The Approach

A/N: As life starts up again, I'm now not writing on some sort of schedule. (used to be 1 Chapter per week) But after writing this, I feel more confident in this than in other chapters.

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There are numerous options. Food abounds! Furthermore, all of them taste delicious! Before, I used to buy a loaf of bread for a damn ton of shillings for my family. Now, it's like two-fifty with the new currency of the Unified Dollar. The quality difference is substantial in taste. It's bought in a weird see-through bag with some printing!

I look through the bag of bread for any signs of mold, but there isn't any. Nice!

"Here it is," I say as I walk over to the counter to purchase this bread.

"That will be two dollars and fifty cents,"

We both exchanged hands with the money.

"Thank you," as I express my gratitude.

"No problem." He bags up the already bagged bread in a different, non-see-through bag. If I buy anything else here, that bag will come in handy. It feels a bit too much.

As I walk out the magical doors that slide open, I look back and notice selections of foods and oddly named products on the shelves and what they call freezers. This is heaven.

I step outside of the small store flowing with cool air and walk through the streets of this town. As usual, nothing has changed. Tons of people are walking around, and it seems like everyone is a bit happier than they were after the food shortage. Sellers all over the region are shouting their products from foreign countries alike. I notice the green men with their blue armbands milling about, interacting with the locals. Gosh, this dreadful civil war is ruining my home until the Unified States came in. I don't know who they were, but now, they're one of the best nations on Oyerat.

I walked for quite a while until I arrived at our wooden and stone home. It's modest, but it provides us with shelter. When I open the door, I see my wife and daughter gathered around the dining table, but with another child. Wait a minute, she's dressed in the same green uniform as those green men I saw earlier. Her uniform appears to be devoid of any significant markings. Whatever the case may be, I must maintain a formal demeanor. What exactly is going on? She leaves a few hints, but they aren't enough for me to figure out who that blonde girl is.

How old is she, exactly?

I make my way over to the table, "Hello. Is there any problem here?" I inquire of the blonde girl.

She gives a warm smile, "Nope! I'm Sayuri. Commander of the Unified States Military. I was just here with your adored family members and had a brief conversation with them." She takes a step forward and extends her right arm.

I reach my hand to shake hers, "Oh! Yeah! Thank you very much! It is a privilege to have you here!" My speech is stumbling. Is this the rumored Commander everyone has been talking about? The girl?

We take our seats across from each other. Ella, my wife, is tense, as evidenced by her demeanor.

"It's great to see you guys doing well." Sayuri welcomes us.

"Yes, it's wonderful to see you succeed as well. Could you say something nice to Sayuri, Violet?" As Ella responds to the question.

"Hello!" exclaims our daughter as she turns to Sayuri. She gives a friendly smile.

"Hi," Sayuri responds.

Sayuri is now waving her hands at us, "There are no formalities required! As I previously stated, I've come to have a normal conversation."

Oh, phew.

"Thank you," I express my appreciation. My body is still stiff as a darn timber, even with the Commander saying those things.

"Your daughter is wonderful. How is she doing?" I see her rubbing the head of Violet as our daughter giggles, "Hehe." Looking at the two of them, they're kind of charming together. Although, the Commander is probably an older person that I believe.

"Thank you very much. Violet is doing admirably. She's a phenomenal girl. We enrolled her in the new system of education." Ella expresses herself.

"That's amazing to hear! What is her grade level?" Sayuri asks.

I don't remember doing the paper things, but I left it to my wife to do it.

"Ah, the person at the desk said she qualifies for first-grade education and that if she does well in that, she will be moved up a couple of grades." My wife responds.

"Mm. I wish you the best of luck." Violet is patted by Sayuri, who speaks to her. Is this how it feels to have a second daughter?

"I will!" Our daughter answers cheerfully.

She looks at the two of us, "So, how do you two feel about the current state of this town? Please be truthful. I'm not going to kill you." She chuckles.

The Commander is somehow unsettling.

"I-It's actually quite good. My work is excellent, and my pay is competitive. With some extra cash, I can provide for my family's needs. However, there are still some areas of town that haven't changed much. Especially in the villas of the nobility. That doesn't seem to sit well with them." I offer my answer.

Sayuri nods, "What about you, Mrs. Hines?"

"In truth...everything that this country has done, I welcome it!" My wife approves.

"Thank you for your suggestions; I'll keep them in mind. However, I will give some compensation from my salary." I notice Sayuri grabbing something from her green bag and placing hundreds of the new currency's paper dollars on the table.

"W-We can't accept this! We thank you-" I beg.

"No, just keep it. It's for my gratitude."

The three of us look at the pile of cash on our table. "Woah...that's a lot of money!" Violet rejoices. She turns to Sayuri, "Does your papa make that much money?"

