11. Chapter 11(1)

Chapter 11

War and Peace

May 14th, 1964

Rondel

6:39 AM

She wiped away at an irritating fly that got too close as she sat in a darkened street corner, teachers, researchers, and magicians walking past, none paying her any mind, thankfully. All around her were symbols of learning and knowledge, and there she was, only glad the Empire left this city mostly to its own devices. Her rabbit ears kept low, the young girl still heard the familiar footsteps.

Like most cities in the Empire, Rondel had to be self-sufficient to a degree. People grew their own food for the most part, and people kept their own defenses as well, which meant that it was genuinely more like a city-state than part of the Empire.

Of course, they paid their taxes, gave what Magicians were thought necessary to the Imperial Cause, but the still impossible to believe "Massacre at Alnus" several months prior had left the entire city in a state of shock. The Legionnaires maintaining the imperial presence weren't even sure what to make of the reports of an enemy that could swipe away even their best magicians with the ease of thunder striking down a tree.

But the young girl didn't really care about any of that.

"Oh, Salve, Patricia!"

She stood up, expectantly.

The cook smiled politely, handing her the loath of bread he was carrying.

"Savor it, if you can. There's a bit of a shortage due to the war, I may not be able to feed you much longer." he sighed as the girl took it quickly.

The blonde girl winced at the words.

"Also... I'm sorry, but I can't keep feeding you. The Academics don't like it that you're here living rent-free."

"I-I live on the street!" she whispered back, too exhausted to muster much of a response.

"I know, but you know how some of the older teachers can be... magic is one thing, knowledge is another, if you don't have either, then you're no good, unfortunately... I'm sorry I can't do much more for you."

"W-what about your kitchen?"

"If I hire a cook that can't do magic I'll be fired, you know that."

"B-but maybe I can learn! Just-"

"Even then, my boss isn't hiring... and if they find out I hired a Warrior Bunny..."

"I-I can cut my ears!"

"Patricia!"

"I'd die otherwise!"

The cook rubbed the back of his head, trying to come up with a counter-argument. Truth was, few cared if the demi-humans died out, especially the remains of the barbaric tribes of Warrior Bunnies. Many starved, and while the city wouldn't necessarily persecute them at all, if they couldn't help with certain tasks or do magic, then out they would go.

But the girl had nowhere to go after the war, and it was clear she'd rather not go back to being a nomadic slave, especially at her young age.

So, he said "Alright, look... I'll... try to buy you some time, maybe something will come up... if there's really no other choice, then... I'll try to convince my boss to hire you. Alright? But then you really would have to cut your ears..."

She wanted to hug him and not let go but she didn't think she could muster even that.

It wasn't a desirable outcome to cut herself after being able to avoid so much carnage and violence for so long.

But if her family and fallen comrades had gone through the same, then odds were that she could, too.

As she pondered this, she heard loud hammer thumps on one of the posts nearby.

The pair glanced at the end of the alley, seeing a pair of Legionnaires, one hammering a parchment onto a wall.

What is...?

She didn't care much, as she only turned back to the cook and said "Thank you, Adrian. I am truly in your debt."

The cook only gave her a concerned look before walking away, leaving her in the alley.

Patricia sat back down, wholly despondent as the news sunk in. Several men walked over to read the parchment as the legionnaires walked off.

Before tears fell down the bunny girl's eyes, she heard several exclamations of "Incredible!" and "Impossible!"

Oh, what is it with you people...?

She didn't care for news of the war unless it meant she had to run again. She could only imagine if the Imperial Army had been defeated or not, or if the new players were less benevolent or not. Right then and there she had to contend with the possibility that she would be kicked out of the city and have to contend with the lawless lands beyond it all on her own once again.

She heard the familiar footsteps, albeit moving at a quicker pace.

"Patricia!" Adrian called, running back to the alley, carrying a parchment in his hands.

Her ears rose on their own in curiosity as she asked "What's the matter?"

The older cook quickly said, "Here, read this!"

She raised an eyebrow and looked it over.

"An order from the Imperial Office and... what?"

She read the paper over again.

As of the tenth day of the fifth month of the year 687, the war between the Empire of Sadera and the United States of America has come to a cease-fire. All Legions still Loyal to former Emperor Molt or Former Emperor Zorzal are now under orders to remain at their post and not engage any American forces. As per an agreement with former queen Tyuule of the Warrior Rabbit tribes and in exchange for her assistance in the war effort, any people Warrior Rabbits within the borders of the Empire are under the protection of the government of the United States and have the option to become citizens. More information to follow.

"United... States? Queen Tyuule? I thought that snake was working with the empire... is this a trick?!" she growled.

"No... it... it seems the Empire was defeated and is working a peaceful settlement with the new players. Soldiers are putting up these... strange parchments all over the city." Adrian said.

"Strange parchments?"

"Feel it! It's unlike any I've had to write on."

She took the strange parchment and waved it around, noticing how thin it was, and how neat the lettering on it had been written.

"Maybe you should make for Alnus? That's where the Gate was."

The girl stared at the parchment.

More information to follow.

"If it's true then... I have nothing to lose..."

"I can get you some food for the journey."

She nodded slowly, sluggishly, the weight of what was happening not yet clear to her. As more of the teachers and intellectuals gathered and the streets became abuzz with the news as more people went out for their daily work, the girl only had one thought in mind.

Can I finally stop running?

Imperial Capital

8:00 AM

Drew felt awake before he opened his eyes, the pain gone but his body still felt maddeningly weak. He slowly began sitting up on the surprisingly comfortable bed, glancing around the room. It was well furnished, with furniture he could only describe as "expensive-looking" decorating it. The windows were open, allowing the sun and a soft breeze to enter, a chestnut-haired knight tying several curtains down.

Hamilton glanced behind her and said, "Oh, you're awake... good."

He rubbed his eyes, mumbling "W-what... happened?"

Hamilton barely understood the man's language, but she tried her best anyway.

"I guess you're confused... there was a big fight, many died... we've lost a third of our total army fighting your people."

"Third... what?" the American asked groggily.

Hamilton sighed, finally deciding to just mix what words she knew in the American language with her own.

"Big fight happened in the capital. We've lost a third of our army. You lost a lot of blood. Almost died!"

Drew nodded slowly.

Hamilton smiled to herself, saying then "Your officers are downstairs, Princess Pina has sworn to look after you. Feel honored!"

Drew only nodded, and looked around.

"So... it's over then?" he asked, a bit more awake now as he managed to switch to the local tongue as best he could.

Hamilton nodded.

"I'm... I'm glad..." he managed, doing his best to keep the memories of his dead partner out of his mind.

"You can relax there. Princess Pina assigned me to watch you, so if you need anything, let me know."

Drew said, "Good. That's good... I, uh... I was curious... what do you lady knights like to do in your free time?"

…

Pina felt her stomach churn over as she walked down the Palace halls.

Beefeater said, "Hey, it's alright to be nervous, madame."

Pina mumbled, "It's not that, I have an odd feeling I just played matchmaker while not having anyone to come home to except Diabo and Lady."

Beefeater laughed, saying "Ah, of course! You're older than most of us, you should have been able to score at least one soldier, no?"

Pina muttered "I was too busy running around to really get to know any of them... Hmm... that young interpreter wasn't too bad on the eyes."

"The rude kid Hamilton swore looked like he wanted to bite your head off?" Beefeater replied, bemused.

Pina frowned, saying "He was an insubordinate little prick, wasn't he? Maybe I could force him into a political arrangement against his will."

She stopped walking suddenly.

Immediately she appeared to crumble, sidestepping as she pressed her left shoulder onto the marble column for support, a sadness lining her face. Her childish discussion being little more than a distraction from everything around her.

"Princess?"

Pina said "I'm tired, Beefeater... I feel like everything I did was for nothing."

"But... princess, you saved the capital and most of our army!"

"We usually have four hundred thousand legionnaires not counting our reserves or vassal kingdoms... we lost well over seventy thousand of them in those first engagements, one-hundred-thousand if you add the deserters who also died alongside the legions that backed Tiberius's efforts... and Zorzal dragged a thousand more to their deaths..."

"But that wasn't your fault, princess."

"I must still carry that weight, and... I don't know if I can carry it alone."

"You have us and the senate, and the American leader clearly prefers you lead!"

Pina sighed, glancing away from her friend.

She said "Yes, but... I can only hope I do the right thing. How are the senators discussing the New Republican idea?"

Beefeater said, "We... were about to go check on them, princess."

Pina's hand went up to her forehead, she mumbled "Right... you're right... my mind is all... jumbled... let's go see how it is."

