12. Chapter 12(1)

Chapter 12

A Chosen Peace

February 2nd, 1966

Unknown Location

It had been sensing it for what felt like eons, not because of a long passage of time but because the collective hivemind of their species felt and registered every sensation each of its innumerable hives felt and sense to the point they collectively held an impossibly deep well of sensorial knowledge. They were the sole species to inhabit their reality after genuine eons of conquest and devouring. They had forced themselves into becoming stronger, faster, more voracious than anything they had encountered thus far. Nothing was out of their reach. Nothing except the shining lights in the black sky above, but the hivemind cared not for such minuscule and far away things.

No, something of greater concern was rearing its head.

Its sentinels first sensed it early in the morning and they understood that it was a different entity altogether. Not an Arachnid like them, not anything like them! It was new! It was strange! And it was something not from their world!

Immediately the hive mind had gathered its strongest warriors all surrounding the area where the sensation had been felt, a tiny, almost minuscule shivering within the space around the deserted planet they inhabited. Millions of them formed a sea of limbs, fangs, and colorless eyeballs that stared dutifully into the nothingness where something was off, for the hivemind did not need things that it didn't deem necessary. They would wait forever if it was so required, and if something new came through they would rip it to shreds or chase it away and then follow the path it took to greener pastures to do the same there.

Thus, they waited for whatever it was to properly manifest.

It finally did so in the form of a shadow, small at first, but darker than the night sky. The hivemind was uncertain of what it seeing, but it soon realized that it had to react quickly. The shadow was growing, expanding rapidly, so, so rapidly.

It then realized that it wasn't a shadow at all! It was a mist! A black mist with no scent or presence other than an odd feeling of foreboding. A dread that only the animalistic and feral part of its mind comprehended.

Swiftly, the Arachnid warriors charged at it, gleefully sacrificing their bodies if it meant containing it, but with a touch of the ethereal mist, the bodies died and became crystallized after mere seconds. The hivemind sent more and more into the growing darkness, fearlessly attempting to cut it down as a pile of multi-limbed corpses grew around it, nearly plugging its doorway into their realm.

Yet it continued to spread, much too quickly to create a barrier of bodies around it.

Making another cold but calculated decision, the hivemind quickly pulled its millions of warriors back and had them commence the construction of a massive pit, millions of them digging and digging into the dirt, millions more utilizing the tons upon tons of dug dirt began constructing upwards, the mist slowly pooling like at the bottom like a liquid instead of spreading upwards like a gas, the wall of dirt slowing down its advance.

The hivemind did not rest, it did not freeze.

They would stop this invader before it overwhelmed them.

Surely.

Mount Tube,

9:33 PM

Lelei took off her gas mask and nodded to the military officers atop the control room, none of whom were wearing a gas mask. A massive funnel of a glowing material surrounded by a large transparent cube floated in the air, the darkness being visible right through as it flowed from one large side of the square to the other, vanishing as it reached the end of the cube.

The men only nodded, a few let out a sigh of relief.

Lelei said "The portal is stable, sir. It seems the theories were correct... it's attracted to entries and exits in reality. By opening an entry back into the void, we can effectively keep it contained."

The American officer said, "Well, that's excellent news... of course, the concern of there being life beyond that portal-"

Lelei only said "Other than some odd insects, I saw nothing that would be harmed."

The men nodded.

Lelei placed the mask back on her face.

The potential for practical use of portals was there, and as the experiment showed, it was viable.

Lelei, in her ever-detached tone, said "The issue is still the fact that opening and maintaining portals open can cause a kind of stress in the fabric of the connected worlds... but if we can perhaps strengthen the connection..."

"We'll have to look into that." a British man said, scratching the back of his head as he looked at the odd contraption, they had come up with to solve a problem they barely understood.

"The important thing is that it's solved."

Lelei glanced at the American officer, the man appearing tired as he turned to leave.

Of course... this is but one problem out of many...

Rockwall, Texas

10:00 PM

"Are you secure you're alright?" Persia asked as she held the arm of the young man.

"Yes, Persia... and the word is sure not secure." James Hastings replied, smiling dreamily.

The catgirl nodded as the door of the restaurant behind them closed, nearly trapping her tail, but she was already accustomed to moving it out of the way. She half escorted him, the Ranger now walking with a limp. It was the least of her concerns as the man was capable enough, and it wasn't slowing him down too badly. Plus, now she really could see the world. The other side of the gate, she could tell, was cleaner, bigger, and even if she couldn't fully speak the language, she was more than happy to just be there.

They were passing a parked police car, the man eyeing them suspiciously.

"Evening, officer," Hastings said.

The officer's pale face only moved slightly, as if acknowledging them, but nothing more.

Persia felt her ears twitch and a feeling of dread coming over her, unlike anything she'd felt before, her tail quickly stiffening, hair standing on ends. She stopped walking, looking around, unsure of exactly what was wrong.

"Persia?" Hastings asked.

"Danger..." she managed to say, quietly, gripping him tightly.

At this, the police officer raised an eyebrow. He got out of the squad car and opened his mouth, though what he would have said to them was something they wouldn't know.

Another car suddenly sped out of a corner, headlights off, accelerating to the point the old car's engine likely struggled to meet the demand as it twisted down the street, gaining their attention.

Recognizing the hostile movements of the carriage, Persia pushed herself over Hastings with reflexes only she possessed, a mixture of her nature and the training given by the House of Formal.

The officer whirled around barely in time to see the barrel of the M1928A1 begin to spit fire and death at the sidewalk.

The officer ducked down then, the shooter aiming high as the car sped by, breaking windows, shattering bricks, breaking a streetlamp as the old chevvy accelerated down the street.

The gunfire died down immediately, a man yelled "These ain't your streets!"

Something was thrown out of the car towards them.

Hastings saw it, and yelled "Grenade!"

Persia, hearing the urgency got up and tried dragging him, the officer moving to the grenade quicker, kicking it.

It didn't so much explode as it harmlessly popped, similar to a firecracker.

The officer shakily supported himself on the squad car's open door.

Persia turned to Hastings, quickly saying "Okay? Okay?"

He nodded, breathing heavily.

Hastings sat up, looking the cat girl over, hugging her tightly once he saw she was unharmed.

Another officer ran out of the shop then, yelling "What in God's name happened here?!"

The officer catching his breath went to speak, but fell to the ground, blood pulling under him.

Outskirts of the Imperial Capital

11:00 PM

"And... this will help us defeat the Americans?" the young man asked, looking at the wooden crate. In the year since the Gate had opened and new technology had been introduced into his home, he had seen many things from horseless carriages to men who had the skin of dark elves, but the weapons were what had intrigued the group of young men.

The older man, standing across the crate from them held a wide grin as he said "Why of course! All you need to do is aim, and squeeze! This is why the empire failed, the armies of this other world, all of them, use weapons that even a child could use. Go on, try one!"

The young man grabbed the weapon that was known by many names in the other world, but the one in front of him used most consistently was "Avtomat Kalashnikova". It appeared wooden and metallic at the same time, which was strange in his mind. He was unsure of exactly how to hold it properly but quickly found the grip and trigger and knew how it likely worked.

The other men picked up their versions, inspecting them.

"So... you squeeze this handle... and it launches death outward, much like a crossbow."

An older one said, "It's... well, it's certainly unlike our swords."

The other one muttered "Dishonorable..."

The young man said "It may help us achieve victory... if we can get a few towns armed and ready, we can quickly organize an effective fighting force."

"There are other weapons, you know. Those are great, but my personal favorite is this beauty as it's just prettier if you ask an old man like me."

As he moved to the second crate and opened it, he glanced behind him, stopping with an odd look on his face.

"What?" the young man asked.

The Russian only said, "You were certain no one followed you?"

"Of course."

Silence for a moment. The man shrugged, and fully opened the crate, grabbing the rifle.

"This is the Samozaryadny Karabin-"

The older of the men froze up, saying "Stop... listen."

The Russian fell silent, the band of men looking in every direction. There was utter silence in the forest.

The old man immediately said "Munitions... load these weapons! Quickly!"

"The ammunition isn't-" the Russian tried.

"Now! They're here!" the young man shouted.

"Calm down, the worst you can do now is-"

Above them a bright light exploded in the night sky, lighting the surrounding opening in the forest where they were meeting.

"The munitions! Quick-"

"Put your hands up! Now!"

It was a woman's yell.

The youngest man dropped the rifle and tried to run only for the girl in a green uniform to crash the butt of a rifle into his head, knocking the man down but not letting him hit the muddy ground, swiftly delivering a harsh kick to the sternum and sending the skinny plebian flying back into the clearing, landing atop the crate of Russian guns.