The Commander I'm seeing is now pale, and her eyes are hollow...oh god, Violet! What nerve did you strike in her! My brow furrows. What kind of repercussions will we face as a result of this...? There are so many things going on.

"V-Violet!" My wife wails at her. "Sorry!" Ella prays as she takes our daughter upstairs with her. As she walks up the stairs, my wife is staring at me before we break sight. What? You want me to deal with this?

"We apologize for what our daughter did to you. That is something for which I accept full responsibility." I mutter something.

Sayuri finally blinks as her eyes twinkle, "Don't worry...nothing will happen...forget that this conversation existed..." She falters as I notice her standing up from the wooden chair and hear Sayuri walking behind me to the door with her belongings. I couldn't even look back at her. Something about her frightens me. I'm not sure what it is.

"actually...if your family speaks of this, it will not be pleasant. Tell them about that." She speaks behind me on my left. With those words, my whole body is trembling.

The front door to the house swings open. Shortly after, it grates shut.

...

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I shook up to a loud explosion, and I blindly view that my darkroom is saturated with a crimson and orange tinge. This late at night...?

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"Gentlemen, we're in a very precarious situation," I announce to the officers of the division.

"It seems like it."

"Mhm."

"I don't really know what' happening in this world." Someone chuckles.

"Alright, if you may, look at the screen," I say.

The whole room shuffles to look at the flatscreen tv that is now turned on with a white screen.

I click on the remote, "Two armies are steadily approaching the outskirts of Linton. Northern army codenamed Alpha. Beta is the codename for the Southern army. If they aren't already surprised by our infantry weapons, airborne and logistics operations near Linton are halted to maintain our element of surprise."

Pictures of the northern and the southern armies are shown on display.

"Alpha is stronger than Beta based on appearance and how medieval warfare works and the information from Linton authorities. Their coats of arms are distinct, indicating that they come from two different sides of a country called Skoaria. Alpha is better equipped for siege warfare in carriages, horses, logistics, and other items. Multiple paints have been detected with on-base radars and AWACS in both the south and north. Dragons, presumably. We may, however, choose to eradicate them at any time if we so want." I speak loudly.

"We won't be able to perform that, sir. Our Commander has gone into a coma." Colonel Albert Becker says.

"That is something I am aware of, and it is for this reason that we have gathered here. Figure out how to deal with the two armies."

"That's not an option if you're talking about confrontation. Our Commander forbids any of our forces from interacting with foreign troops." Brigadier-General Colin Mcgee explains.

"I know. We're not going to sit around doing nothing, are we?" I inquire about the officers.

"We have no choice except to wait for them to attack. That is the reality." One officer makes a suggestion.

"But they already attacked us!" I hear someone shouting at the back.

"No. We have no idea who the magicians are associated with. That is the issue." I respond.

"I'm sure they left some hints as to where they came from, right?"

"No clues. The only thing we know is that the magicians are dressed in medieval garb. That is all there is to it." I declare.

"Perhaps bandit magicians,"

"Hey, that's a possibility."

"Sir, if I may return back to this meeting, It's something important for this." Colonel Albert Becker asks.

"Make sure you're back as soon as possible."

"Will do."

As the door closes, "Well, we aren't sitting ducks here." I tell.

I click on the remote, "You've read about the magician attack within Linton." The images of the aftermath are now displayed on the screen.

I flip through the images, "Damage extends throughout some houses and the construction field within the development area. Most of the equipment is unscathed as they're far away enough from the explosion. The restaurant is now a war-torn building. The new mayor of Linton has been kidnapped-our Commander, and her assistant is currently being treated in the ICU in this base. Truth be told, there is no indication of which side of the army has done the magician raid on the town."

"Tsk, probably for those two dragons that we've taken down." Colin Mcgee coughs.

"It might be that, or it could be anything else. The good news is that during Beta's march to Linton, it is completely unaware of the existence of Joint Base Central. Even with our sorties of the fuel tankers and the AWACS."

"What does that have to do with Linton?" Colonel Amber Poole asks.

"Quite a bit. One thing to note is that the army is not occupying the incorrect town."

"Hmm, what about negotiations? Surely they would like some resources." Another officer asks.

"No interactions with them."

"Apologies," He sighs.

"Oh well, the only option is to wait to see what they're gonna do next." Someone perceives.

"Unfortunately, that's the case. The base at Linton is on high alert. Wing Commander will scramble out the fighters and the support squadrons of the 3rd Wing."

"I've been wondering, how did these magicians get into Linton in the first place?" Amber asks again.

"They appear to be outsiders based on surveillance footage. Inspections on them were passed, a building was blown up, and our mayor was kidnapped. At the review, Sergeant Jenkins mentioned that one of them has a bag of crystals and wooden sticks." Colin Mcgee answers.