She walked down the hall, Beefeater with a worried look on her face as she followed her officer and princess. It was odd looking at the palace again, the purple curtains and decorations now appeared faded somewhat, and the gold and statues that decorated each hall somehow looked broken down and old despite being clean and well taken care of. Beefeater pushed all thoughts aside as they approached the entrance to the senate chambers.

They didn't even have to open the door to hear the rambling arguments.

Once inside, however, they could at least hear the objections and argumentations properly.

"Abolishing slavery is economically unfeasible!"

"Surrendering all that land will cripple us!"

"It's a small portion of land compared to the Empire, and the United States promises to help us rebuild!"

"And we should just accept that defeat?!"

"Did you not see their aircraft?! We can't fight against that!"

"Oh, a traitor like you..."

"Even if we could, why start a fight if they want peace?!"

Round and round it went.

Pina walked over to her seat, not bothering to take the one Zorzal and her father had used. Beefeater stood next to her as the girls observed the rambling men. After a moment, Beefeater turned to Pina and spoke quietly.

"You'll notice that there are only five or six senators that are objecting to it."

"They're objecting loudly." Pina sighed.

"Still..."

She looked around.

She saw Diabo and Lady standing together in a far corner, by some of the seats, observing the proceedings and arguments.

Senator Dussie stepped forward, saying "Alright, alright, gentlemen, we shall come to order! Order!"

The senators quieted down and took their seats.

"Good. We shall begin discussing the damages done and the requirements for peace going forward-"

"We can't have peace with those savages who so willingly set our capital ablaze!"

Senator Casel, who had been relatively silent so far, finally stood up and said "We attacked their city unprovoked, senator Pluvius! We incurred this-"

"Will someone remove that traitor from the premises?!"

Pina was about to speak, but her brother beat her to it.

"Gentlemen, enough!"

Diabo let out a tired sigh as everyone turned to him. He took a step towards the center of the senate chambers and spoke calmly but firmly.

"The fact is that the war is over and we are beaten. The poor leadership of my father and older brother led to such a catastrophe and they should be blamed entirely. After all, it was Father who hurriedly approved an order to attack the lands across the Gate simply because he believed the enemy wasn't prepared for us, and it was Zorzal's own madness that led to the bombing of the Red-Light District that day as well as the treachery of his spies that you all were fooled into believing there was a chance at victory!"

There were a few nods of agreement, some less than content than others.

Diabo continued "Meanwhile, Princess Pina and myself have been trying to work out a lasting peace, one that will not see our Empire shattered or destroyed! Must we continue spilling blood for pointless reasons? I have yet to even hear one good reason to continue the war!"

Senator Pluvius said, "Highness if the Empire surrenders itself to the whims of the enemy, nothing will stop them from taking all the land!"

It was Lady who said "Actually, senator, they have several reasons to stop now. They're aware that destroying our Empire will lead to more instability so it is better to leave our Empire as intact as possible."

"But the damages-"

Pina then interrupted, saying "Can and will be mitigated as our former enemies are willing to help us rebuild! Gentlemen, we are not dealing with savages here, which is what I was trying so hard to convince my father of..." she spoke the last part in an almost silent voice; a drop in the ocean.

And no one listened to me then...

Senator Casel said "We should count ourselves lucky. What if we had attacked a nation more powerful than this one? One without mercy? Would we be shown any mercy? Would we not be treated like the many demi-humans we enslaved?"

No one spoke.

Diabo cleared his throat, saying "So, gentlemen, the facts stand that we must look forward. The royal family is still intact, our army, while weakened, is still functional, so maintaining order along our borders now takes top priority as we stabilize things within the capital and... mourn our fallen. We should be grateful we aren't under a total occupation."

Again, silence.

Dussie spoke quickly then.

"I understand you and several senators were secretly working to draft a new code of laws to make things more efficient?"

"Indeed, we based it around our older codes of law and accommodated what was necessary to satisfy our hopefully mutually beneficial allies. Let's go over them now, shall we? Lady, if you please."

The girl with orange hair stepped forward, opening a scroll, sighing as she looked over the article.

"All basic freedoms we've held shall remain, those with money get to keep it, and since most of the masterminds of the initial attacks on the American nation were killed during the war, no one shall be prosecuted."

Several nods of agreement; a few sighs of relief.

Lady continued, a look of fear as she turned to Diabo, then to Pina, both of whom nodded for her to read the next line.

"The practice of selling individuals for labor shall immediately cease, and those who were enslaved shall be freed and paid proper... compensation."

And like that, the room erupted into an argument once more.

"We can't afford to do that! We've been trying to say that!"

"My concubine knows nothing of the world! If I free her now, she's as good as dead!"

"How will we build and fix things without slaves?! Paying the army to do it?! Are you mad?"

"How will we even enforce such a law?!"

Pina sighed.

"You know, the United States has a similar political system to a Republic... I wonder how they did it." She mumbled.

Beefeater chortled, "I'm sure it's more organized than this mess."

Washington D.C

"We must object, this act violates state's rights."

"States are violating the Constitutional rights of American individuals, and this act seeks to correct that!"

"Perhaps, but these infringements are being done through legal means!"

"Then the solution is within legal parameters, is it not? Just because the masses of the state agree to violate the rights of their fellow citizens doesn't mean it's constitutional or correct."

"Perhaps so, but is the Federal Government in the business of telling the states how they should handle their elections? Would this new law not equip the Federal Government with potentially tyrannical power that could be used against the American people in the future?"

"Let's say it was. How is that different from the state establishing a tyrannical rule and violating the God-given rights of the American citizens? If we don't safeguard that the liberties guaranteed in our Constitution apply across all fifty states, then how can we call ourselves a free nation?"

At this, the old Democrat paused as if thinking things over. Then he shrugged. He couldn't object, smiling slightly. The equally old Republican mirrored him. The American president drank the glass of water with several pain pills mixed in.

"Well, Mister Hart... Mister Javit... thank you for that... demonstration?"

The Republican senator turned to him and said "Well, Mister President, I believe this is how the objections boil down to."

The Democrat senator sighed, saying "It's at least where the Dixiecrat arguments I can find conclude. Most other objections are concerned with the possibility that an increase in the size of government would cause problems down the line, but those are few and far between."

The American president nodded, saying "The duty of the Federal Government is to ensure the rights of the nation's citizens are protected... when Ike sent troops to Little Rock, he was just doing what the state government should have done but was refusing to do."

The Democrat Senator said "My concern is more on the fact that we may not have the votes. Yes, several agreeable senators were elected in the midterms, both Republican and Democrat but... this deal with the hybrids, it's... well, it's also causing bipartisan concern. Enough to prevent the Act from passing in the Senate... maybe not, but enough that I believe it would be a risk."

"Obviously it is, and obviously it's going to cause concern. We've never seen anything quite like this in human history."

The president stood and looked outside the window in the Oval Office.

"I remember reading that seeing people with ebony skin was such a rarity in the ancient and medieval European continent people were shocked and amazed when they first saw them. Really, all this discrimination didn't begin until African slaves became much more affordable and efficient. I'd argue the same for the Indians, but let's be honest, I don't have the historian credentials to make such claims..."

He watched as cars drove by and tourists flocked around the White House, taking photographs, walking off, mostly smiles.

He sighed, saying "I'd bet most Americans are sympathetic to these... demi-humans. Most of them were slaves and we've already shown photographic proof that slavery was just as bad across the gate if not worse than what we saw a hundred years ago."

No one spoke.

"We need to push on. Approval ratings notwithstanding, I can't bet on a second term to get this done. We put it forth now, while everyone still has the horrors of slavery fresh in their minds and do our best to get the votes... then we deal with the aftermath... whatever it may be."

The men only nodded.

He shook their hands, dismissed them, and sat back down, rubbing his head as another door opened and several men entered.

"So... what's the latest?"

The men sat down, saying "Well, we've coordinated with this so-called apostle to organize a meeting between the Marines, and they're already set to go later this week. Meanwhile, news from Princess Pina is... mixed."

"How mixed?"

"Well, their Senate is somewhat split on the whole abolishing slavery bit."

"Too bad, they have to eliminate it."

"She's aware, but she's wondering if some of the land demands can be negotiated or at least said to be negotiated if anything to get some of the senators to feel less humiliated."

The president rubbed the now throbbing vein on his forehead, saying "Of course they do... at least she's not as naïve. When can we hear from the Marines and our 900-year-old friend?"

Skies above the Mountain Range of Ice and Snow

"I'd say they're bigger than the Rockies."

"Nah, they look more or less the same."