The Russian calmly placed the rifle back on the crate and raised his hands while the other men looked around, clutching the rifles they'd been seeing.

More figures emerged from the trees as the flare above began to fizzle out.

"Last warning. Put your weapons down and surrender!"

"Rabbits..." the oldest man groaned, not lowering the rifle.

The Russian said, "Friend, my suggestion is you do as they say..."

The man's jaw clenched and slowly he placed the rifle down. The younger man, however, had other plans. Gripping the rifle, he lunged forward with a battle cry that would have likely made any legion commander proud had it not been cut short by a girl jumping him from the brush, tackling him to the floor in one swift move.

Another of the figures pushed out of the brush, shining a light onto them before kicking the rifle away with ease as the teenager continued to struggle now pinned under another girl.

Delilah huffed, saying "Be grateful... Patricia here caught you before you got shot..."

The young man kept struggling, but Delilah ignored him, turning to the Russian and saying "Vicktor Karp, right?"

The Russian only kept his hands up.

Behind her camouflage-painted face, Delilah smirked.

"Well, now, we'd been searching for you for a while! Your government said they didn't know what you were doing here, since... you know... you're supposed to be in Poland! What poor sap did you bribe to get all of this in here, anyway?"

Delilah picked up the SKS and played with the bolt, checking if it was loaded. The other girls began to move in then, picking up and tying the collaborators' hands with a wire.

Victor said, "I thought you Americans left Imperial territory for the UN to police."

Placing the rifle down and with an ever-present grin, she only said "Yeah, but, see, the funny thing is that... disgruntled legionaries like these suddenly started harassing people around Itálica and Alnus with weapons they really shouldn't have been able to get a hold of. I mean... it's the darndest thing, wherever the Americans aren't policing, our enemies get firearms!" then, with a tired sigh, "Patty, tie this guy up..."

The blonde girl got up, the M3 submachine gun slung behind her as she quickly went to apprehend the man.

The younger of the now arrested legionnaires yelled "Savages! You're violating the peace treaty you signed!"

Delilah didn't reply.

His hands already tied, the Russian said "Hector, please. We got caught, so just cooperate and odds are you'll live."

He turned to Delilah and said in accented English "Cut them some slack, they weren't as interested in open revolution, they wanted-"

"Oh, shut up." Delilah groaned.

You want me to pretend you weren't trying to arm them so they could kill our people? Please...

Noting the kid named Hector was still glaring at her, she turned to another girl.

"Hey, Sofi, did you get the Peacekeepers on the waves?"

She nodded, saying "They're thirty minutes out. If Victor doesn't slow us down, too much, we can get to our LZ on time. Pull out before anyone else figures we were here."

"Good."

The young legionnaire allegedly named Hector yelled "Oh, I see how it is! I'll tell everyone you were here! If more officers hear your Americans are violating the peace treaty the vengeance your people will feel will not compare to what our former emperors did to you beasts!"

Delilah turned and glared at the kid.

"Do your worst! You don't scare me!" he hissed at her.

"You have a big mouth, you know that?" Delilah muttered.

The older legionnaire quickly said, "Hey, Hector, enough..."

"Why? She can't do anything to us! We're unarmed and unable-"

At the sound of a click, the young man fell silent.

Delilah pressed the M1911 up to his face, the end of the barrel pressing against his temple as she said "Unable to what?"

Patricia quickly said, "Delilah, come on, we have to move."

"You girls go ahead, get Victor to the LZ..."

"Hey, you can't-"

"I have orders to keep loose ends from causing us trouble down the line... your girls won't have to see anything, so go!"

Patricia glanced at the tied men, the reality dawning on her.

Turning to the Russian, and with a huff, she said "Alright, move."

Hector yelled "Cowards!"

Delilah only stood there, listening as the steps got further away.

Hector winced, saying "What? Are you going to kill me?!"

Delilah didn't reply.

"Hector, come on, be quiet-"

"No! You destroyed my homeland, you took my father... why should I have to move on when you get revenge?!"

Delilah chortled, saying "So, you're saying you'll remain a threat?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

The older man said "Wait! Wait! He's unarmed, you're... your people have rules!"

Delilah said "So? I'm just a savage, right? So, what if my superiors have rules?"

"So, please... I apologize... we have families, we're just... just worried about what's best for them... surely, you've noticed things have been difficult for everyone. Hector here is struggling to feed his ailing mother."

She stared at the older man, Hector now falling silent.

He quickly said "I didn't deploy to the northern plains in those days, but... I know you can understand how difficult it is for those who have lost a war to... to go on... we won't say anything, I swear."

Delilah glanced at the kid again.

She took the M1911 away from his temple and stood up.

The kid let out a sigh of relief.

Then cringed when he heard two gunshots ring off one after the other.

He slowly turned around to see his two comrades dead with a single-entry hole on the side of their heads. He glared at the girl and began kicking and trying to break out of his restraints, screaming as she loomed over him, the gun smoking.

"I'll kill you! I swear by the gods that I'll kill you!"

Delilah said nothing, a bored, almost disappointed expression on her face as she pointed the gun to his head and gently squeezed the trigger, not paying attention to the grey matter splattered on the dead man's also dead comrades.

She stared at the bodies for a moment, then coldly took out her knife and swiftly untied them. She shoved the ropes they'd used into a pocket before picking up the spent casings and pocketing those as well, leaving the dead bodies on the now bloody forest floor. She then grabbed a pair of Kalashnikov rifles and the SKS she'd touched and leaped back into the forest with a single thought in mind.

Yeah, I understand how difficult it is...

She caught up to the others in a short while, the other bunny girls standing around the LZ, looking unsure as she arrived.

She placed the collected rifles down on the ground saying "Evidence!"

Patricia said, "I heard the gunshots."

Delilah shrugged.

"Why did we keep them alive if you were just going to kill them?!"

She said, "Ideally we would have knocked them out before being spotted but they were keener than we thought... then you gave them the chance to put their guns down, which... well fair enough, our target was in the line of fire, and as much as I would love to spray his brains on the grass..."

The Russian smiled at her.

"The mission was to capture him and my mission was to make sure there were no loose ends we'd need to tie later... you girls did well."

Patricia didn't reply, the girls already hearing the helicopter in the distance.

Pursing her lips, Delilah said "Now... keep in mind... if they got those guns... everything we'd suffered for would be at risk. They wanted to do what Zorzal did to us six years ago, so spare me any pity you have for them."

Patricia only said, "It still feels dishonorable to kill them when they're unable to fight."

As the UH-1 landed, Delilah said "Oh, but that white-haired wench running away gets a pass, right?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, well, I don't see you demanding justice for her actions." Then, patting the girl on the back, Delilah said "You're good at what you do, Patricia... don't question what I'm good at."

The helicopter landed and she hopped on first.

The blonde sat next to her then, loudly saying "It's not healthy to dwell on it, Delilah. Not now!"

Delilah smirked, glaring at the man being pushed into the chopper, and yelled back "You're entitled to your opinion, kid!"

Patricia winced at the eerie smile on her fellow warrior. As the helicopter took off, the only thing she could think of were the evil smiles Imperial Soldiers had given her before she deserted the battlefield. The toothy half-grins of someone who was no longer killing for the war, or in self-defense or even due to the madness of combat... but of someone who was going to enjoy the act of killing.

Quietly, she shivered at the thought.

The flight itself was short and uneventful. No Wyverns bothered them, no enemies tried to launch spears at them. It was as quiet as a flight could be.

February 3rd, 1966

Outskirts of Itálica

CIA Office

6:00 AM

Once the Chinook touched down, Delilah quickly escorted the man forward, the other Warrior Bunnies hopped out, eyeing the rising sun with some dismay. She ignored them, focusing on finishing her mission as soon as she could.

The Russian asked, "So, a cell on the lower or higher levels?"

Delilah was silent.

Victor raised an eyebrow, asking "What's wrong, miss?"

Walking him down the stairs and through the dimly lit corridors, Delilah didn't speak. The Russian knew he wasn't going to be killed, but he did grow concerned when an armed guard waited for them by a door.

"She's inside?" Delilah asked.

"Yes, ma'am." the guard said.

Oh, an interrogation?

The door was pushed open and the Russian thought he knew what to expect. A simple wooden table, an empty chair or two, and a man with some papers with plenty of questions.

Inside was a simple wooden table, a single empty chair for him, and a girl with snakes on her head, smoking a cigarette as she read the latest issue of Life magazine. The snakes reacting to him by flicking their tongues collectively as he was pushed towards her.

Oh... well, two out of three isn't terrible... so this is a gorgon?

Delilah forced him to sit down, the guard cuffing him to the chair.