"Probably blew up things with the crystals and wands." I hear someone at the back of the room promulgating.

"That's possible. Actually, it's one of most plausible explanations in this fantasy world." I retort.

"Damn, we'll have to beef up the security checks for anyone entering and departing."

"Right, true."

"Okay, we're out of options. We have no choice but to wait. Is that all we've learned so far?" I inquire of the others in the room.

"Yup." Someone jeers.

I flip through the presentation's pages, "The town's residents are no longer permitted to leave. The artillery of the 1st Cavalry Division and the 2-82nd Field Artillery Regiment is ready to fire at any time. Before cutting off the flow to and from Linton, we stocked up on plenty of food in Linton. The headquarters of the 3rd BCT notified us that their squadrons and battalions are on high alert."

I hear the door to the room opening, and it's my Deputy Post Commander, Albert.

"Here it is, sir." He hands me over a piece of paper.

"What, you want me to read this?"

"Yes." He sits back down.

I read the paper out loud,

"HI, I'm pleasantly impressed at how quickly our outstanding engineer battalions are developing the civil works in Linton. Bring hell to anybody who tries to stop me from developing Linton!!! Also, please consider selling Boss Coffee at the new locations."

I finished reading, "It's signed by the Commander."

"At least we'll have another choice of satisfying coffee when we go there for a break," someone jeers.

Is this of use to me? Hmm...it's a little out of place. In the military, things are usually a little hazy. Fortunately, the sole civilian government is a town.

"Alright, this permits for the use of our forces," I proclaim to the room.

"Bold, but first!" Colin shouts. "Try negotiating with them and see what they come up with."

"Mhm, negotiate. Then, we use force to push the two armies out. Anything else before we settle on that?" I tell.

"No, sir."

"Sounds great."

After confirming that everything is in order, "So, here is what we're going to do. Later today, the HQ will meet again to examine those issues. Keep an eye on your inbox or something. This meeting has come to an end."

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I'm in this dreaded southerner camp with this fool. Tied up to this uncomfortable chair, I can't do anything unless I'm in their makeshift cell.

The donkey converses, "So there you have it, Lord Camden Lysander. The Unified States, what do you know about this? One of our recons appear to have some fanciful concept, but that isn't enough." The son of a bitch, Count Cratih, demands me those answers. His ugly ass face makes me wanna go back. He keeps on interrupting with my town, and now he's gonna get what he deserves!

I spit at his foot, and one of his men wipes it off, "You're meddling with the tiger's lair." I snarl at him. Around this encampment, it looks like only the elite of the Southern army gets sophisticated equipment compared to the Northerners. No wonder why they can't win a battle face-to-face.

"I see we got a rascal noble right here. Right?" When Count Craith looks at his soldiers, they all burst out laughing. He looks back at me, "Now tell me, what in the fuck is that nation?"

I grin, "In every way imaginable, superior magicians. Armies were annihilated from miles distant."

Count Craith puts on a frightened expression on his face. "Oh my goodness! Have you fallen prey to your petty nobility? You even persuaded one of our recon teams to accept that shit!" He laughs and bangs his fist against the table.

"No, you aren't taking this seriously." I gawk at him. Now, I feel bad for the captors. I don't know what kind of punishment they went through.

"Hm? What? Did I hear that correctly? You don't want to be under our rule? Especially when the Northerners are in the vicinity. Are you in cahoots with these fuckers even though you proclaim of your town being non-aligned with the civil war?" Count Craith curses at me.

"Are you afraid of even confronting the Northerners?" I chuckle.

"What the fuck did you say, Lord Lyshit? We will beat them without having to rush through the woods. This is the best army that we have gathered in a long time. Even our dragon units are on par with the Northerners! When we clash in the wide fields, they're in for a surprise!" He lets forth a barking of that crap.

You've got to be kidding me, eh? Is that all they have in terms of outstanding soldiers?

"I'm the Mayor of Linton. Get that right." I bleat.

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"How are you guys doing on the second, and hopefully final, day of planning?" I declare to the room.

"Feeling alright, not bad, but not great." Some officers answer.

"I'm feeling fine, sir."

"Decent."

Seems like everyone is doing okay.

"Everyone, please look into the folders in front of you," I say to everyone.

As the officers are looking into the documents, I try to calm myself by breathing steadily.

"These are the plans that we've put together. Please read everything attentively, and we will agree upon it."

"M'kay, sir." Someone says.

I sit down on my chair, facing the entire headquarters. I swift through the documents carefully again, as I don't want any mishaps to occur and our Commander to be angry at that once she wakes up.

The remarks and outlines appear to be well-written.