"Man, look at those peaks, are you insane?"

Rory Mercury only tightened her grip on her Halberg.

The Marine Seargent noticed, and he considered whether or not he should comfort the deceptively young-looking girl.

He called "We could drop you; you know. We know the fall won't kill you."

The black-haired girl shook her head, staring out the window of the helicopter.

She was eerily quiet. Normally she would be trying something to annoy the Marines, or looking for ways to get on their collective nerves, yet all she'd done throughout the chinook's flight was stare out her window, silently watching the ice accumulate as they began to descend.

"Alright, guys, we're close. We don't exactly know what we're going to face, but our leaders expect us to represent our country. We will keep immature comments to a minimum, we have instructions right here, and... Wade, you have the camera?"

"Aye, Sarge."

"Good! Miss Mercury here knows the land better than us; remember she's on point as we get to this... temple."

Normally an operation of such magnitude as "meeting a god" would have been carried out by more "official" government personnel, not grunts. But, as specified, the meeting could and would only happen if it was only the Marines who had directly fought the flame dragon went. Gisselle had given them instructions on how to arrive and where they could find an area to land their helicopter.

As the CH-47 landed in a clear area with a light layer of snow and smooth, black stones, the Marines walked out, rifles ready as they looked around.

It was an odd mixture of black, white, and blue as the morning sky met with the whites and blacks of the titanic mountain range around them, the jagged peaks reaching and poking towards the sky like the claws or teeth of a massive ancient beast, the cold air and snow-carrying wind adding an aura of mystery as the Marines walked ahead.

Rory stuck to the side of the sergeant like a kid, only pointing to a spot on the nearby mountain wall, a rocky peak that stretched far up at a vertical angle.

One Marine said, "Sergeant, got an entrance up here!"

The sergeant turned to Rory and asked "You're sure this is it?"

Rory only said "Once in there... we'll be in her domain..."

She gripped the man's coat tighter.

"Alright... Mason, Wade, clear the entrance, Ron, Dick, get the equipment... God be with us, we'll be home by dinner."

Above, two Marine F4 Phantoms flew nearby.

It was slow going. The entrance was a stairway that descended deep into the mountain, air whistling as it blew into the entrance like an archaic flute singing an out-of-tune song.

Lights were flipped on as the darkness enveloped them the more they descended. After a short while, it was as if even their flashlights would be swallowed up by the almost physical presence of a darkness that wasn't merely tangible, but alive.

Not that the Marines seemed to care.

Rory could still see them despite the cursed eternal night of the entrance to the underworld that Hardy had oh so politely given to them. From what she could tell, the men were mostly curious as they moved their flashlights up and down the unnatural cave as they continued their descent.

"Man, it's quiet..." one mumbled.

Another said, "Assuming this is the layer of a self-proclaimed god, I doubt anything living has been allowed to leave in a hundred years."

Rory wanted to correct them, as the truth was that nothing living had been allowed to exit the entrance of the underworld in the last ten thousand years, but that was simply impossible for anyone to tell as any remains had been swallowed up.

"We brought explosives, right?"

"Yeah, I got 'em."

As they continued descending, a faint glow could be seen further down.

"Hey, sarge... possible contact up ahead. Something's glowing."

The group stopped as the Marine Sergeant walked forward, Rory still clinging to him like a child. He looked ahead, noticing that there was no sound of any kind coming from down below.

"Rory?" he asked.

She only said "That's the place... it's the entrance to Hardy's Domain... going further will guarantee our meeting with... her."

The sergeant nodded, saying "Great, let's go."

Once again, Rory couldn't understand how the men were so relaxed.

The floor under them smoothened and leveled out as they came across the entrance, all the men glancing upwards, noting the source of the chamber's glow. The small entrance led into a massive antechamber, where smooth walls rose upwards to an opening that was completely covered in glowing, clear, ice.

"Huh... pretty." someone mumbled.

The sergeant said "I guess this is the place. Let's set up the equipment, maybe she'll-"

An even brighter light began to come from the ice then. It was as if rays of sunlight had pierced through the layer of ice, but as it began to brighten, a dark figure began to become recognizable within the ice. A loud choir could be heard through the cave as the figure began to descend, seemingly through the ice.

"Salvete, alterius militum mundi. Benvenuto nel mio regno. Ah! Rorī mākyurī, kon'nichiwa, kyō wa ogenkidesuka? Ah, Watashi no mottomo aisuru anata ga inakute sabishikattadesu..."

Rory cringed and stepped behind the Marines. The men stared as the glowing figure became recognizable as that of a young woman wearing tatters of clothing, similar to a Roman tunic, elegant, yet somehow symbolic of decay.

The self-proclaimed Goddess of the Underworld, Hardy.

The Marine Sergeant mumbled, "What the hell was that?"

The self-proclaimed goddess giggled, waving her hands as a large mass of black sand rose from the rocky ground like a geyser before freezing and forming a table and a seat.

"A mixture of languages... I'm just amazed you brought my precious Rory along!"

Rory hid behind the Sergeant, glaring at the seemingly older woman sitting ahead of them.

Said woman glanced at one of the Marines who had set up a camera.

She sighed in disappointment.

"Aww. You're not even going to bother with pleasantries, are you?"

She pouted, placing her head on her hand as she looked away.

"Well, we kind of need to. Our jets only have so much fuel, and we have much to discuss."

"Fair enough... you men did slay my dragons, after all. It's only fair I give you the privilege of an... interview." She then crossed her legs, passing a hand through her blue hair as she seemingly got comfortable where she sat, asking "So... where should I begin?"

The Marine sergeant turned to the young man called "Ron", the soldier glancing at a notepad before turning to the man with the camera and microphone.

He got a thumbs up.

Ron turned to Hardy and said, "Your name is Hardy, correct?"

"Indeed."

"No second name?"

"Not in a long time."

"Alright... You were the one who opened the gate between the Hill of Alnus and the City of Dallas?"

She chortled, saying "Well, of course, I was. Did I not answer these questions before? Come on, skip to the fun questions already."

Ron asked, "Why did you open the gate?"

Hardy smiled brightly, sweetly, almost as pure as a child.

"Boredom!" she said in a sing-song voice.

No one spoke. A tense feeling in the air as the men began eyeing her with some degree of disgust.

Hardy shook her head, saying "Well, boredom isn't the sole reason, but what else was I supposed to do? The stars were right, and it's been quite some time since I last opened the Gate."

No one spoke for a moment.

"What reasons?"

The self-proclaimed goddess stretched in her seat, saying "Well, for starters, I wished to teach The Empire a little lesson in humility. Honestly, we don't mind the mortals going on sprees of conquest and destruction, but these imperials kept thinking of themselves as so great... I figured facing them against a superior force would work. Of course, you lost lambs went so far, so fast... maybe I should have gone with the Japanese..."

The Marine Sergeant winced at the statement.

"Japanese? You... you know about other nations on earth?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm a goddess!"

At this, Rory jumped at the chance.

She pointed at her, saying "A scatterbrain like you has little to no knowledge of anything other than your own disgusting self-interests! She's lying, sergeant! She probably can't tell you the first thing about Japan!"

At the smile the self-proclaimed goddess gave her, Rory quickly hid behind the sergeant.

Hardy only said, "I know more than you do, my dear."

"G-go on... ask her something about Japan..." Rory said, standing her ground.

The Marine sergeant shrugged, saying "I haven't been, but... okay, who's their Emperor?"

Hardy confidently said "A man named Akihito."

The Marine Sergeant said, "That's-"

"Before you try to correct me, I'm not talking about the nation of Japan any of you are familiar with. I speak of the Japan of the year two-thousand and fifteen if we're using your calendar."

The room fell deafeningly silent once more.

The Marine sergeant turned to Rory, the girl only glaring at the woman.

Turning back to Hardy, he asked "You mean... Japan of... the future?"

Hardy's grin widened further as she said "Ah, yes, the Japan of 2015. A beautiful place. So peaceful, so quaint... would you like to see it?" she asked, snapping her fingers.

A small baseball-sized bubble appeared from the darkness, floating slowly towards her. Once in her hand, she leveled it forward towards the Marines.

"Here."

The men took a single step closer.

Within the bubble, they could see smaller and shinier automobiles moving from left to right, people, Japanese people, walking and moving about wearing completely different clothes from what they were used to seeing back home, but not entirely different. What did appear different was how people seemed to be busy on some kind of device they were carrying, some holding them in their hands, others to their ears, some seemingly typing away on them like typewriters.

"That's Ginza, Tokyo, July 4th, 2015... I almost opened the Gate right there that fateful day." Hardy said with a longing sigh.