The Gorgon placed the magazine down.

Victor grinned, noting the girl was young.

"Privet!" he said, trying to sound friendly.

The girl smiled back, appearing almost naive as she did so.

Turning to Delilah, the bunny girl who'd now moved to the corner of the interrogation room, he asked "New interrogator? Your people must be busy."

Delilah didn't reply.

Turning back to the rather attractive gorgon, Victor asked "What is your name, love?"

"Sasio..." she said simply, closing her eyes as her snakes continued to move of their own volition.

"You'll be interrogating me today, miss?"

"Not exactly... what do you know of gorgons, sir?" she asked in a soft voice.

The girl with snakes for hair stood up.

Victor shrugged as she approached him in a slow, almost sensual manner in spite of her office clothes.

She got very close to him, her snakes pressing against his face, studying him as she spoke.

"Well, you see, those of us who were left after the Empire conquered our lands to the west were enslaved for our ability. After slavery was outlawed we were set free... do you know of our abilities?"

Now Victor felt in danger. He'd been caught and had known fellow spies who had been caught and interrogated by the west. He knew of the drugs, the torture, and he knew very well that as long as something was to be gained, spies would be kept alive in order for a trade sooner or later. He doubted they'd kill him, but this girl in front of him, the scaly, apparently multi-colored snakes she had for hair, was an unknown. He was aware of gorgons, he'd read the reports from the early days of the Gate opening. But what exactly she could do wasn't something he was privy to.

He turned to Delilah and the guard, both of whom were now staring intently from the corner of the room.

"I... haven't heard, actually."

She smiled slightly.

"Well, of course... my people were nearly pushed to extinction by the Empire long ago, not unlike like the Warrior Bunnies. Those who survived and their descendants like me were used by the Empire to ensure prisoners told us everything we wanted to know."

"Ah... poison then? You'll get me to talk with drugs?"

Delilah laughed.

The girl named Sasio only said "If only... so... let's make this easy, alright? Tell us who let you and those weapons through and I won't have to hurt you."

The man smiled.

"Sorry, gorgeous, but I can't do that. I can give you other information, of course, but... sorry. What do you say, no dice?"

Delilah shook her head.

The guard smirked.

The girl named Sasio only said "You're certain? This won't be pleasant... for either of us."

"I'll take my chances." the Russian replied.

"Very well... just remember that you had a choice." she sighed, pulling the man's head slightly to the side, exposing his neck.

The girl's mouth opened, revealing viper-like fangs, the Russian shut his eyes tightly as the teeth sunk into his flesh. He didn't scream but he began to struggle in the seat, kicking at the air, shaking in place.

Delilah huffed, saying "Let me know when we have the info... I'm going to go talk to the bastard upstairs."

The guard nodded, staring nervously at the scene in front of him.

...

Trent gently passed a hand through the brown bunny on his lap, the furry creature enjoying the attention apparently, while his other hand holding the phone to his ear. The CIA officer appeared exasperated at best. His aviators resting on the desk next to him as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"Now, Major Horn, please take it easy-"

The man's Swedish accent was thick enough it carried over the phone lines, emphasized by the man's anger.

"You promised me your men got the Russian, we got the insurgents for court-martial!"

Trent sighed, saying "A real tragedy. They opened up on our girls."

"We found no shell casings!"

"We cleaned up for you! Honestly, you should be grateful!"

Trent could have sworn the man moved away from the phone for a moment, hearing angry shuffling on the other end.

Then, calmer, the Swedish Major said "My superiors have questions, so you better have the report by my headquarters-"

"Yes, yes, you'll get a detailed report explaining what you found... as soon as you get me a report detailing exactly how thirty AK-47s, twenty SKS rifles, and over six thousand rounds of soviet ammunition got into Imperial Territory."

"The Gate is on American territory, Trent, you're sure your agency should be looking into the UN?"

"Oh, we've kept a fairly tight leash on what comes in and out... except for you guys, cause the idiot in the Oval Office thinks it's inappropriate to distrust our allies so openly."

"I wonder why..."

"I wonder if this information will make him change his mind."

"It's not my men if you're so concerned."

"I'm sure."

"That spy give you answers?"

"I'll let you know, now my advice is you get back to managing the crime scene and telling the princess the, oh-so-great United Nations with the help of her soldiers found a clue to possible insurgents and are heroically pursuing all leads."

The man hung up then.

Trent groaned, placing the phone down, petting the bunny he was holding with a touch more intensity. Delilah only stared at the small creature who was still enjoying the grooming by the CIA Officer.

Trent said "What?"

Delilah didn't reply, continuing to stare.

"Jealous?"

After a few more seconds of staring, she said "By the gods, I swear my envy is only of the dead who do not have to see such a bizarre sight..."

"What's so bizarre about a rabbit?" he said, lifting the bunny closer to the girl's face, then saying "Bunny girl meets girl bunny! Will you understand each other?"

The rabbit's nose moved up and down as it sniffed at Delilah, the girl's bunny ears twitched before pulling themselves down in what Trent guessed was suspicion, and Delilah quickly said "She says to put her down, I'm making her nervous."

"Really?"

"No, but will you get that rodent away from me?!"

"...alright..." Trent sighed, apparently disappointed, taking the bunny to a small cage with the name "Delli" written on its side.

The not-rodent Delilah said, "Sasio is working on the Russian... though he seemed very willing to cooperate as long as it wasn't giving us the specific information we wanted."

"Obviously. He knows the game. Our resident Gorgon will get us the information we want, then I can pass it along to the UN and the Department of Defense." Trent glanced at her then, asked "Did you have to kill them? Our friends in blue aren't happy."

Sinking in her seat, Delilah replied "Hey, they kept saying they would rat us out."

"Fair enough... How's Parna?"

"Nursing, still. Haven't seen her in a while."

Trent frowned at how matter-of-fact and seemingly uncaring she was about that.

"Have you... gone outside... at all?"

"What does this have to do with my mission last night?"

"Performance. You start lagging, I can't rely on you."

"I'm fine. I go out when I feel like it."

Trent studied her for a moment.

He finally said "Alright... leave your report by my desk. You're dismissed."

She nodded, got up, and left.

With a sigh, Trent shook his head.

I'm fine... yeah, that's what they all say...

It didn't matter, in the end, though. So long as they did their job, who cared about the girl's emotional state?

Delilah on the other hand, passed a hand through her long her, walking down the now occupied desks and typewriters as varied individuals worked on... something or other. She frankly didn't care as much. The recently finished CIA building wasn't too far from Italica itself, but isolated enough that she could only guess how many clandestine operations were happening around her.

She heard phrases, of course, she knew the Americans were tracking information as to how exactly the weapons sent by the communist forces from across the Gate had somehow "shown up" in the continent, she knew the United Nations detachments were likely suspect due to the previous incident of weapons "getting in the wrong hands" was quickly traced back to a disgruntled MP, and she knew of the tensions of the ongoing Cold War between the two world powers across the Gate. She knew tensions were still high with the communist bloc, and she knew of the very real threat of nuclear war and the worries it all caused. She knew that if the Communists somehow managed to open a gate into this world there would be much trouble, though that hadn't happened yet... as far as they could tell at least.

Still, her mind was on something else.

An Elf was in the office, wearing a nice suit as he read the morning's paper.

"Ah, Miss Delilah, good morrow."

"Shut up, Plank..." Delilah groaned, reaching past him and grabbing the cup of coffee, the dark circles under her eyes somehow darkening further.

"Apologies... I take it your recent mission wasn't all sunshine and rainbows?"

"Yes, now stop pretending to be English, you're no James what's-his-name."

"Hmm, I apologize for any disturbances... Alnus Herald?" he asked, handing her the printed paper with one side in English and one in the local writing.

She took it, sipping the coffee.

The top story was something about a nation called "Pakistan", with a side story below it mentioning American bombing runs in the nation of Thailand against an insurgency. At least that she was up-to-date on as some of the agents she now worked with occasionally brought it up.

She ignored it, flipping the paper to the page she knew all too well. In bold letters, a small, pictureless segment of the paper simply read: Questions and Answers for those Adapting to a New Life.

The author was only credited as "T.O".

At the image, she felt anger bubble up.

The elf named Plank said, "Not many good questions this day, I'm afraid."

Delilah, hiding her anger, said "Fine enough... what foods are the tastiest? I can already tell this one came from a merchant..."

She scanned the page and said "Oh, this one's from one of my people... Is it true that laws vary across the United States? Hmm... I think Patricia sent that one..."

"Who?"

"One of the Warriors in the American military... I've worked with her a few times since the Empire's defeat..." Delilah said with a huff, closing the newspaper and placing it back on the counter, drinking the rest of her coffee, she said "Damned boring... damned snake has it easy."

