Chapter 13

February 15th, 2043Huisede Islands, USS America

Off the coast of the Huisede Islands, the top deck of the USS America was abuzz with activity as alarms were going off. Her Marine Expeditionary Unit was being deployed.

The islands, they had learned from MARSOC teams, were filled with unnatural hostile wildlife. Some had reported encountering inhabitants who were forced here by the Rukans, while others had exfilled from their assigned islands for redeployment to where the action would be taking place after finding no signs of intelligent life.

Due to the islands being heavy on foliage, no ground vehicles would be available as the terrain would make navigation for them next to impossible. On the deck, MV-38 Condors and an MV-60 Pelican were loading up on marines, MQ-27s, AGRs, and CLAW Mk IIIs. Several marines in M-60 armor were boarding the large VTOL aircraft carrying M134s and a piece of equipment they made themselves.

The Beastslayer.

The Beastslayer was a handheld M2HB machine gun marines had modified with a massive pistol grip, foregrip and stock to allow them to carry the weapon around as if it was an assault rifle. Their power armor made up for the excessive recoil and weight of the weapon.

This weapon gave something for Axis and Communists militaries to worry about now that the infamous M2 machine gun was no longer just stationary or limited to vehicles. It was now handheld in the hands of marines. It also worried them how it was marines who had built it rather than some arms company to manufacture them. About five hundred of these terrifying pieces of equipment existed within the USMC, with more rumored being constructed by engineers within the corps.

AH-1Zs and UH-1Ys were being made ready for takeoff and to provide support with F-35Es standing by to provide CAS. Mark VI patrol boats along with RHIBs were being deployed from the sides of the ship with a Mk 39 35mm Bushmasters at the bow, two M2HBs, two M134 Miniguns, a single Mk 47 Striker, and two Hellfire missiles on rails. More assets would be deployed with additional reinforcements still available in the ship.

"Captain! All aircraft checking in as ready for take off! Should I give the order to launch?"

"Affirmative Lieutenant! Launch them all, then ready the F-35s to provide CAS! Pilot, get us airborne now!"

From inside one of the UH-1Ys, Captain Garrison gave the commands to the MEU to depart and take off. His lieutenant onboard sent out the signal over radio and authorized for the aircraft to deploy and head for the islands.

From the sides of the LHA, the Mark VI board were dropped from their cables and unleashed into the water, where they drove off from the larger ship and steamed east towards the islands.

On the flight decks, turboshafts and turbofan engines cranked to maximum power as the aircraft took flight and made for the islands carrying aboard them marines and drone assets for the about to take place.

Six Vipers, four Venoms, four Condors, and a single Pelican took flight and flew in formation. As they departed, eight F-35Es were being transported onto the flight deck via the side elevator platforms as their afterburning turbofan engines powered up and switched to VTOL mode for takeoff.

This force was only the beginning of what would be coming as the America had called for back up from MOB Bravo. Another ship was being sent with another Marine Expeditionary Unit to increase presence and assist in removing the hostile wildlife from the islands, but they would take thirty eight hours to arrive. Until then these were all that was available with the LHA's destroyer escort standing by for naval barrage and missile strike coordinates from air or ground forces.

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February 15th, 2043Huisede Islands, Dragonfolk Village

Staff Sergeant Robert Jones dipped his hands, now bare from their gloves, into a pot of water that the dragon folk of the village provided for him and Corporal Zhen.

The two marines soaked their hands and wiped off the black substance that bleed onto them killing the monsters outside up close and personal. Dipping his hands in again, Jones had removed his helmet earlier and splashed the water on his face, rubbing it in to remove the black blood before it could stain his skin.

The other marines had settled near a series of tents and huts set up around a fire with seating provided. Being in the clear, the marines had taken this moment to briefly recuperate and assess their situation with further detail. While also cleaning and adjusting their gear to ensure peak efficiency during their next encounter with those creatures.

"A towel for you humans." A feminine voice said from behind as Jones looked back and came face to face with a reptilian scaled face of a dragonfolk. Her colors were a mix of red and blue and small bits of green along her arms, legs, and wings, and with turquoise blue eyes. She wore the small gold pieces as almost every dragon in the village, yet lacked the center chest piece with the large jewel embedded. In her hands was a towel she held out for the marine to grab.

"Appreciated." Jones responded as he accepted the towel and wiped his hands and face with it to dry off the water, then handed it to Zhen who accepted and did the same action. The dragon grew a smile along her muzzle, and nodded her head at the humans.

"I was told to inform you that Queen Hypho has instructed me to accompany you during your stay." She said as she jumped up and sat on one of the tables. She was noticeably shorter than the average dragon, about five and a half foot tall if Jones had to guess and estimate.

"Babysitting us? I take it she doesn't trust us not to set the whole place up in flames."

The ness giggled. "Oh I'm sure a fire is the least of her worries right now. But...you must understand that our relations with most humans are not very . So she and many others are still rather cautious about you."

"What exactly went down for you to have a strong distaste in humans?" Zhen asked curiously as he set the towel on the table and began picking up his helmet and gloves. "Again, we're not familiar with this world's politics or tensions."

"It started with the Bleyhams. Tensions were always on edge with them went it came to us . They view any race that is non-human as inferior and should be forced beneath to serve their bidding. So by what knowledge we have, they've been enslaving us and using us as forced labor. For a while though we remained hidden and safe from their grasps within Sanctuary Island, our old home." She sighed in despair. "But then they found and came after us about a month ago and started invading the island. So we fled on rafts and abandoned the island for the Itera continent in hopes of finding refuge. However we were all unwelcome by the three human kingdoms there, and were forced here."

"Jeez, your kind must've been through quite a lot." Jones commented. "How many other races are there of beastfolk? Besides you and the minotaurs."

"Besides us there are also the serpentines, felinians, lizardfolk, avians, orcs, and elves and dwarves are treated the same as beastfolk. They're all across the other islands with many still on sanctuary island at the mercy of the Bleyhams. Not many talk about it but our queen's daughter, Princess Istear is still on that island at mercy of the Bleyhams."