"Sarge, you... you're seeing this, too?" the Marine named Ron stammered as he made room for the camera to capture the image.

"Y-yeah... what are those Japs carrying? Portable phones of some kind? Some kind of... small typewriters?"

Hardy clapped her hands, the bubble popping as she said "Ah-ha-ha! So astute! Yes, portable phones! Earth has such interesting lore..."

Rory mumbled "Lore?"

The Marine sergeant said "You can open a portal to... any point in our planet's history? Past, present... future?"

Hardy huffed, saying "Don't get ahead of yourself, I can't bend time to my will. There are several worlds I could have connected the Gate to, and versions of your earth are oftentimes the most developed. This time, it was really down to the Dallas of your world, The Tokyo of that world, and the Moscow of this really strange version of your world that's similar to yours but for some odd reason Russians aren't... what do you call them, Red?"

The Marines collectively shouted "What?!"

Hardy shrugged, saying "It was extremely peaceful, so I ignored it. I think it had something to do with one of your Roosevelts becoming the leader at a different time or something, I don't really care. It was boring. As was that Japan... to a degree. Their culture is certainly interesting, but there's only mundane drama like politics and their dependence on your country. Even the occasional threat by other countries doesn't seem to spice up the place." she mumbled the last part like a teenager, irritated with a book she'd read.

The Marine sergeant asked, "But... but then why did you pick us?"

"Hmm? Oh, it was actually a really tough decision, see... while I was choosing where to open it, I was doing a bit of research, and I really wanted to open it in Japan because... well, it's a country that can't declare war and lead a boring existence, so if they tried to fight the Empire, it might spark some interesting drama, but they're also a very close ally of yours, and I'd really rather not have to deal with the Americans of the year two-thousand-fifteen... you'd destroy the Empire in a week and then go home, and then it's just politics about managing the land..."

She chuckled.

"Of course... unlike the Japan of two-thousand fifteen, your United States is in a much more interesting situation. In fact..."

Her grin vanished.

In a dark, melodramatic tone, she said "You should kneel and thank me for saving your leader."

No one spoke.

Hardy's childish smile returned, now somewhat bemused.

"Geez, you mortals... you really don't let anything phase you?"

Rory said, "You don't know humans, Hardy... you perverted wench."

"Easy on the hostility, kiddo... what do you mean by that, Miss?"

"Hmm? Oh, had it not been for me opening the Gate, your president would have most likely been killed by that man who wound up saving captured civilians."

"Wait, Oswald?!"

"Sure, why else did he have a rifle and a gun? Honestly, doing my research, I'm shocked your two world powers didn't blow each other up over it. Frankly, I figured the Gate opening might've risked a major war eventually, but... nothing ventured nothing gained. Plus, it's generating some prime drama that's made the last few months so much fun! I absolutely loved the first time you guys fought off the Flame dragon!"

"People died."

"C'est la vie."

No one spoke.

Hardy finally said "But enough about my decision. I want to hear from you! What do you men plan on doing to my world?"

At the disapproving glare from Rory, she groaned, saying "Oh, don't be so Childish."

"We're not done with our questions."

"Ugh... fine, ask away... buzzkill."

The Marine Sergeant nodded to Ron, the young man only swallowing his fear as he said "You claim to be a goddess, and our information claims that there are several so-called gods in this world... is that correct?"

"Indeed."

"But you don't have a physical form and cannot alter the physical world?"

"Correct... this desk is actually just a cloud I brought with me... if we usually want to communicate with mortals, we have to either appear in dreams, or find a priestess that's strong enough to withstand us possessing them, but... usually, the poor girl doesn't survive my unrestrained... prowess. In fact, the reason we're meeting here is that I really did wish to speak with you men. Hopefully, we can keep this location a secret, yes?"

"What did you want to talk about?" the Marine sergeant asked.

"I'll just assume you're agreeing to keep my home a secret... anyway, I'm sure Rory already told you... right?"

Rory raised an eyebrow.

With her ever-present grin, Hardy asked "Tell me... why is it that the humans of this world remain in such a stagnant society?"

No one spoke.

One particularly brave Marine said "Because human society didn't advance too much until the last few centuries? Progress can be slow."

Hardy said, "Even so, after a thousand or so years, surely there would have been some changes, no?"

Silence.

Hardy sighed, saying "Rory, have you told them about Emory's idea of the mortals advancing?"

Rory's face contorted in anger.

"Come now, dear, don't be angry. You're so ugly when you frown like that."

The Marine sergeant asked, "Advancing how, exactly?"

Hardy said "Hmm, apparently not. See, the gods of this world don't particularly appreciate the mortals being able to advance, so they send apostles like Rory and Gisselle to end any innovation that may become a problem."

All eyes turned to the dark-haired girl.

The simple question was asked by the sergeant.

"Is this true?"

Rory coldly replied "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I wasn't told to tell you this..." she said, seemingly worried.

Hardy sighed, saying "Ah, the gifts of being an apostle... so much power, so much strength... so little agency."

The girl appeared to shrink at the description.

"So... if your god ordered you to attack us...?"

"I'd do it." She admitted matter-of-factly.

"But... your god hasn't ordered that."

Rory only said "Yes. I don't know why. I was hoping he wouldn't mind this time..."

Hardy then said, "Well, see, that's what I wanted to talk to you about! This world is... well, for all intents and purposes, our own little playground, but it's clear there are benefits to your lonely cosmic existence."

"What?"

"I'm saying that your growth has allowed you to achieve great things. You've even left your planet, have you not?"

The men nodded slowly, Alan B Shepard's famous flight on Freedom 7 having occurred only 3 years prior, only one month after the Soviet's own Yuri Gagarin became the first man to be lifted into space.

Hardy said "So, many of the gods are curious about your world. While you haven't exactly solved your problems... well, you're clearly working to that, so... perhaps you could solve problems within this world that not even we... what words did you use... self-proclaimed gods? Yes, that... perhaps you can solve some problems even we cannot solve."

"W-what?" Rory asked.

Hardy's grin widened.

"Rejoice, my dear! The gods have taken an interest in you men who challenge their authority. What do you say?"

"We only recognize one God, ma'am."

Hardy sighed, amused as she said "Right, right... then perhaps you can consider a challenge from entities that rule these lands. Would you try and solve the challenges that plague this world that even we can't solve?"

Silence.

The Marine sergeant said, "I can't speak for my government, but... our president did say something about this."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings."

Hardy chuckled before laughing out loud.

"Ah-ha-ha, then I look forward to seeing how you do in this endeavor! You are... an entertaining people. Go on, I shall inform my colleagues of this. Odds are not all will agree, but I'm sure enough will and stay out of your way. Those that don't... well, Wareharun isn't exactly immune to flames, being a bunch of trees and all... hint-hint."

Again, silence.

Before they could ask anything else, she turned to Rory, saying "Ah, Rory, would you like to join-?"

"No!"

Hardy sighed and said "Always such a tease... oh well. I'll have Gisselle direct you to where your... man-made problems are."

"Wait, we still-"

"I know you have questions, believe me, we'll talk again. Your first task should be to the west... a plague caused by man's hubris must be rescinded as your first task. Then we shall meet once more!"

Then with a sly grin, she said "I'll allow you to keep the images of me without an offering this time... but only this time, understand? If you wish to keep my images an honest offering must be brought."

The Marine with the camera nodded very slowly.

With that, the self-proclaimed goddess grinned and began floating up into the air, back onto the block of ice as she glowed more and more before finally disappearing, the words "Good luck to you" echoing in the cave.

Ron shuddered.

The Marine Sergeant muttered "Hmm... We didn't even get to ask her all our questions... We'll have to hunt her down and-"

"S-sergeant, how are you so relaxed? The goddess of the underworld, the gods of this world, they... they just presented a challenge to not just you, but to your people?"

"So?"

"So... so, shouldn't you be more concerned? She basically asked you to obliterate the delicate balance that has maintained this world for millennia! And if the plague she mentioned is what I think it is, then there are horrors beyond the battles you have seen awaiting you!"

He shrugged, saying "I just do what I have to... come on, let's head back."

As the men began gathering their things, Rory could only wonder one thing.

How exactly do they intend to go about cleaning up that freak's mess?

June 28th, 1964

Outskirts of Crety

4:00 AM

The white-haired girl stared ahead with a slight smile on her face. The forest leaves touched her pale skin as she walked slowly and gracefully through the green forest.

There was a loud CRACK and then her skull was broken in two and she collapsed to the ground under her, a brown fluid trickling from her shattered head.