"Your former queen?"

"Who else?! She went through three years of suffering when she deserved twenty!" she concluded, crushing the foam cup in her hand and dumping it on the nearby trash bin. A look of silent fury in her eyes as she began storming off.

She said "Talk to you later, Plank. I have work to do..."

"Good day, Miss Delilah..." he said cautiously, everyone in the office moving out of the warrior bunny's way.

Delilah sat down at a desk and began typing out her report as best she could, spelling or grammatical errors be damned, she would do her job.

Soon... I'll get to you soon, Tyuule...

Outskirts of Imperial Capital

Major Horn walked out onto the field with an irritated expression, the corpses being carried away by his Peacekeepers in blue as he approached the scene of the crime.

There was already another commander there, standing next to an Imperial Officer, one of the now-famous "Rose Knights". The woman had short, platinum blonde hair, and was smoking a cigarette likely handed to her by his colleague. The contrast between the ancient and the modern could not be more pronounced as the Rose Knight still carried her plate armor and sword, while the Irish captain's green uniform, blue beret, and latest variant of the FN-FAL rifle emphasized just how far apart both worlds were and how cooperative they were being.

An Irish captain.

"What are you two doing?" he asked.

They turned, the captain with the name "Braun" on his uniform said "Supervising the cleanup. Not much more to do now that the bodies were removed."

"W-? But... tracks? Any signs of-?"

Panache said "Major, I think you're overreacting. These were-"

"Miss, with all due respect, the problem of legionnaires going rogue is one we need to avoid if we want to maintain peace in your region!"

"I'm aware, but you need to understand that those men weren't normal legionnaires. They were from the Eastern Legions, remnants of the ones summoned by that mad emperor, Zorzal. They never saw combat, and they're likely irritated with the lack of action and think getting back at the men from another world is some way to gain glory."

"But what about the men who killed them?"

The Irish captain pointed at the woods, saying "There were some tracks over by the brush, but they were a bit tough to identify and very far apart."

The Rose Knight muttered "Which could be attributed to a Warrior Bunny, but... what do you people say? It's a can of worms?"

The Irish man laughed.

Major Horn glanced back at the bodies.

The knight turned serious, saying "Look... they wanted to harm us and anyone who disagreed with them. That's why these weapons are here despite the Empire choosing to adapt at its own pace."

"It would have been good to confirm exactly that... what if there's more?"

"They'll die the same way." Panache said grimly.

Both UN officers looked at her.

Major Horn only said, "It's better to keep the peace, miss Kalgi."

The woman shrugged.

"This world still isn't the same as yours... and even then, there are still places in your world that aren't all that di-similar to how things were before the Gate opened, no?"

The UN officer only said "Progress still takes time."

"Progress doesn't apply to everyone... nor does it mean the same... some of us still prefer the sword, some of us prefer your firearms, what few we can get... life goes on either way." She finished with a sigh.

The UN officer said "Regardless... we can't just do nothing... Captain, I want as much information on your men as possible. I'll gather the information on my men as well... we need to figure out where these weapons come from."

"Aye."

Alnus

6:34 PM

Rhodes sat in his office, phone to his ear, writing things down.

"Thanks, James... take care now."

Hanging up, he immediately picked up the phone again and dialed a different number.

It rang a few times, and then-

"11th MP, how may I help you?"

"Yes, I would like to speak to Major Jackson, please. Tell him it's Rhodes."

"One moment, please."

Rhodes paused for a few seconds, staring at the photo of Noriko on his desk, his foot silently tapping on the floor.

An older, deeper voice came on the line then.

"Thomas, you old dog!"

"Hey, George, how's everything?"

"Pretty alright here. Quiet for the most part. Criminal Investigations can be boring, but... I won't bore you with the details, how can I help you?"

"Well, it... it's regarding one of my Rangers, fellow by the name James Hastings, he was recently transferred to a cushier job and was enjoying some time with his wife..."

"Hastings... wait, the guy who married the cat?"

Rhodes held in a sigh.

"Yes, him... now, I called him after hearing about last night's incident..."

"The shooting, right? Wounded cop?"

"That's the one."

"Yeah, I read about it on the papers here... guys come here with an animal girl they may have a tough time."

"Yeah, see, I'd heard a few cases like that, but... this is a first, isn't it?"

"This? Oh, yes. Other than this negro kid who brought home a... what's the technical term? Medusa?"

"Gorgons."

"Hmm... well, he got hassled at a restaurant in Dallas, got into an altercation, uh... JAG had a tough time, but he didn't get in any trouble. Can imagine the girl poor girl was spooked, though."

"Yeah... now, to my understanding the local PD is handling this shooting?"

"Yeah. Officer was wounded, our guy wasn't hit, the wife wasn't hit... out of our hands."

"But I take it we both agree this is happening almost exclusively to Army guys?"

"Well, yeah, but the second civilians start marrying it's going to happen to them, too. Unlike the Marines, our guys try to do good by the girls they knock up, so..."

Rhodes forced a laugh and said "Yeah, but... I was wondering if, maybe, you could give the local PD some assistance?"

"Uh... that's... really not our call."

"George, come on, one of our guys-"

"I know, I know... that's not exactly how this works, though..."

"What if the criminal was also one of ours?"

"They'd have to be active duty. I'm aware a Tommy gun was used, but we both know you don't have to be in the Army to own one."

Rhodes knew he was grasping at straws but pressed a little more.

"George... we both know these attacks are only going to escalate unless we-"

"Look... Rhodes... we have been looking into some of these issues, and... yeah, there're some suspects here and there, repeat offenders... not enough to warrant legal action as of yet, but-"

"Can you send me the files you have?"

"Excuse me?"

"As a favor..."

"Well... I suppose I can mail you some copies. This isn't exactly a case as it's more a list of incidents..."

"I know, but I want to compare notes with some of my connections..."

"You have time for that?"

"Alnus has been pretty quiet this past year. My guys are mostly playing translators and playing babysitters to the occasional science team that heads out deeper into the uncharted areas."

George said "Well... alright, I can have those papers by your desk. I'll, uh... I'll call up the local PD, too. Tell them we want to help. If you find a suspect, I'll be sure to let them know."

"Much appreciated..."

"Right, well... I'll hop to it."

"Thank you, George..." Rhodes said and hung up.

He glanced past the photo of Noriko, his mind going back to a previous conflict, one not fought in jungles or forests, but in cold mountains.

It wasn't World War 2. It wouldn't have the impact of that war. A stalemate was its legacy, and people rarely talked about it except his fellow veterans who had been there near the end. North Korea remained communist, South Korea remained capitalist, NATO and the Warsaw pact kept eyeing each other with suspicion.

It had left many with a feeling of inadequacy, that they hadn't done enough.

With a sigh, he picked up the phone, his mind going to those under his command.

One ring, two...

"Hello?" a tired, groggy voice answered.

"Hey, Alvin! Good to hear from you! You're still working with the Times, right?"

"Uh... who is this?"

"Thomas Rhodes, United States Army... you sent me a letter asking for an interview?"

"Uh... yes? Five months ago, that-"

"Excellent, I hear you've written about..." reading off a paper, "Civil Rights, yes?"

"Uh... yes, sir... I'm looking into more recent cases for the anniversary of the Selma Massacre..."

"Good. You heard about what happened in Texas last night? Cause I think we can mutually help each other here..."

Georgia, USA

February 10th, 1966

Fort Benning

5:15 AM

She struggled to breathe as Zorzal continued to put pressure on her neck, and she knew damn well that she would be dead soon. Her heart pounded as Zorzal angrily yelled at her. Her tears continued to fall, not wanting to die just yet, but fully understanding that it was the fate she deserved.

She felt her neck begin to snap as the man who'd destroyed her people, and torn so much away from her yelled "Don't you love me?!"

The voice was all too clear in her mind.

Tyuule's eyes shot open and she let out a panicked cry before covering her mouth, sitting up and looking around the darkened room, taking slow heavy breaths as tears poured from her eyes and down her face. She slowly removed her hand from her mouth to breathe, hugging herself in the darkness, crying softly as a dog began to bark outside before stopping after a moment.

She simply sat there, shaking for a while.

Alone.

The clocked ticked on, almost silently, but she could hear it. Despite not being able to see it in the darkness of the night, she could tell it wasn't going to be long before sunrise, the birds outside already starting their hymns for the new day. She laid back into the bed with a tired breath, her eyes focused on the ceiling above her but her mind shakily going back to her worries and fears as the seconds ticked by.