I get up and grab the remote control, "Okay, if you'll excuse me, I'd want you to glance up at the screen." Pens and pencils fall on the contemporary table as I say this.

I flip through the presentation, "Previously, we had to do some revisions as the two forces settled on the doorstep of Linton, including the assessment of Operation Lord. After we've recovered Mayor Lysander, Division Artillery and the 2-82nd Field Artillery Regiment will conduct a series of fire missions on Alpha and Beta surroundings to flush out the magicians hiding within the terrain." The topographical map and the aerial photographs of the two encampments are presented.

I cough, "During this time, we have uncovered some ideas about the magicians with the help from the town council. As stated in the documents, it's written down in the books in the castle of Linton. We're still unsure if we can actually exploit the weaknesses of the magicians, but it's part of the plan if someone were to encounter one."

I noticed Colonel Becker raising his hand, "I've said this earlier, but why are we diving into this when we don't know how the magicians affect us?"

"Headquarters agreed upon this, but it's better to find out now than later," I answer.

"Alright." Colonel Becker slouch back on the expensive office chair.

I press the button to the final pages of the presentation on the screen, "The 227th Aviation Regiment will cover the escape routes of both Alpha and Beta if the need arises. The elements of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team will be deployed following the commencement of the operation. They are gonna engage Alpha army while the parts of the 3rd BCT will be contacting the Beta army if all talks failed." I nod to the Wing Commander, Colin Mcgee, "The 3rd Wing will dispatch its 9th Fighter Squadron, close air support, and sortie 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron around the Oyerat. I'm confident we will get full air superiority."

I continue, "My executive officer will be negotiating with the Beta army, and I will be doing that with the Alpha army. Get both sides of the civil war to recognize us as a legitimate state, protect Linton, and demonstrate our power across the international community. Letting the routed armies of the two sides will be beneficial, and it's in the utter importance that the soldiers display their blue armbands and make the medieval soldiers flee and the message about us across Skoaria. If talks were to succeed, the outcome is the same that I've mentioned, but with fewer casualties. That's the goal of this operation." I breathe a sigh of relief after explaining.

I look around, "It's time to be known. Any more talks or impressions?"

"No, sir." Half of the room states. The environment is more high-strung.

"Normally, our Commander will authorize things. For now, please raise your hands if you're in agreement with this operation."

For a brief moment, everyone in the room raised their hands.

"I hope this operation won't extend our current authorizations that our Commander has set. In this operation, we're basically declaring war on two countries if all talks fail." Brigadier General Mcgee forewarns me.

"Mhm, we've come to an agreement on this."

"Wishing you two success in your negotiations." He looks at Colonel Becker and me.

I order, "Well, Operation Blue Recognition is now active. This is now over. Colonel Becker, follow me."

"Yes, sir." He responds. As I rise from the chair, the entire room stands with me.

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I look over the encampment and see the faint sight of the Linton stonewalls as I ride on top of my horse. I remember at night, there are mysterious lights from that town illuminating its surrounding area. No torches or crystallite can achieve that brightness! What the hell is going on, Lord Lysander? We don't exactly know what's going on in those walls as we're gonna have to confront him eventually. I respect his neutrality in the civil war.

As the gallop of a horse draws closer to my ears, "Sire, our magicians are now fighting southern magicians near the Grand Forest!" The runner expresses himself.

"Is that all?" I speak.

"Yes, Duke Charleston." He confirms my suspicions. This much resistance? There's no way that their magicians are holding the line, especially when we've been training to prevent hit and runs from the Southern army.

"Tell the other commanders to pull out the magicians from the forests and the fields. We will fight them in the open grasslands. That where their pride sinks." I command.

"But, our flanks will be exposed!" As he interjects my order, I naturally raise my hand.

"It won't be a problem. Tell the commanders to pull out and to reconvene in the planning tent for further talks. That is all there is to it."

"Yes, sire." He stands at attention and rides away into the army camp, away from my view.

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The Blackhawk is powering on. Hearing its propeller blades slicing through the air, and the bird finally lifts. I breathe as I examine my M4 Carbine again, even though I inspected it already. Jeez, why am I nervous? This is the second operation already.

We're now off the ground. Below, I see the 2nd BCT in action, finally. I've spoken to some of the boys down there, and they're phenomenal. The cool-looking armored vehicles are driving down on the new asphalt roads to Linton. As I look around in the skies, this helicopter is alongside many other Black Hawks, Apaches, and Chinooks.

That view gives me goosebumps. Brr.

After seeing my blue armband in a strange shape, I adjust it.

"Bull Tigers, don't forget what we've briefed on!" My CO yells, barely audible over the helicopter engines.

"Yes, sir!" The squad yells.

I know what we are doing. Escort and defend Colonel Becker in his talks; rescue Mayor Lysander. Hoorah.