Dennis didn't react, Alex saying "Yeah, tango is down." before putting the radio down and adjusting his gas mask, tightening the straps around his face.

Helicopters flew above them, likely getting a far better view of the so-called "Arun Labyrinth". Allegedly, it had belonged to an ancient empire that had collapsed some centuries prior, though the exact causes weren't entirely known. What was known for certain was the fact that this "labyrinth" was the epicenter of a disease that brought terrifying fates for those infected with it, which was why every American soldier present in the area was in full protective gear.

The corpse ahead of them was the unfortunate proof of it all.

"Come on, let's take her to the pit..." Dennis muttered through his mask, lowering the XM16E1, and pressing out of the brush.

"Take it to the pit... I don't wanna humanize these things." Alex said.

Dennis didn't reply, slinging the rifle on his back and grabbing the corpse by the arms, Alex grabbing its legs, both Rangers glad their gloved hands didn't have to touch the smooth but infected flesh. Dennis studied the dead girl as they moved her through the forest. She couldn't have been older than him when she "died".

It was an entirely unholy thing.

The disease, if it could be called that, weakened its victims, and while not always fatal, when it was, the family had no time to mourn. According to the people of Crety, they would have to move the bodies to the entrance of the labyrinth and immediately retreat, as the dead body would "reanimate" not long after. Not come back to life, but "reanimate". Dennis had a tough time wrapping his mind around the concept. The body remaining "alive" despite the person dying, the remains only existing to kill and eat. Not even rotting away, as if the person was just gone and the only indication was glossy eyes that no longer produced tears and even if they did it mattered not as the dead didn't blink or breathe.

The good news was that they also didn't think, so all their guys had to do was set themselves up into neat little outposts in the forests surrounding the labyrinth and wait for the dead to come to them, enter a proper Killzone, and destroy the numbers that shambled towards them. Slowly they had closed in around the large labyrinth. Slowly they had cleared it, little by little, with only a few stragglers moving around by that point.

Another gunshot was heard in the distance.

The Rangers ignored it as they came out of the forest and onto an ashen wasteland of burnt ground. Other American soldiers, all in full protective gear, were disposing of the infected corpses. This was where the real horror of the disease lay.

As it turned out, the only way to kill them properly once more was through destroying the brain, but burning them was apparently necessary so that the disease didn't remain.

"Toss it over there!" a man yelled through his mask.

Alex and Dennis nodded, tossing the corpse in a large pit, with several other "killed" infected.

"Light 'em up, John!"

The two Rangers backed off as a man stepped forward, using a flamethrower to set the pit ablaze, the napalm spewed by the old weapon purging all illness as black smoke rose to the sky. Dennis only stared at the pile of quickly charring bodies, the barely visible shimmer of white hair vanishing under the flame reminded him of someone he couldn't afford to think about right then.

Alnus

7:30 AM

No... please... let go...

She felt the hands squeeze her neck ever more tightly, the man on top of her howling with glee as she teared up and did her best to take the pain, he was causing her.

"Don't start crying! Remember what your people's lives depend on!" he laughed at her, hitting her with one hand, then moving the other to pull at her ears until she feared he might rip them off her head.

Please... stop... this is a dream... a nightmare... wake up... wake up!

Tyuule's eyes shot open, her hands instinctively clutching her stomach as if in pain, even though she didn't feel anything after a moment. The memories, however, made her feel like she was experiencing them again.

She sat up on her bed, wiping away some tears as she looked around her almost barren room, furnished only by her bed, a desk, a chair, and a small mirror that had been there when she was given the apartment; sunlight entering through the only window in the apartment as the sound outside of people going about their business as the day started flooded in.

She stood from her bed, and stretched, glancing at herself in the small mirror she'd placed on the wall. No marks or bruises remained visible, which caused a sad smile to manifest on her face. Several smaller scars remained on her arms and legs where Zorzal had hurt her plenty, a larger one remaining on her arm where he had cut her that day. As she glanced at her hand, noting the ring on her finger, she had to suppress her fears once again.

What if he doesn't want me?

She shook the thoughts aside immediately. Her daily life now permitted her to forget her worries if only a little.

...

"I feel fine, Parna. Thank you." Tyuule said, trying not to sound irritated, but the apprentice nurse was seemingly more than a little concerned.

"It's been well over a month. Are you sure? No signs of nausea, or anything?"

"Yes. Now please, I have work to do." She said, tying her hair in a large bun and placing a hairnet over her, lowering her ears so it fit properly as she walked over to a sink with several dirty plates.

Parna frowned, saying "You're just fine with working like this?"

"Well, why not? It's a little extra money..." Tyuule said, placing a dish under the faucet.

As well as an easy distraction from it all...

The dark-haired bunny girl glanced at the sparkling clean kitchen. It wasn't large or anything, the recent construction still showed as the kitchen lacked any paint, and was relatively bare, except for some counters, a stove, and the sink.

"Well, if you say so... is the chef treating you well?"

"Certainly. Other than yelling at the American soldiers, he's quite an appeasable gentleman."

Parna smiled awkwardly, quietly saying "Yes... that worries me... is he not American?"

Tyuule said, "He always emphasizes his Japanese heritage and the importance of discipline, but to my understanding he is American."

"I have American citizenship, but that is all." the tall, muscular man waltzed in, wearing an apron and a chef's hat.

Tyuule straightened, saying "Good morning, chef!"

"Good morning." then, turning to Parna, "I don't mind you asking questions during work hours, just don't cause trouble. Now, where's my...?"

"Right here, chef!" Tyuule said quickly, handing the man a just-washed butcher's knife.

"Ah, thank you... well, I'll leave you be." the older man said, heading out the kitchen door, grabbing a cup of parsley from the pantry on his way out.

Parna said, "Huh, so he's training new cooks, right?"

"Mm-hmm..." Tyuule mumbled, trying to get a stain out of the very white and very expensive plates.

Parna asked, "He hasn't bothered you with anything?"

"Not particularly. If you want to ask him about last week's incident, I'm sure he-"

"Did you see it?"

Tyuule said, "No, but Meia said the soldier pulled at her tail."

"You think the chef needed to break the man's nose?"

Tyuule only said "As I said, I didn't see anything. Maybe it was a misunderstanding, maybe Meia was underplaying what happened. Maybe the Chef exaggerated what he saw. I would tell you if I could back either one's version, but I can't."

As she finished with the plate, she said "I can say that compared to my previous job, this is an upgrade, so I may be biased."

"True enough. But... ma'am, you seem troubled."

"I'm alright, Parna... just a little... lovesick is all." Tyuule smiled slightly, holding onto the ring she'd been given not so long ago, her face reddening ever so slightly.

"Have you heard from him recently?"

Tyuule said "He was near Crety. That's all I know, but... I think he'll be back soon."

Parna only nodded.

With no more to ask, the nurse in training excused herself and left through the back exit, leaving the white-haired girl alone in the kitchen. The small restaurant didn't have a large selection of food, but now that the Gate was opened to investors and civilians from the other side, new businesses were opening and more people were able to come and go, and as the growing noise from outside the kitchen indicated, business was good.

Thus, she found herself here now. Washing dishes and cleaning.

After a short while, a girl in a dress walked in, closing the door using her cat-like tail as she carried several dirty dishes, she placed next to the white-haired girl.

Meia said, "Morning, Miss."

"Morning!" Tyuule replied, forcing a smile as she tried to appear friendly to her co-workers.

The catgirl reached into her dress pockets, grabbing a cigarette and a lighter, one of the many practical inventions that fascinated the local population. The ability to just make a fire with such ease was something only known to some magicians.

Meia lit the cigarette, saying "Wanna trade shifts? The soldiers would probably love you."

Tyuule only lifted her hand, showing the wedding ring.

Meia groaned, saying "Come on, even if he does come back, even if he does want to marry you, he won't need to know."

"Trading shifts with me would cause more trouble because I wouldn't stay quiet if they tried something with me. Can't you just tell the chef which soldiers bother you? I'm sure he'd forbid them from coming back after what he did to that private."

The Catgirl shrunk back at the suggestion.

"I don't want to cause any trouble."

"That's not necessarily a good path to take."

Meia said "Well, perhaps..."

"Alright, look, you don't have to tell the chef, just... make it clear you don't like what they do. If they keep at it, the chef will notice and probably kick them out or tell them off and you won't have to tell him anything."

The catgirl seemed to think it over.

She took a long drag and breathed it out, saying "Maybe you're on to something... I'll give it a shot."

Tyuule smiled ever so slightly.

Maybe I can do some good.