Then, forcing that aside, she decided to focus on her job, her mind darting back to questions people, her people had sent her. With renewed purpose, she forced herself to get up, quickly adjusting her nightgown before going over to the relatively small desk in the room, flipping on the light as she began going over the letters again, glancing briefly at the one signed "Dennis Orville" before going to the other, crudely written ones.

Some had been typed out as she knew many of her people couldn't write, let alone read, but as her mother had once read to her and her brother, her people could tell the Americans what to write to her.

She looked at the first question.

What do the Americans expect of people like us?

Tyuule knew it was from a Warrior Bunny, not just because the letter had been in an envelope labeled "warrior bunnies", but because it was a simple question that was to the point, unlike some of the other questions she received which asked for greater detail and specifics. Her people weren't used to the kind of nation the Americans had built, where laws reigned supreme like in the Empire but people had far more liberty than even when the tribes hadn't been unified, and now it was her duty to ensure her people adapted better, whether they joined the American military or not.

So, grabbing a pen and paper, she began to write in the neat and cursive alphabet her mother had taught her a lifetime ago.

The Americans are usually straightforward people, not unlike us. They generally like to be left alone for some things but are quite open about others. If an American is interested in a relationship...

She paused, crumpling the paper and tossing it to the small bin under the desk, quickly grabbing another paper and starting over.

Americans... not unlike us... open... in the military, the Americans expect loyalty and obedience, not unlike us in the past. If you're interested in crossing the Gate and moving to the United States, they are, generally, accepting people so long as one does not try to...

Crumpled, tossed, and started over.

She huffed this time, knowing full well of the issues in the nation and abroad. The importance of ensuring her people didn't think the United States or any other nation within this other world was some iteration of Valhalla was vital as she didn't need her people unknowingly stirring trouble by doing things like trying to hunt people's pets or getting into trouble by thinking adultery wasn't frowned upon. Add to the fact that the United States had a cultural standard for what women should and shouldn't do, and something her people considered normal could potentially make life a touch harder for them.

But she knew the nation was also, in perhaps contradictory form, a lot more tolerant than the Empire or even her people. She had seen all kinds of individuals live within the nation, and she knew coexistence worked here due to their laws allowing people to both preserve their culture and adhere to the dominant one.

An interesting philosophy of "don't bother me, I don't bother you".

Americans... not unlike us... open... expect loyalty... they are a diverse people of many opinions and thoughts. What to some may seem acceptable may seem unacceptable to another, but they usually live and let live...

Thus, she wrote along those lines, answering questions as best she could until the sun peeked through the horizon. Once the day was officially started, she grabbed the papers she had written and walked downstairs, placing them in an envelope as she walked past pictures of her and the young man. She briefly glanced at them, internally bemoaning the fact the photos were somewhat awkward as they'd taken their pictures themselves, lifting the camera up and just hoping the pictures came out alright, and while some did, others...

The one in the hall had Dennis's face slightly cropped out, and another one had her ears poking out of frame. At least the ones taken of the actual sites they visited in Atlanta were good on their own, and at that, she could at least smile at the memories.

The home was silent even as the day began, but so was the neighborhood as she began her shower, enjoying the cool water for a while before stepping out and getting dressed in the comfortable clothes the American women she knew liked to wear at this time of year.

Once dressed, she grabbed her letters and stepped outside, walking to the mailbox.

"Good morning, Tyuule!" an older blonde woman approached, smiling politely at the bunny girl.

She wore the typical clothes, but her hair was in the, quite frankly, odd hairstyle they named "beehives". Tyuule didn't pretend to understand why. She still kept her hair straight and long, as did many women she knew, but it was due to her ears not making the more fashionable hairstyles practical.

Just one difference between her and the other American women.

"Starla, good morning!" Tyuule replied curtly, returning the smile.

The woman allegedly named Starla said "Letters for back home?"

My old home is gone...

Instead, she said, "Yes, I had a few more questions to answer this month..."

"Hm-hm... That pays well?"

Ugh... I thought Americans weren't supposed to ask each other about their wages...

Closing the mailbox and pushing the little red flag upright to alert the mailman she had outgoing letters, Tyuule said "It's not much, but I don't mind."

Starla made a face that Tyuule couldn't quite understand why it bothered her. It was a half-smile, almost like she was saying something was wrong but not saying it was wrong because it would be impolite to say it was wrong, but still acknowledging that something was wrong... somehow.

"Has, uh... your husband written back?"

Oh... is that what this is about?

Tyuule let her smile widened, pretending not to have noticed the woman's implication and focusing on the good news she had, saying "Oh, yes, his deployment is getting shortened! He's coming back this month!"

"Oh, that's wonderful! Kennedy working wonders, huh?" the woman added with the slightest hint of condescension.

Tyuule nodded.

"Well... It's great to see you kids trying to care for each other."

Trying?

Instead, Tyuule changed the topic, saying "Starla, I don't suppose you have any recipes you could recommend as a 'welcome home' sort of... surprise?"

Starla said, "Oh, I could lend you a book I have... you can read English, right?"

"Yes."

"Ooh, great, then I'll get you the book later today! If you have an idea when he'll show up, I can even come over and help you out, what do you think?"

"I would very much appreciate it!" she said quickly.

"Great, then we'll do just that. See you then!"

With that, the blonde woman kept on her morning walk.

Tyuule's smile disintegrated once she was out of sight, the white-haired girl turning back with a huff, muttering "Living here also means more annoying people are around... I should add that." before taking the letter back out of the mailbox and rushing back inside.

Her mind briefly went back to the young man in the framed picture, his arm around her, the city of Atlanta behind them, both with a small smile that could just be detected in the black and white photo. Concern lining her eyes as the thoughts she had been distracting herself from came back with a vengeance.

Feeling suddenly dizzy, she nervously supported herself on the doorframe before taking in a breath and pushing on.

Dennis...

Alnus

8:30 PM

Despite it still being winter, the forest was thick with brush and bushes, making it near impossible to see too far into it. The UH-1s above were circling as Alex's radio continued to crackle warnings and acknowledgments.

It was almost immediate after the crack of a rifle when Dennis heard Tom shouting "Contact, front!"

That was punctuated immediately by the roar of the M134 from a Huey obliterating a part of the forest that silenced even his M16 and Tom's M60 as the Americans fired onto the bushes in barely controlled full auto. Another rifle cracked, opposite of them, a stray round slamming into an American, knocking him down, another bullet zipping over them and pinging off the hovering helicopter.

A round zipped past Dennis and he began lowering himself onto the ground when a swift kick to the back knocked him on his face, the rabbit having used him as a springboard to hop over the trees and into the thick brush ahead of them. He didn't see the silhouette of the girl but he heard her gunfire as she almost flew into the brush ahead of them.

Someone yelled "Hold your fire! Hold your fire, God damn it!"

Dennis glanced around, seeing the warrior's "handler" rushing ahead, the newer CAR-15 carbine in hand, yelling, enemy rounds forcing him to duck down.

"Damn it! Patricia, stay in formation!" the lieutenant yelled.

Dennis held his fire as he composed himself, yelling "Does anyone see her?!"

The shooting in front of him died down suddenly, no more bullets flying at them, they held their fire.

There was an eerie silence for a moment as gunfire continued in the distance, the American helicopters mopping things up, it seemed.

"Patricia?!" The lieutenant called.

"I got 'em! Coming out!" the girl yelled back before she popped out from under a bush, dragging a pair of bodies behind her, occasional rifle cracks in the distance as she easily crawled out of the brush due to her physique, the M3 submachine gun now hanging on her side.

Dennis froze as he saw the dead bodies the bunny girl dragged after her.

One of the teenagers was still clutching a dagger as the girl dropped him in the grass, the other had an M2 Carbine dragging behind him.

Tom groaned, shaking his head as he looked at the lifeless bodies of the kids, now the rifle fire in the distance dying out as well. The rabbit frowned as she wiped her bloodied hands, saying "What? They're enemies. They're attacking people around Alnus. Don't give them sympathy."

No one replied.

The lieutenant grabbed the girl's ears, not unlike some held dead rabbits, saying "What did I tell you about rushing off like that?!"

"But I- Hey-hey-hey-hey!" she tried as she was half-dragged away like an unruly child, likely for a stern dressing down despite it appearing like she was just going to get chastised.

Dennis's eyes didn't leave the corpses as he heard someone yell at the lieutenant for "not controlling his pet". The dead insurgents were younger than him, and their bloodied faces became seared into his mind like those he had seen at Alnus, Itálica, the Imperial Capital... dead eyes staring back at him, holes in their chests.

His heart rate increased as his inner turmoil threatened his façade of cold control once again.

