege… hopefully we can secure the roads and meet you there tomorrow morning. If they haven't attacked yet, we can get you a battalion of tanks, maybe some actual artillery guns by then. Other than that, Air Cav will reinforce you with all they've got."

"Hope for the best."

"Plan for the worst. Out." he said, moving away from the radio and on to the main map that the very cooperative elven civilians had helped construct alongside many other refugees that had been arriving that week.

The American main base was clearly taking form as both a military base and a refugee camp, albeit a small one. Although there had been a few new arrivals supposedly wanting to escape the potential wrath of the fire dragon, the camp was in good conditions, as the refugees seemed to make a point of caring for things on their own.

For general Abrams, one in particular was both serious cause for concern as well as a very important tool.

It disturbed him that she was dressed the way she was much more than the fact that she was somehow able to carry a two-ton halberd like a bat and not break her frail looking arms.

"And this… highway… it leads not only straight to Italica, but also to the main capital of the Empire?" he asked.

The older than she seemed girl simply said, in perfect English no less, "Yes, sir! Follow it and it will lead you straight towards the capital. Although there are many areas in between that are ruled by warlords and dangerous gangs of thieves."

The man looked at the vast territory between the two cities.

"Not for long." he replied courtly.

Imperial Capital

"There are only rumors, your majesty..."

Tyuule hated the sensation of the damned creature below her bed greedily licking her wounded legs in perverse ecstasy.

But the creature was the only one who could get in and out of her cell… somehow… and bring back important information.

Only cost was that he enjoyed… tasting… the injuries left behind by the debatably worse man who owned her.

"Still, if both the imperial army and the allied armies were pushed back, then the city of Italica should fall to the enemy from beyond the gate fairly soon." She breathed, ignoring the stinging pain coming from her legs.

"Perhaps not."

"Perhaps not?"

"The Emperor gave a secret order once news of the disaster at Alnus reached him…"

She pulled her leg away, the one way she could exert some form of control over the creature.

He quickly said "He has ordered that the retreating armies destroy everything between Alnus and the Capital! They intend to deny the enemy any supplies and sympathizers!"

Tyuule found herself more surprised than she would care to admit.

"He is… destroying his own people? He isn't at all bothering with negotiations?"

"He sent his young daughter to try and locate the enemy, but news of her is little as she was sent away from the action, perhaps in an attempt at flanking the enemy… or perhaps to keep her out of harm's way."

Tyuule frowned.

Oh, she hated the people of the Empire with a passion, but she was surprised they would become sacrificial lambs so quickly.

"So… he is sending a force to destroy Italica?"

"Unofficially, it seems he wishes to still use the men who deserted him by encouraging them to destroy as much as possible."

She shook her head.

"Then I truly hope this… enemy from beyond breaks them before they have the honor of breaking themselves." She said with an almost imperceptible hint of sadness.

Trading City of Italica

11:32 AM

"Please remain calm and stay indoors. We expect the attack to occur at dawn, but have no way of confirming as much." Dennis told the elderly couple who simply nodded nervously.

A few yards to his immediate right, the men of both the Italica Militia and the American 7th Cavalry were working on barricading the east gate while the rest of the Italica Militia warned the civilians to stay indoors until further notice.

"Could we evacuate? Perhaps leave through the south gate?" the elderly man asked.

"We have reason to believe that they have the area surrounded already, so the best option is to remain inside. All entrances have been barricaded, and until the enemy is defeated, we don't plan on opening them."

The couple nodded slowly, offered a hollow "thank you" and closed the door.

Dennis huffed and turned down the street to meet with the men working together to create a somewhat effective wooden barricade to keep the large wooden doors shut.

A machine gun nest was set at the very edge of the entrance, M2HB pointed directly at the large door.

Anyone coming in through there is in for a nasty surprise…

"How's it looking?" a dark-skinned man asked, standing up and looking over the wooden barricade.

Dennis turned and said "Looks fine, I guess. Heard this entrance is the most exposed?"

The American pointed behind him, saying "Yeah, grass is too high, and the wall is a bit shorter on this side due to the way the hill goes under the wall's construction. Not much of a difference, but it will take guys less time to climb a wall, more time in the concealed grass. If a thousand savages charge us through here, it's not going to be easy even with the walls."