July 1st, 1964

Outskirts of Crety

8:00 AM

Decontamination was a frustrating but necessary procedure. The showers, the quarantine, the constant surveillance for infection. It mattered not that the disease allegedly only affected young girls, the possibility of one soldier going to Alnus or back home and accidentally bringing the ailment with him was too much of a nightmare scenario to contemplate, thus the Army maintained incredibly strict adherence to procedure.

"Should have just bombed the place with napalm..." Tom groaned as he picked up his rucksack.

"Archeological importance... now that the war's over, the eggheads want to analyze and study every nook and cranny of this place, and preserve what they can." Rhodes sighed, mirroring the red-head.

"Still, to deal with those walking corpses..."

"And infected animals, too." Alex sighed.

Dennis said, "Why is it that the animals were more dangerous, anyway?"

"Hey, they were still easier to deal with than the Imperial Army. At least the infected didn't get it in them to shoot back or think to go around a pit."

Dennis said "Fair enough captain, but still... I think it would have cost less to bomb it and then examine the remains than to do all this just to preserve a building."

"A building of unparalleled historical importance. We must fight to ensure our history isn't forgotten, after all. Is that not reason enough?"

The Rangers glanced at the voice that spoke in decent-sounding English, noticing a small girl with blue hair that was wearing a colorful tunic, carrying an odd staff, with the only familiar thing about her being the gas mask she had over her head.

"Uh... and you are?"

"Lelei La Lalena." She replied curtly.

No one spoke.

Tom finally said, "You people have the strangest names, you know that, right?"

Lelei's expression ever so subtly changed from indifferent to irritated as she said "I read it isn't polite to attack people's cultures."

"Certainly, certainly, but all I did was state a fact."

"Your world has strange names as well. I was reading about a man named Lu-Bu."

"Who's that? A singer?" Alex asked.

"A Chinese man who lived many thousand years ago. I'm certain if you were to walk over and introduce yourself as Thomas, he would claim your name was strange as well. Perhaps even stranger than mine... strange man with red hair."

"Oh, a smart-aleck little-"

Rhodes interrupted before Tom decided to say something to offend the young girl.

"Miss, why are you here, exactly?"

Lelei only handed the captain some papers.

"Your men are healthy is all. I was told to give you the medical reports. Good job!" she said without a hint of excitement.

Dennis finally said, "Are you a magician?"

The girl said "I consider myself a scientist now. If it can be explained, then it can't be magical in nature. I'm sure you all agree."

No one argued.

"Now, please excuse me." She said, her voice muffled as she put on the gas mask and stepped past them.

"Is she allowed back there?" Dennis mumbled.

"Not my problem." Tom groaned.

Rhodes only said "Correct. Frankly, let them deal with her. We're done here."

As the men walked out, Lelei walked into the encampment.

She proceeded out of the tent, adjusting the "gas mask" the Americans had given her to prevent her from inhaling any potentially dangerous pathogens. It was one thing to destroy those infected, but it was another thing entirely to prevent the sickness from spreading and keeping it there. At least that last part was doable with the present technology, as she doubted even the Empire's legions would have been fully able to neutralize the threats within the Arun Labyrinth.

A pair of soldiers escorted her down the hill, towards the now burnt down forest. Men with gas masks and the weapons that breathed actual fire continued lighting bits of it ablaze, but that didn't interest her much. Throughout her short time alive, Lelei had heard of and seen destruction on a similar scale, with small villages or nomadic convoys simply being pushed aside by warlords or gangs of roaming thieves.

No, what interested Lelei had to do with what had been discovered inside the labyrinth.

Once at its entrance, a large, white tent had been erected to contain the discovery.

She was let inside, some wore heavier protection than others, but everyone maintained their faces covered as they studied the strange body.

Yao Ha Dushi awkwardly prayed for the dead before stepping back, Shaun more than happy to translate for her, but knowing that the young mage likely understood the dark elf.

Lelei asked, "So it's true, then?"

Yao said, "Indeed... that... used to be one of my people."

Lelei stared at the deformed corpse, safely placed behind a protective sheet. Even with all the precautions, she'd rather not get too close to it.

The young mage then said, "So, then the ancient kingdom of Arun really did try to experiment with immortality for normal humans."

Shaun translated to the men present.

A scientist there awkwardly spoke through his Hazmat suit.

"Are there any indications or historical records of this that you know of?"

Lelei shook her head and switched to English, saying "Of this, no. Perhaps some of the scholars of Proctor know more, but... there were always whispers and rumors passed down. I'm sure Miss Yao has an idea."

Shaun happily translated to the dark elf.

She said "As you say. Rumors. When this took place, I hadn't even been born yet, and only the elders have some vague memory of those taken back then."

Shaun translated.

"Then it's safe to assume this is the result. Dark Elves were kidnapped and experimented on to find immortality. Now we have... well... had walking corpses."

Another one said "Not necessarily. There are a lot of stone tablets that may give some insight on exactly what happened here."

"Still... a plague of walking corpses... I'd rather not think about it."

"May I burn the body, please? It should put the soul to rest." Yao said a sullen expression as she glanced at the disfigured corpse.

Lelei turned to the scientists, asking "Did you take any samples for further investigation?"

The men nodded.

Lelei turned to Yao and said "Go ahead. We have what we need."

...

The Rangers walked out of the encampment, Dennis noting the rather odd sight of the heavy infantry of the Rose Knights, a blonde-haired woman, holding a long sword, chatting with a UN Peacekeeper, the Canadian showing off his C1 rifle as if they weren't in hostile territory.

Oh... Right... the war's over, so now both sides are free to mingle and exchange ideas.

As if to punctuate his thought, they met with yet another new sight in the strange world around them.

She had yellow hair, a United States Army combat uniform, an M14 Battle rifle on her back, a badge that identified her as a "Private Patricia", and droopy rabbit ears on her head. She glanced at the taller soldier next to her, the pale man only nodding.

She turned to them, asking in decent English "Captain Thomas Rhodes?"

Rhodes said, "Yes, ma'am."

The bunny girl only said, "Transports. Over there. Thank you for your service."

The men nodded and walked past her. Not really commenting on the girl until they were a fair distance away, already getting closer to the trucks.

"I think that means the president got an act through congress." Rhodes finally said.

Tom chortled, "Hey if girls like that were in the Army when I first signed up, I wouldn't have promised to marry. Sweet Jesus, think we share showers with them at the barracks?"

Alex said "Well, Orville has the right idea. I've yet to see a single one of the rabbit women who aren't easy on the eyes. Ears and tail notwithstanding, of course."

Dennis didn't say anything.

Sean waved at them from the truck, rifle slung on his back, a cigarette on his shaking left hand as other Rangers got onto the truck.

"You alright?" Rhodes called.

"Y-yea, cap'n... just... a bit rattled is all..."

Dennis winced, asking "What happened?"

Sean turned around, as men climbed onto the truck, quickly saying "I... I only saw one of... them earlier, y'know? I-I obviously took the shot, but... missed the brain, so... dead girl with half her head missing kept walking."

Tom said "Ah... yeah... they don't die even if they're torn apart. Cut one in half with the M60. Not pretty."

Sean only nodded, saying "Yeah... not... pretty."

Rhodes asked, "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, captain, just... steadying my nerves... I mean, those things don't make any noise. They don't breathe, they don't cry out... they're just... dead."

Rhodes nodded, asking "Those Winstons?"

Sean glanced at the cigarette in his hands.

He nodded.

Tom asked "Got any more? I'm beat..."

"Y-yeah... another Ranger gave 'em to me. Want any?"

Rhodes didn't say anything, grabbing one.

Dennis raised his hands, saying "I'm good, thanks."

Sean shrugged, handing the others a couple before they got on the transport truck.

The engines roared to life and the truck began to roll down a hill and onto a dirt road which was now becoming more pronounced thanks to the constant tracks of heavy vehicles. The green pastures in the distance were a reminder of where they were. No one really spoke as the truck went down the road. Not the Rangers, not the other Army personnel, not the driver. They all appeared as if they'd been awake for days on end.

For at least a few of them, that was actually the case.

Dennis decided to unfold the letter he'd gotten some time ago, partly to re-read it, partly to distract everyone from the horrors they'd been subject to less than a day prior, and partly to distract himself.

Sean noticed, and quickly asked, "That from your girl?"

Oh, it worked...

Dennis shook his head.

"Nah, but there's a story to it. Wanna get angry?"

"Why would I get angry?"

Dennis glanced around the truck, noting that some of the soldiers were looking at him, seemingly interested.

He smiled slightly, happy to play the role of "entertainment" if it would get everyone to think about something else.