Dennis felt his eyes shoot open as he came back to the present, pushing the month-old memory away, eyeing the recipe he was to pick up, the pharmacy lights basking the shop in a glow in the night that made it stand out more than other stores in the ever-growing town of Alnus. He blinked, confused.

Damn it... not again...

He rubbed his eyes, facing the nearby wall as he shakily reigned in his inner turmoil. Fear was something that wasn't easy to shake off, shockingly harder after a fight. Even a year later, he still had brief moments of unwanted memories flashing in his mind and shaking him to his core, seemingly at random. He wasn't sure what triggered it that night, but he reminded himself he was safe in the base.

Or... safe enough...

The man in front of him was now arguing in an odd mix of English and the local Latin-like tongue that Dennis recognized, but the older than she appeared cashier looked more confused as the man was speaking way too fast.

"Sir, please calm down..." the elf girl at the register tried, but the man kept talking over her.

Dennis got closer, shaking away his thoughts as he took the role of a Ranger, interpreter, and soldier once more, asking "Is there a problem here?"

The girl glanced at him as did the man.

Noticing the unformed American, he tried in English, smiling awkwardly as he said "I need... the... the... antibiotics... for my wife. But I have no money."

Dennis felt his eyes narrow involuntarily. The man looked worn, his shoes were dusty as if he'd walked a long, long distance. Could be homeless, could be lying to get the medicine to sell it elsewhere... could be telling the truth.

The girl at the counter, her nametag read "Tuka" only said "Sir, I apologize, but I can't give you antibiotics for free without a doctor's order. I-I do have a guide on how to make penicillin that I can-"

"I don't need a guide! I need the biotics now!" the man said loudly, slamming his fist on the counter, knocking over a display of postcards, causing the girl to yelp.

Dennis immediately grabbed the man's hand saying "Easy there, pal, if you go to jail you won't be able to take anything to your wife... do you have a doctor's order?"

The man said "No! If I did, I wouldn't be here begging! Please, she's been sick for days now, and if I don't get the medicine soon..."

Dennis asked "Where do you live? We can get you some help if you-"

"I can't tell you that!"

Taking note of the man's attire once more, Dennis asked "Do you live in the territory of Itálica?"

The man only said, shaking, "I'm from the Elbe Kingdom... please, I need the medicine for my wife. We barely have any access to your medicine there."

Tuka's face appeared saddened at the words, but she didn't say anything.

Dennis shook his head, saying "Sir, I-"

The bell by the entrance rang as the door was pushed open suddenly.

"There!"

They turned to see a local pushing the pharmacy's glass doors open, Meia, dragging the owner of the Japanese restaurant by the arm.

Meia said, "That's him, chef."

Chef Haru sighed, reached into his pocket, and walked to the man, asking Tuka "Evening, miss. What does this man need?"

"A-antibiotics..." she said.

The chef took some cash from his wallet and placed it on the counter, asking "Does this cover it?"

"Uh... y-yes?" then, to the man, "How much do you need?"

"I... As... as much as I can get! She's got a bad cut on her arm..." he shakily whispered.

Tuka nodded and handed him some antibiotics and bandages, saying "I'm not an expert, but try to clean the wound with water before applying the medicine and these bandages... keeping it clean is important."

"T-thank you... thank you, sir..."

"You can thank Meia here, she overheard the situation and brought me here immediately."

The catgirl smiled.

The man only looked at her and nodded before running off with the antibiotics.

"Huh?" the Catgirl looked on confused at the clear lack of gratitude.

Chef Haru shrugged and whispered, "He's probably in a hurry if it's this bad of an emergency."

"Oh..."

Dennis sighed, happy to let the situation go, placing the recipe he was there to pick up on the counter and saying "Here to pick this up, miss."

Tuka nodded, taking the paper and walking to the back of the pharmacy.

Chef Haru raised an eyebrow, whispering "Orville, right?"

Dennis nodded, his tired features giving the chef a good idea of the 19-year-old's experiences thus far, but he had to ask anyway.

"So, how is she?"

Dennis only said "Doing good. She writes. She writes a good deal..."

At the almost impossible to detect grin on the young man's face, Haru said "You have her somewhere safe, right? I know you're from the south, so-"

"Fort Benning is safe. Plenty of people from all places there... what happened in Selma shouldn't happen there." He added the last part with a look of uncertainty.

"Selma... yeah, I would like to hope so. Were you going to arrest that man?"

"If he got rowdy. I know the MPs pretty well by now, and with the recent uptick in crime... yeah, you can't be too careful."

"Even if it killed his wife?"

"I don't know if he has a wife or if he's just trying to get his hands on this to sell it and then get some reefers or opium or whatever. Rowdiness doesn't help you."

Perceiving tension, the catgirl took a step back, going out the door, a look of worry on her face.

Haru huffed, saying "The MPs... Didn't they nearly kill a kid for stealing? The kid wasn't rowdy but they sure were."

"A gun... he tried to still one of the newer carbines. His dad's just angry the kid got a broken arm when they grabbed him."

"You believe them?"

"Given what I've seen this last year, yeah."

Glancing behind him and lowering his voice to a whisper, Haru asked "Then... there's indeed been illegal weapons sold in and out of US territory here?"

Dennis only said "Yeah... Had to respond to an ambush en route to Itálica and the weapons these thieves used were all supposed to have gone back across the Gate. I know the guy that sold out got arrested, but..." now he lowered his voice to a whisper, "...a lot of us are worried the Russians are smuggling things in now."

That surprised the Japanese chef.

"How is that possible?"

Dennis said "They probably bribed the right people. Since the UN and our European allies have more access now, this was bound to happen."

Tuka came back with a small bag, smiling warmly as she said "Here you are, sir."

"Thanks, keep the change..." Dennis replied as he paid, taking the bag and heading out, Chef Haru walking in step after him.

The catgirl Meia was waiting outside, raising an expectant eyebrow. Haru passed his right hand over her head and ears, the catgirl enjoying the gesture.

He asked, "How bad is it?"

Dennis said "Not that bad. Corrupt or not, the UN is keeping a decent lid on things outside US territory, and these attacks are rare. Certainly not Birmingham. I'd say it's just a sign that things are normalizing as both worlds interact."

Haru nodded, a sad look in the man's eyes.

Glancing at his watch, Dennis said "I have to go, good talking to you, chef."

"Same. Say hi to the missus, will you?"

Dennis only waved back.

He walked around the town of Alnus, the scene at night wasn't too different from day. Shops were open, soldiers from one world interacted with the locals in bars or restaurants as best they could, now easier as English was becoming more and more common.

Yeah... things are normalizing.

Which reminded him of his current mission.

Taking a left turn at a bar and walking over to an apartment complex, he saw a familiar figure that wasn't in uniform.

"Sean!" Dennis called.

Sean waved back, dropping the cigarette and stomping it out as he walked over, his undershirt soaked through with what Dennis assumed was sweat.

"Hey, man, thanks."

"How is she?" Orville asked.

Sean sighed, saying "Uh... grumpy... hope these calm her down a bit."

Dennis shrugged, saying "If it works on pregnant women, then you should be fine, right?"

"Yeah, but... Misery isn't a normal woman, now is she? Can't expect her to just deal with this alone."

Dennis nodded, saying "You're serious about staying here, then?"

"Course... it's going to be my kid, man."

"Why not marry her, then? Make an honest woman out of her."

He chortled, saying "I don't have the privilege of not having parents waiting back home, Orville. Ma finds out I knocked up a winged woman... I'll just request transfer here... I know the language well enough, and... I think I have some connections... Could reenlist, if it comes down to it."

Dennis shrugged, saying "If you say so... We're shipping back soon, though."

"I have quite some leave piled up... just have to use it properly."

Again, Dennis shrugged.

Then, Sean said, "You wanna go up there? Tyuwal brought Charlotte over."

At the mention of the little girl, Dennis froze up, a look not unlike that of a deer in the headlights on his face.

"She asks about you."

Dennis said, "I-"

"Hey!"

"W-?"

The small girl ran from the open door of the apartment then, saying "I knew I heard you!"

Tail wagging, she ran up to the Rangers, saying in a southern accent, "You avoidin' me or something?!"

Dennis stared at her, looking past her, the innocent face barely changed since he had last seen her.

"Hey... kiddo..." Dennis said slowly.

The seven-year-old jabbed a finger at him, saying "You got skinnier! Are you scared I won't recognize you?"

"I... uh..."

"Come on! Why are you so nervous? Don't recognize me? And where's miss Tyuule? Didn't you marry h-? Kyah!"

Dennis tugged at her cheeks, saying "Who gave you a bigger mouth?"

The girl managed "School! I can talk more like you now!"

"Uh-huh... guess they didn't teach you basic manners, huh?"