Tall grass could also be a problem if these brigands try a night raid…

"Can we set the grass on fire?"

"Not without some high-grade fuel, and last I checked, the fighter-bombers aren't coming in until we can build an effective airport for them to land in."

"If we had the fighter bombers we wouldn't have to worry about this fight." Dennis scoffed.

"We still have guns, and the Air Cav is going to be doing some fly-ins to drop off supplies and reinforcements, right?"

"Yeah, plan is to hold out the twelve or so hours it'll take the main force to get here... assuming the enemy attacks in that time."

"I thought it was a two-hour drive."

"Tanks are low on fuel and supplies and you know these glory seeking savages are going to try and hit them if they try coming right away. Better to have our main force at full strength before charging in without enough ammo. We just have to hold out until then." he replied.

"That really why they're doing this? Glory and conquest?"

"That's what the messenger said."

Though this all seems… off somehow.

As he said this, the second squadron of UH-1flew overhead, en route to the mansion where a command center had been established.

In said command center, Captain Rhodes glanced at US Army Colonel Moore, the man in charge of the 7th Cavalry regiment of the 11th Air Assault Division, a part of which had been deployed and was now the most reinforcements the Rangers that had only really been tasked with establishing contact with Italica could get.

The man had been a World War 2 and Korean War veteran, and Rhodes had no doubt he would lead the 11th into whatever other war would have broken out had the Gate not opened up suddenly.

But now…

"We could get some mortar teams set up… not too far from the entrances, maybe… fifty yards away, rooftops?"

"Yeah, I think as much. We can't underestimate these savages; they may not have guns but we both know what they can do if they get their hands on your person, so any weapons we can get is going to be vital."

The helicopters landed and 48 more men, armed with M16s and M14s, hopped out.

"That's 48 more… puts us at around… oh… one-ninety?"

"Two hundred exactly with your boys. Number of defenders goes up to three hundred if you include the local militia."

Both men glanced at the guard in very, very, light armor with a clearly worn out sword as his main weapon. The young man was chatting with one of the maids as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, I have a hundred other guys coming before tonight. But if they break through, those boys will become little more than a human shield." Moore mused.

"Apparently the Empire protecting them for so long and the recent unrest left their militia very ill equipped."

"That's actually something that baffles me."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow.

"This is an extremely defensible city- it was built to be defended from large armies. Can you imagine taking it by force?"

Rhodes glanced at the homes just beyond the shining fence that separated the mansion at its center.

Houses were large, most of the alleys were tight.

Streets were wide, but only to the point that maybe one tank could squeeze in.

It was a tightly packed city designed to become a battleground where the defenders would have the ability to fight room to room and house to house on the day the wall or gate fell. Hell, their strategy should the city have been hostile would have been to land in the center, capture the house lord and demand any dissenters surrendered, and if that didn't work, simply bomb it into submission. The amount of carnage taking a city like this would have been unimaginable if the aftermath of Dallas was anything to go by.

And yet…

"For an important trade center designed to be easy to defend they abandoned it very quick." Rhodes muttered.

The radio crackled to life.

"Colonel, we've a situation unfolding on the east gate!"

"Savages?" the colonel asked.

"Actually…"

…

Pina Co Lada had no idea she was being observed.

She did, however, have a fairly accurate assumption as to who was occupying Italica.

"Incredible…" Gray, her mentor and most trusted knight mumbled as the frightening metal birds flew off into the sky, completely unnatural when compared to the flights of the imperial dragons.

"Should we report our findings, princess? Odds are they see us from here." Hamilton suggested.

Pina frowned.

"We don't even know who they are yet… and they haven't attacked us either."

"We are way off course, however."

"I'm aware, but… Hamilton, do you notice something wrong with the scene in front of us? Aside from the obvious other-worlder presence?" she asked quickly.

The young knight only cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"There is no sound of battle." Gray chimed.

"Exactly. The descriptions from the survivors made it clear, these men roar in combat and destroy like dragons, and yet…"

"No fires, no clashing swords, no roars of war… you don't think-?" Hamliton asked, realizing the possibility.

"Italica surrendered and it still stands… if they wished to destroy us or stomp us out, Itallica would be set ablaze by now, and yet it stands!"