"Well, after ma died, I got in a bit of a disagreement with one of my neighbors. Good guy, but... well... very opinionated, you know?"

"Opinionated how?"

"Ah, usual crap. I think he read Marx or something. Didn't like me joining the Army, and he didn't like that his kids got drafted. So, the day I'm set to go, he waltzes over to my house to give me an earful about war being bad."

"Oh, is he one of those cowards?"

"Conscientious objectors?"

"That's what I said."

Dennis chortled, saying "Worse, he was in the Navy."

Some dry laughs from the others.

"So, that's the last I saw of him... but, last month, after all the drama with the capital and the emperor and all that, I find out he sent me a letter!"

A few confused looks.

"Yeah, so-so, I open the letter, right, and I notice there's something else in the envelope. So, I'm wondering what this is and when I look inside, I find... my mother's wedding ring."

A few men frowned.

Someone mumbled, "Did he go grave-robbing or something?"

Dennis said "Attached was a letter of him apologizing! Apparently, he got so angry with me, he kept some stuff mom asked him to give me after she passed! Conveniently, too! He waited until I left and the war was over to send the letter!"

That last part was partially a lie, but he doubted it would go against him after what Jones did.

"Oh, so he found out you weren't dead, and then he sent you a letter about what he did?"

"Yup!"

"Hey, if you wanna go get him later..."

"Oh, yeah, that will look good on my record! Army beats Navy again in a one-on-one! No one surprised!"

"That reminds me of my dad's first in-laws." someone said.

Rhodes stared at Dennis as some of the men continued chatting.

Whether the 18-year-old was doing it to cope or something else, the captain felt a pang of relief that the kid appeared capable of sitting down and laughing at how insane life could still be.

Outskirts of Itálica

12:00 PM

Charlotte observed Tyuwal water some plants on the home's small but growing garden.

"Pretty soon, these will bear fruit, you know." the harpy said with a grin.

The little dog girl nodded, watching the garden plants peeking out of the dirt. Her mind partially elsewhere, but still carefully observing the small patches of green, guarding them against any unwanted birds or pests.

"You're sure these are necessary, Tyuwal? We're making money and we'll be able to afford food for ourselves, you know." the young man walked out of the door, petting the young girl's head as he did so.

Tyuwal said "One can't be too cautious! What if something happens to the Gate and we have to go back to how things were before?"

The two adults glanced at the little girl who seemed to understand the severity of the possibility as her ears lowered and a look of worry came over her face.

The blonde man mumbled "A fair point. Still, maybe I should hire someone. That way you don't have to work on that alone."

"That would be nice."

Charlotte's ears perked up then, and she glanced down the road.

She stood up, tail wagging as a cloud of dust was being lifted by what could only be Army trucks, the girl's ears allowing her to recognize the noise from farther away than anyone else.

As the trucks made themselves clear, she had already raised her hand and began waving at them.

"Bye-bye! Bye-bye!" she called.

The man sighed, saying "She can tell if they're coming or going by the direction... she's a bright kid."

Tyuwal said, "She's just guessing by the fact they aren't stopping here."

The little girl continued waving as the trucks drove off.

Inside one of them, the chats and noise had mostly died down by then, which gave Dennis enough of a chance to hear the small words carry through the air.

He turned around and stood from his seat, awkwardly walked to the edge of the truck, and peered outside. She was a brown speck waving at them in the distance, near a house, with a couple standing by the door.

His mouth fell open, but he was quick to close it.

Slowly he walked back to where he'd been and sat back down.

Sean said "If you want to visit her, we could probably go one of these days. Misery knows the girl caring for her and-"

"Nah..." Dennis said quietly.

"Nah?"

"It's better she moves on. I can't adopt her."

"She's right on the border of our new territory. She'll be a citizen soon."

Dennis said "Not for a while, she won't. In the meantime, she should get attached to the people actually taking care of her. Better she has a mom and dad instead of what amounts to an older sister and a lot of older brothers. Plus, I don't want to make her think I'll actually adopt her when I can't."

Sean shrugged, saying "Well, you're eighteen... Tyuule is... what, 19?"

"About. I don't think either of us is ready for a kid." Dennis half-laughed.

The truth was a touch more complicated. Even as he said so, his mind flashed images of the attack by the member of the Haryo tribe that one day. He'd been able to drown out the nightmares by keeping himself busy, and he didn't have them as often, but he'd be lying if he said they weren't constantly bothering him, constantly on the back of his mind, biting at his thoughts. He doubted he'd be able to keep his mind busy all the time, and he didn't want the little girl around when the dam burst once more or he had one of his "earthquakes". And that was ignoring the fact he had to look out for Tyuule's own inner demons as well.

He didn't want any kid in that environment, especially if there was a much better alternative.

Sean ended the conversation with an almost silent "Yeah, that makes sense." as the trucks drove away and the young girl's voice faded in the distance.

Alnus

5:25 PM

Upon the Rangers' arrival at Alnus, they debriefed, took some much-needed showers, and were set loose for the day, able to visit the fast-growing town near their main base. Sean had split up from Orville and the others and walked over to one of the shops that were opening up, a simple clothing store that brought all manner of clothing from both the United States and its nations on good terms with the United States. As he approached, he could already see a variety of different dresses on sale being modeled by, obviously, the locals. There was a regular human girl dressed in a flowery cocktail dress, handing out fliers, maybe special offers, as the store was clearly brand new and had only recently opened its doors. Next to her was another girl dressed in a shift dress which clearly didn't suit her all that well due to the wings protruding from her side, but it exposed enough of her shapely legs that odds were those interested didn't really care, especially since the girl's golden wings had been decorated with several bows.

Her wavy blonde hair was the only aspect of her that really appeared

"Feeling alright?" Sean called, trying not to look like he was enjoying the girl's new clothes.

Misery turned with an ever-tired expression, handing the Ranger a flier.

"They don't let me smoke my opium, but this is an alright job, I suppose." the winged girl said.

"I'm glad... I'm glad."

Misery noticed the strange look in the American's eyes. As if the soldier was on the brink of something.

She said "I finish here in a few minutes. Is there something you'd like to show me?"

Sean considered it.

"I... I wouldn't mind, actually."

He didn't really expect the chat to go anywhere, but like any soldier, he needed some respite from everything he'd seen in combat.

Not too far away, Dennis Orville was walking down a similar street, scratching his head, making sure his hair wasn't too messy as he walked down the irritatingly crowded streets, all manner of human activity happening around him as Alnus quickly became a strange mix of the modern and the fantastical, a wizard making tricks on the street for money, a Clothes store advertising all manner of attire for humans and their counterparts, restaurants that were technically from all over the world even though odds were they were operated by people who'd already been naturalized in the US.

He found the one that focused on Japanese cuisine and took a deep breath.

Before he got closer, a man in a chef's uniform dragged an American GI out before outright tossing him to the road, the people walking by quickly making room, staring in shock.

"You come here for food only!" the chef shouted in English.

The GI angrily said, "I didn't do anything to her!"

"I gave you a chance, I see you near her again, I'll crack your skull, you hear me?!"

Dennis only stared as the man started getting up.

A girl with cat ears and tail in a waitress getup stared from the large glass windows in the small restaurant, a purely satisfied expression on her face.

The GI shakily got up, saying "Look, man, I didn't mean any trouble, I thought-"

"You thought what? Did you not read the rules at the door?! Get out before I change my mind and crack your skull now!"

The GI, clearly shaken, only nodded and walked off on his own, staring at the floor, pausing as he made eye contact with Dennis.

"Don't touch the girls working there, man... Food's good, but..." Dennis was sure the man mumbled something else, but he didn't hear him as he kept walking.

Dennis crossed the street, the chef noticing. Not wanting any trouble, Dennis only raised his hand, waving awkwardly.

The chef asked, "If you want food, you need to wait patiently and follow the house rules."

Dennis glanced at the sign by the door.

It read: "No soliciting. No cursing. No bothering the staff. Be Polite. Detractors will be physically thrown out. All who enter agree to these rules."

"Yeah, I take it this place is popular enough to stay up if you can get away with that..." Dennis said, trying to make small-talk for once.

The Japanese man scoffed, saying "If it wasn't for the girls, I'm sure they would have already burnt it down... most of the girls I hire either have boyfriends with your Army or are friendly enough with them. This is, however, where they are to be safe and unharmed. Girls have it bad enough as it is, I might as well help them."

"Sounds great, but... I take it that means I can't go see Tyuule right now?" Dennis said, a slight vulnerability in his voice.

The chef looked him over, surprised.

"She... works cleaning the kitchen... you... her-? You?"