She grinned saying "Aw, then maybe you should take me with you!"

Dennis expression saddened, saying "I..."

The memory of the attacker that day almost killing both of them shot back in his mind.

Noticing the behavior change, Charlotte said "What's wrong?"

Tyuwal walked over then, saying "Charlotte! Come on, you can't just run off like that!"

She picked up the girl, saying "Oh, hi... Dennis, right?"

Dennis rubbed his eyes, nodding.

Sean said "He got the stress relievers for Misery. Now he has to report back to base, right?"

Dennis nodded, glancing at Charlotte again, saying "You're behaving, right?"

Noting that the young man didn't appear all there, the little girl only nodded.

"The teachers are treating you okay?"

She nodded again, saying "They're really-really-really nice! They gave us candy today!"

Tyuwal added, "She's their brightest student!"

Dennis looked away, saying "Good. That's more than good."

Gaining a bit of excitement from the praise, Charlotte said "Hey, is it true I can join your Army when I'm older? Is it?"

Dennis rubbed his neck, still looking away, saying "Uh... well... if you can pass the physical test..."

"Physical... test?"

"If you pass that, then... uh... yeah..."

"Cause I want to join!"

Dennis felt his heart drop at those words.

He only said "Well... I don't plan on retiring..."

The little girl grinned from ear to ear, saying "I'll catch up, then! You'll see!"

Tyuwal frowned, saying "Come now... don't be so quick on something like that... it's a dangerous job, no?"

Dennis nodded slowly, but Charlotte said "If he can do it, then so can I!"

Tyuwal sighed, saying "Right... I'm sure you can... now come on, let's head inside. It's almost bedtime."

"Wait, I want to talk to Dennis more!"

"Listen to your mother. Remember, I have to report back to base soon."

"W-? Now?" Charlotte asked.

Dennis said, "If you want to be a Ranger you have to follow orders properly, so... yeah..."

The girl pouted, but was quick to say "Fine... but you better be there when I catch up!"

Dennis nodded slowly, noncommittally, not that the little girl could tell.

Tyuwal said, "Alright, say good night to Sean and Orville."

"Goodnight." she sighed as the harpy took her back inside.

Before getting to the door, she yelled back "Commies bad!"

Dennis returned a tired smile, and she grinned as the door closed, leaving the two Rangers out on their own in the dimly lit lot outside the apartment complex.

"Good girl. I'm glad she remembers that, and not... the attack." he breathed.

After a moment, Sean said "She's a good kid... she might catch up to you if she joins. Demi-humans are pretty tough."

Dennis said, "Yeah... maybe... but..."

He didn't say anything after that.

Sean asked, "But what?"

"I... I don't know if I can take care of kids, either. Not right now, at least."

"Flashbacks?"

"Damn it, you could tell?"

"Yeah... I get them, too. The forests around that infested city... the dead... you?"

Dennis pursed his lips, finally saying "Itálica... mostly Itálica... you holding up alright?"

Sean shrugged.

"I suppose. I just try not to think about it."

Dennis only nodded, again, rubbing his eyes.

Sean took a deep breath, glancing at the dark sky above.

He finally said "Take care, Orville." turning and walking back inside.

"Yeah... see you around, Sean."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Walking through the still-growing town of Alnus wasn't what it used to be.

The roads were now paved, there were electric streetlights on every corner,

Dennis Orville quietly marched back to the base, an exhausted and melancholic look in his eyes as he did so. It was odd, knowing they had definitely accomplished something, and yet the weight of it all still felt heavy. How many parents had he killed? Self-defense or not, war or not, he'd done it.

Doing a bit of good justified all that?

His mind went back to the feeling of a certain white-haired girl's arms around him, her soft breaths as she slept, how she would cling to him some nights, the worried glances she gave him whenever he left.

I'll wait... you come back...

He didn't regret it, not one bit, but... He paused near a building's corner, sliding to his side and resting his back against it, eyes darting upwards to the starry night sky above. The endless expanse was an eternal reminder of his insignificance and overall motivation to continue doing whatever he could. Who cared how big the universe was? He had his little corner of it to focus on.

As he considered this, he heard footsteps approaching, though they didn't register as he was lost in his thoughts.

"Hey."

Dennis stopped reminiscing and glanced at the opening door of a small bar. The Warrior Bunny stepped outside, a bottle in her hand that glistened in the lights of the town.

"Orville, right?" she said.

Noting the blonde hair, he said "Private Patricia, right?"

She smiled weakly, saying "Ah, so... I guess you remember me from that... incident?"

Dennis nodded slowly.

She sighed, saying "Can't do anything about that now, can we?"

Dennis instead said, "I heard your unit got sent into Imperial Territory."

"Wow, rumors start up quick here, huh?"

"Makes sense... most of us already know the Russians are smuggling weapons in here. Eager guys on our side aren't helping matters either."

Patricia said, "Well, obviously I can't give you details, but..."

Dennis raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"So... we know you and... that woman..."

"...yeah?"

"Well... she... her writings... help..."

"I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that."

"That's not it. Don't think for a second that I or... really... any of us here have forgiven her, Army or not. But you married her, and we'll respect that a fellow warrior has taken her, and... she's given up her right to rule, so... even better... her helping us adapt with her column is the least she can do."

Damn backward thinking lot... all of you...

Dennis kept the thought to himself.

Patricia said "So, I feel that I have to warn you... Delilah hasn't given up."

"What?"

She looked around and quickly stepped closer, whispering "Look... I may or may not have had to work with her recently... she... may or... may not... have had this... look."

Dennis nodded, a worried expression on his face.

She said "Look... most of us have... moved on, but... not her. Honestly, she scares me sometimes."

They fell silent then. The sound of the town's busy street filling the air around them as the information and possible risks sunk in.

Dennis finally said "I'm heading home soon... I..."

Patricia said, "You just do what you will... we fought together, I just thought I should let you know."

"Yeah... Thanks."

Another thing to worry about...

"You could confront her?"

"Do you know where she is?"

Patricia's ears twitched, and she said "Fair point... your secret services don't play around."

Dennis patted the girl's shoulder, saying "Thanks for the heads up... see you around."

"Ah, hey! Feel like joining us in there? Drinks on the house today."

"Thanks, but I have to get back. Good night!"

Then he walked off.

Patricia sighed, turning around and going back into the bar. It was a quaint place, mostly wooden furnishings, candlelit, but the furniture had a more modern look, with red cushions and darkened windows.

Patricia sat at her table and looked at her comrades.

"You went and told him?" one with black hair, a scar across her right eye, said.

"Yeah. Even if it was only in a couple of missions, we did work together... he's not an enemy of ours even if he married that snake."

"Still..." another one mumbled, her ears bent out of place, "Should we really just let this go? Even with the column, a lot of survivors would probably cheer at her execution."

Patricia sighed, saying "If the Empire can get along with the enemy that killed a third of their army, then maybe we should move on... but I'm not going to ever forget what that woman did to us... but right now, if she's murdered by one of us, I don't see anything good coming from it."

The girls nodded slowly, then went back to drinking.

…

Dennis briefly glanced behind him, the lights of Alnus visible from the hill, the cemetery not too far from it. He ignored it and kept walking. As Dennis got to the barracks, he glanced at some of the guys by a table opening boxes, an excited grin on their faces as they talked about the care packages they'd received.

His eyes lingered briefly on a guy whose name he hadn't memorized showing a card from home with a photo attached, the other soldiers getting devious grins which caused the guy to quickly hide the letter away and yell some choice words at them.

Dennis walked on.

Soon... not yet... not yet...

A short while later, Dennis was in his now much more settled in his bunk bed, grabbing his cap and placing it over his eyes. The door to the room was pushed open then and in walked Tom with a few letters on hand.

Tom said "Mail call."

Dennis felt the letter bounce from his shoulder onto the floor before he could pick it up.

He was quick to grab it and open it up.

A weak smile manifested on his face.

Before he could open the letter, Tom loudly said "Oh-ho-ho! My old girl sent me a letter!"

Alex groaned, saying "What? Did she send you another dirty picture?"

Tom said "Jealous?"

Alex opened his mouth, but Tom said "Too bad, I ain't sharing!"

Alex turned to Orville and asked "Anything good?"

Dennis said "Just a letter from home..."

"Don't you get tired of reading her stuff? She writes for that magazine and she writes to you and... honestly, does your wife even cook?" Tom chortled.

"I can cook."

"Oh, well, good to know who wears the pants in... your..."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Alex glanced down from his bunk.

"Tom?"

Tom grabbed something and stormed out of the room.