The foursome stared at the city for a moment before Pina said "We must communicate with them. We can't waste this opportunity."

She led her horse forward and approached the city.

As she approached the walls, she thought she saw heads pop down, the sound of the metal birds no longer perceptible and she began to get worried.

Just what were these invaders?

This world had such variety in the sentient species that inhabited it that while some looked like pigs with human bodies, others had a human body with animal features, and at this point, she wouldn't be surprised in these invaders being something completely different.

They approached the entrance and Hamilton did her best to sound brave as she called "Open the door for princess Pina Co Lada!"

Some whispers from the other side, and a very… odd voice in particular.

It sounded raspy, incomprehensible, and very much "otherworldly".

The door was slowly opened after a moment and men in green with dark sticks pointed at the ground met them.

Regular humans? But what kind of soldiers are these?

The young man at the front simply asked, "You're actually the princess of this empire?"

Hamilton quickly replied "Yes, she is! And you are?"

"I wasn't talking to you. Speak up, blood-hair!" the young man said in a rude tone.

"How dare-?!"

Pina only frowned before quickly interrupting Hamilton by saying "Yes, I am indeed the princess of this Empire. Who-?"

She was then rudely interrupted by the young man who said something she didn't understand and the men immediately raised the (at this point presumed) weapons in a hostile manner that almost made Pina order her own soldiers draw their blades.

But before she could react, the young man angrily said, "Then that makes you our enemy, right?"

Pina only nodded.

"And you saw our flying machines?"

Pina only nodded.

"Which begs the question… why are you here?"

Immediately she said "I heard Italica was in your sights and wished to help defend it! But… now that you're here…" she trailed off, looking at the barricades being set up and the worried looks on both the workers and the men from another world.

"Why are you here?" the young man asked again.

She paused before nervously pushing forward.

"I intend to negotiate. At least… at least for the life of the city."

The men paused.

One of them was speaking strange words into a box, the box seemingly talking back.

The young man said, "Your people killed a lot of our people not so long ago."

Nodding again.

"You didn't even bother negotiating in all this time, but now that we have control of this city you want to negotiate?"

Before she could answer a man with ebony skin approached the young man, spoke something she didn't understand into his ear, and the young man grinned in response.

"Regardless of reason, if you are indeed here to negotiate, then come in… we have a lot to talk about."

He turned and began walking down the empty street.

Pina noticed the men lower their sticks and go back to preparing defenses, most muttering something under their breath that she couldn't understand but sounded... angry.

What is going on here?

"Excuse me..."

The young man turned to look at her as he kept walking.

"What is happening here exactly?"

"The city is going to be attacked by brigands. We can discuss it with the officers at the House of Formal."

Pina was still on her horse, and she found it odd that the men from another world were walking rather than grabbing a horse and riding it down the street. Were they not noblemen? Perhaps mercenaries? Did they not have horses in their world?

She was considering this when the walls of the Mansion of House Formal came into view.

"What exactly-?"

"You can ask my colonel in a minute. Save your questions until then."

"Rude..." Hamilton muttered.

Pina said "Quiet!"

The older man, Gray, kept eyeing the soldier, noting the trepidation from his officers, the older soldier.

"How old are you, if I may ask."

"Eighteen years old, sir." the boy replied courtly.

"Ah, a young man. I take it not many of you know the local tongue."

"Yes, sir. Some of us know it, some of us don't."

Ah, he will give some information to be friendly but he won't give enough away to risk anything... interesting.

Pina noted the young age, not just of the soldier, but amongst most of the men from the other world. She noted how relatively unprotected they were, no visible armor, no swords... she could see they all had a green helmet but even that small thing look more like a cap than an actual protective helmet.

As they arrived at the Command Center, they were welcomed by the famous maids of the House of Formal, and once inside...

Chaos!

Men were moving boxes from one side of the courtyard to the next, orders in the language she couldn't understand were being shouted, some men walked past them and ran down the street they came, others headed for the other exists in the mansion.

The boy leading them waved at several men standing by a table, looking at a map.

One of the men waved them over.

"This way." the boy said over the noise.

The foursome dismounted.

Norma asked, "Should we leave our swords?"

Gray shook his head, Pina agreeing.

"I doubt they have the same customs as us. Let's go."

They walked to the table, and the men stared at them for a moment.