The man looked him over, studying his stature and eyes.

Dennis said "Yeah... I had to go off on an operation to Crety with several Ranger units attached to some of the LRR- er, Long Range Recon and Patrol teams... operation had to be extended due to the... situation... there."

The Japanese man noticed the discomfort in the American's eyes at the subject, and only asked "You didn't shoot up a village or kill unarmed women and children, right?"

"No. We're not allowed to do that."

"Eh, didn't stop your men in Okinawa, but no matter, right now you can't see her. Rules are rules."

Dennis said "Can't you make an exception? Haven't seen her in almost a month."

The chef gave him an understanding if not pitying glance, but said "If I make an exception for you then I have to make an exception for everyone with a girl in there and the whole point of keeping them safe here no longer stands."

"What? Keeping them safe from their guys?"

The man got a hard look in his eyes and quietly said "You'd be surprised... were you sheltered growing up, Mister... Orville?"

Dennis said, "I'm man enough to admit my mother coddled me a bit, what of it?"

"You don't know how much pain the wives of soldiers go through. You love her, you'll wait for her a little longer. She gets out at 7:00."

Dennis opened his mouth to argue, but only nodded and walked off, following the somewhat established sidewalk, not having the energy to cause any trouble, especially if it involved her. He didn't want to cause her any trouble, and if he had to wait a little longer, he'd manage.

"Hey, Orville! That you?"

Dennis turned around and winced, noticing a familiar face.

"James Hastings, you son of a gun, I thought they sent you home?"

Hastings walked over, a touch slower than his usual gait, but seemingly alive and well.

"Naw, they can't kill me yet! I have to go and get Persia first!" he said with an excited guffaw.

"Seriously?"

"Well, you're serious about Tyuule."

"Yeah, but... I got to know her over our mission... you only talked to her once or twice."

"Don't forget the letters and the bath-"

"Captain Rhodes ordered us never to bring that up, you animal! You want to get lynched?" Dennis hissed in hushed tones.

"You'd lynched a wounded vet like me?"

"No, the crowds back home would after they heard what... forget it..."

"Look, I was serious about it then and I'm serious now... maybe I won't have to go on missions, but I'm still in the Army, so if I can get her out of here, hey... even if she divorces me later, least I did one good thing, right?"

Dennis fell silent at that.

Hastings said, "Well, assuming the paperwork I did was done properly... it's such a mess of... anyway, your girl's working there or something?"

"Something like that. She cleans the kitchen... hoping she's okay."

Hastings glanced behind the street.

"I could probably help sneak you in through the back."

"Nah, I'd rather not cause her any trouble... especially not now."

"Alright... say, what exactly is your plan anyway?"

Dennis frowned, saying "Take her to my old house, I suppose. It's quiet, peaceful, far away from most people..."

"Out in the country? Georgia country?"

"Yeah."

"I'd reconsider."

"Why?"

Hastings got quiet, glanced around him, finally saying in hushed tones "I was in the infirmary, right? The nurse left the radio on a bit longer one night and I caught some news from back home... the President's pushing some big bill through congress and it looks like it might pass... a lot of folks back home aren't happy about it."

"What, like... Alabama? Arkansas?"

"Yeah... a couple of bombings in Birmingham were on the news. People are pretty worried about it spreading. If I were you, I'd look somewhere else to settle down in."

"Jesus... I don't think it's that bad... is it?"

Hastings shrugged, saying "Maybe not, I mean... I think it's only limited to Birmingham and only between blacks and whites, but... well, if you need a place to stay, go up to Queens in New York. Got some folks up there."

Before Dennis could reply, Hastings glanced at his watch, saying "Ah, I'm going to be late... This one guy with the Berets agreed to drive me to Itálica. Talk later, alright? Don't let the news dissuade you, young Son of Tobias!"

"Don't call me... that." Dennis sighed, the other Ranger walking away.

The 18-year-old's hands clenched into fists.

I'm not dragging her from hell only to lose her at home... no way...

As he began marching down the street, a second thought came to mind.

Fort Benning Housing...

Italica

6:04 PM

Delilah sighed as she broomed the entrance to the Formal Estate, ignoring the looks of some of the American soldiers. They knew better than to approach her, but they also knew they could avoid trouble if they just watched from a distance.

One, in particular, approached her, waving with a stupid grin on his face.

"Salve, Delilah!"

She sighed, muttering in English "Howdy, Hastings."

"Oh, shoot, you speak Texan now?"

"Ah? English! Learning!"

"Right, right... is Persia around?"

Delilah mumbled something he didn't understand before saying "Courtyard. Go on."

"Thanks!"

She noticed the man appeared to be walking rather awkwardly as he went inside. Whether it was due to him having been wounded or not, she didn't know, nor did she care. Delilah had other things in mind, after all.

She heard his footsteps first.

The darkened aviators were still eerie to her, but she was more accustomed to the man's unnerving presence now.

Trent asked, "So, what do you think of the big news?"

"I don't care if that snake helped you win sooner or if she got us a deal. She's still a snake."

Trent chortled, saying "Of course, of course... but what about the citizenship deal? I know you're studying our language more."

Delilah didn't reply.

"You could join the Army, y'know. We're working on getting some acts through congress, but you can start before that. Should be a faster path and we've met several willing survivors."

"Aw, and you can't get any of them to work for a creature like you?" she said with a sneer.

"Harsh."

"Truth." She said in English.

Trent said, "Come on, you're a trained spy to a degree, and you already-"

"I said I'd think about it, not that I would join your version of the Haryo tribe."

Trent pursed his lips, put his hands on his hips, and took a breath before saying, "Alright, what if I told you I found something that might pique your interest?"

"Like what?" she asked, not a hint of interest in her voice.

Trent glanced behind him, lowering his voice to a whisper as he took a step closer to the bunny girl. He handed her a folded-up paper. Delilah only raised an eyebrow as she took it, unfolding it. She gasped, as she stared at the profile on the photo.

"I figured you knew her."

"Parna... where-?"

"She's a volunteer with the Red Cross at Alnus."

"Y-you... you want to buy me with this?!"

"No, absolutely not... this is a courtesy."

Delilah growled, "I know what you're doing..."

"And I know it's working."

She scoffed, saying "You people are just like the Haryo..."

"Nah... see, the Haryo were amateurs compared to us."

"Sure..."

"Come on, look around you. Do the benefits not make up for whatever you may find objectionable?"

She scoffed, saying "You just want to use me."

"Of course, we do. I won't lie about that. I'm just saying we offer benefits, unlike the Haryo who would kill you once they used you. Genuine incentives make for better workers, especially now that we're getting more information and access without the opposition of the Empire and need the hardest work done."

She didn't reply.

Trent sighed, saying "Any fool can fight a war, and sometimes even win them... the difficult part is keeping the peace, Delilah. Think about it."

As Trent turned to leave, Delilah said "Wait."

Trent glanced at her.

"What do you plan on doing with Tyuule?"

Trent said, "Sorry, that I can't give you."

"Uh-huh... But if I wanted to get that information, what do I have to do?"

Trent gave her a toothy grin that sent chills down her spine.

Alnus

7:09 PM

Tyuule laid back on her bed with a soft sigh.

Her mind was busy with other things, she didn't really hear the quiet knocks on the door at first. She glanced at her door, realizing they were, in fact, for her, and sat up, not looking at the stack of papers on the table in her room as she went to the door.

She opened it.

Dennis stood there, the sleeves on his BDUs rolled back as he smiled softly. She gasped and threw her arms around him, the young man returning the gesture, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Hey..." he said lamely, doing his best to push away any of the troublesome images he had seen during the operation, focusing on her.

She noticed how he was holding her, and only held him a little tighter, hoping to help ease his own unease as he'd done for her.

Still holding her, Dennis noticed the papers on the table in the small hotel room.

"Any good news?"

She sighed, saying "A little. So far, twelve of my people have come forward, including the ones we already know about..."

"I think I saw one of them with an Army unit."

Tyuule nodded, resting her head against his chest.

"Most of those who appeared volunteered to help act as guides under the Army. It'll help them get an education, which... is good. One of them even has a child..."

"That's wonderful. And your job?"

At this, she pulled away enough to face him and grin, "I've saved up two hundred dollars!"

"He paid you that much?"

"Partly from the job, which he was kind enough to pay in advance, and partly from helping out here and there. Those who come here don't trust me, but... I can at least translate for them comfortably enough."

"Well, aren't you just miss amazing?"

"You taught me."

"Jesus Christ, I can hear you!"

They both glanced down the motel's hall, an irritated Tom waving from the farthest corner.