Alex glanced at Dennis, the 19-year-old sitting up muttering "Don't know, but having an angry Scott running around isn't bound to give pleasant results. Let's go..."

They found him by the burn pit, glaring at the flaming waste, his arm still clutching the paper.

"Tom, what's up?"

Tom only replied by handing Orville the letter. Dennis read it over, Alex peering over his shoulder.

Both Rangers winced.

"Man... sorry."

"Three years... we were high school sweethearts... I thought... I thought I knew her, man..."

Alex said "That's... it's not your fault, man."

"Of course it ain't my fault! It's that bitch's fault! And whoever she's in bed with! If she's with some... Hey, Orville, how much jail time will a white woman get for sleeping with a negro?"

Dennis said "Tom... that's-"

"What?! It's what?!"

"It... it depends on the judge, I think. And given what Kennedy is pushing, even if she did sleep with-"

Tom huffed, muttering "Yeah, yeah... Figures... maybe I should just shoot her if she sets foot back home... yeah, that's what I'll do."

No one bothered to say anything as Tom continued to glare at the fire.

Imperial Capital

February 11th, 1966

7:33 AM

The Imperial Palace had changed little since the defeat. It was still clean, it was still well-guarded, and protected by guards with spears and swords.

"Good morning, highness!" Hamilton said as Pina walked down the steps with a tired expression, her hair still drying from her morning bath.

"Hamilton... morning... why are you... glowing... this morning?" Pina asked, an exhausted look on the redhead's still youthful face.

Hamilton hummed childishly, saying "Lieutenant Andrew Goldwater..."

"Ah... the American soldier..."

"Elite American soldier!" Hamilton hummed again as if waiting for her superior to guess what was happening.

Pina sighed, saying "Let me guess, he convinced your father to give you permission to marry him..."

Hamilton giggled as she lifted her hand to reveal an expensive-looking ring.

Pina smiled softly, saying "Well, congratulations, friend."

Now seeing that her leader was clearly feeling down, Hamilton toned back the bright smile and asked "Are you sure you're feeling alright this morning, highness?"

"I'm fine, I just... worry about today's meeting..."

"Ah... well, the good news is that Casel and Dussie are already here, so it could be taken care of right after breakfast."

Pina said, "No, I... I should handle it now."

"Your highness-!"

"Come, Hamilton... I can handle this much, can I not?"

Hamilton didn't object, following her leader down the steps to the main hall where the two older senators sat, tired expressions on their faces as the large amount of work they'd had to do in the year after the defeat.

Casel and Dussie were standing in the main hall, worry lining their faces.

"Senators, how are you this morning?" Pina asked as she descended the stairs.

Dussie said, "Princess, we're fine and we hope you are as well... unfortunately the news we bring is... concerning."

"Right... I take it you sent Thierry to inform Diabo?"

"Indeed. Here are the reports from the facilities the foreign companies have built on Imperial Soil."

Pina took the parchment and looked it over.

She frowned, saying "Could they just be accidental?"

It was Casel who said, "Even if they are accidental, these are still plenty of accidents happening to those we claim are our citizens."

Pina allowed a tired sigh.

It all sounded so easy. Let the American "Private companies" come in and help modernize the Empire she and her brother managed with a closer relation to the Senate. They would get their profit and the Empire would get the benefits. Add to that the presence of the United Nations assisting her Armies in policing the borders and once-lawless lands, and the Empire was on a steady recovery.

And yet, people still suffered.

"Fair enough. Hamilton, ready my horse... we have to go inspect these facilities."

"Yes, majesty."

8:54 AM

"The sad truth, majesty, is that your workforce is still learning so incidents like these are inevitable."

"But surely you can make this environment safer." Pina tried, looking over the factory where her people, under the instruction of the men from America, helped refined materials mined in a far faster and efficient way than her predecessors could have ever imagined.

The man in charge sighed, saying "Sadly, this is all we can really spare. As long as they're careful where they put their hands, they'll be fine."

"But... a hundred men, mutilated."

The man's lips pursed, he turned back to his desk and placed a glass cube on it.

"Majesty, the modern age both allows for incredible benefits, but to get there you need effort. Men to dig the materials, men to run the machines to refine them, men to transport those materials to other facilities where they can be properly used to create what we need to maintain what we call modern society."

Pina crossed her arms, saying "I understand, but I cannot allow my citizens to lose an arm or leg in an accident and then simply be thrown on the streets!"

"We give them compensation."

"It's clearly not enough."

The man nodded slowly, and said "Well..."

"I do know your president personally... perhaps this offer for your company isn't proper incentive?"

The man returned a painfully false smile, and said "Not at all, majesty... tell you what. You round up the injured and I can get them enough money to keep them and their families going. Out of my own pocket, even. I'll also send a letter to my superiors explaining we need a few more funds to pay for those who've been crippled working for us."

"Make it a contractual thing as well. We got rid of slaves, your people promised you'd help us establish enough of a modern infrastructure so the loss of slavery wouldn't collapse our empire."

"Have the benefits of electricity not manifested yet?"

Pina only said "Not enough... and now I hear talks about coal mining being dangerous."

"Communist propaganda." the man said.

"Communist... ugh..."

Another headache...

Pina pushed the thoughts aside and said "The point is you... we shouldn't betray the goodwill of my people. Have the compensation ready, I'll get the injured men here... you swear it will be enough for them to sustain their families going forward?"

"I swear."

Pina studied the man, and deciding he hadn't lied about that, said "Good."

Hamilton followed Pina out.

Pina got on her horse in silence, riding away from the factory, smoke behind her going up into the sky, no longer signifying an enemy attack but, in a way, a symbol of the progress of her nation.

Appropriate...

"So... Hamilton?"

"Yes, Highness?"

"Do you plan on leaving soon?"

"No, actually. I'm thinking of having him move here!"

"Really?"

"Yes, ma'am... seeing the stress you're under I think you're going to need all the help you can get. Gray is getting old, and Bozes went down her own path, so... I suppose I can provide some assistance with whatever information my husband can get!"

Pina smiled softly.

"Thank you, Hamilton... it means a lot."

"I swore an oath, did I not?" Hamilton said, smiling.

Pina didn't reply, glancing at the always-blue sky above, wondering if she had done the right thing in the end.

Washington, D.C

The American President sighed as he looked into the information.

"This is too much." he groaned, placing a hand on his chin, frustration lining the man's features.

His Vice President only said, "We expected this..."

"Even then, it's too far... this... damned new... you know, as big a pain as he was, at least Nikita was willing to cooperate. This... this new guy... he's aggressive."

"Indeed."

The president said "Sooner or later we're going to have to... do something. This mess in Asia is... it's getting out of hand. Fast." Turning to the secretary of defense, he asked "I hear the situation in Thailand is stabilizing, right, Rob?"

The man nodded, saying "Yes, mister president. Thailand's communist guerillas didn't have the local support the ones of Vietnam had. After giving some more support, their forces have been pushed back and have been relatively silent. With China now shifting to support the Khmer Rouge..."

The president let out a dry laugh, the maddening world of politics changing so drastically as once communist allies suddenly turned on each other.

"...it seems we're going to see a major conflict between the communist nations in Asia." the man concluded.

The president said, "And Ivan is going to come out on top..."

He glanced at the paper again.

The Soviet Union was handing out weapons and supplies to communist forces in Asia and Africa like cheap candy, seemingly trying to compete with China for who could influence their fellow ideologues more.

But now a line had been crossed.

"These Russian weapons that came through... it had to have been through the UN, right?" he asked.

The Vice President said "We suspect as much and some of the officers there agree. We got some reports detailing who's who and we have people looking into it, but... even with we find out exactly who it was..."

The president said "It won't necessarily stop them. They could just find someone else, or maybe bribe one of our guys."

Hell, if last year's incident was any indication, some of our guys don't even need to be bribed by the Russians...

He sighed.

Problems were never-ending.

One passed a civil rights bill solving one issue and ten more appeared. A state found a loophole here, another there, so more laws were necessary and it wasn't even clear if that would effectively work. His colleagues in the Republican party weren't exactly wrong in pointing out that too much legislation could eventually cause other problems down the line. And even if it didn't, it seemed like there wasn't a way to solve everything. More groups were also popping up with their objections to American institutions in different ways, a certain organization in California already making headlines, given the newspaper on the side of the desk.

I'm sure Reagan can act his way out of it, though...

Smiling internally at the thought, the president said "Look, we need to avoid direct conflict... but we can't just sit around doing nothing and let them eat each other. Enemies or not, they're going to drag a good chunk of the world with them if they self-destruct while controlling most of Europe, Asia, and lots of Africa... how are we on those Demi-Human units?"

The Secretary of Defense grinned like a kid on Christmas.