Priority: Coda Evacuation
--General Nguyen office, Fort Alnus--
Sitting in front of General Nguyen is Special Agent Viktor Volkov of the Galactic Intelligent Agency (GIA). On his desk is a box and a letter delivered by an Imperial messenger, the letter is a threat against the UNE, and what is inside the box is proof of what they are capable of.
"So they are trying to threaten us using our people? Do you think they dare?" Viktor asks.
"Open the box and see for yourself, it's the only reason I haven't sent the 5th SIF into their capital and capture their Emperor" General Nguyen replies as he push the box closer to Viktor.
Viktor unlocks the box and slowly opens it, inside is a horrible sigh that would cause almost everyone to throw up. The wooden box holds 2 human eyes, 2 hands, 2 feet, nose, lips, 2 ears and a heart. Agent Viktor manage to stay calm thanks to his training and experience gained by countless operations during his 103 years in GIA.
"Are these be long to one of ours?" Viktor asks.
"Yes, these belong to a woman named Hannah Millers, 332 years old, mother of 3 kids all killed in New Ginza Incident. They came from Ferros City of Artemis Tau to spend the holiday" General Nguyen pass the information to Viktor's holographic screen and continues "We found traces of seminal fluid on her parts"
Viktor closes the box and looks at General Nguyen "That means she was raped and then killed" he says with a little anger in his voice.
General Nguyen slightly nods "I have forwarded the news to Terra Sphere to inform their family, this box will also be sent to them soon as well. Since you are here, I assume GIA has information about where our people are?".
"We do not know their exact location, but our interrogation help us narrow it down to 4 coordinates Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta" Viktor then pulls up the map of Walmart "One of the officers that we captured informed that these are where they hold POW before sending them to mines or given to nobles. If they're keeping our people hostage these are the most likely locations".
"How did you get them to cooperate?" General Nguyen curious.
"We promise we will let them live if they tell us" Viktor replies.
"But we don't kill our POWs?" General Nguyen continues asking.
"Yes, but they don't know that" Viktor smile and shrug his shoulder.
"I assume you have a plan?" General Nguyen stands up from his seat and comes closer to the map.
"The President has authorized rescue ops, 4 SIF platoons from the 2nd ISO joined by our agents will simultaneously hit the 4 compounds, covertly, to look for our people" Viktor says as the objectives appear on the map "Alpha, Bravo and Delta are 2 hours of flight for D-20B and Charlie is 5. Charlie team will depart for their target 2 hours before 3 other teams so they hit at the same time. The operation will begin per your order General".
"Look over the plan General, but don't take too long" Agent Viktor walks to the door to leave but before he goes he turns back and says "the clock is ticking".
--Novea Castle--
Aurelius and Ava stand in the main yard of the castle while the 5th SIF is getting ready for their departure.
"You're leaving already? Why so hurry?" Aurelius asks with a little disappointment.
"We would love to stay Aurelius, but duty call" Ava replies.
"I understand commander, but remember, you people are always welcomed here" Aurelius shakes Ava's hand.
"On that note, we would like to send a team here to…hmm…work with your castle's soul. Do we have your permission?" when what happened in Novea Castle was reported, General Nguyen order Ava to obtain permission for an engineering team to check the castle and the AI.
"Do I have a choice?" Aurelius gets serious then laughs before Ava could reply "Of course you can, the soul only talk to your people. There is so much I can learn from you!"
"I'm curious, don't you afraid of the dragon? You seem casual when you saw it last night" Ava curious.
"The Flame Dragon only go hunting every 50 years cycle, although its appearance last night, many years early, was strange the beast never came near Novea. So as long as we stay within this sacred ground we are safe from it" Aurelius says as he looks around the walls of his castle.
Ava thank Aurelius than then order her unit to move out.
--Unknown Forest near Novea Castle--
The ride to the forest is short and uneventful. Heavy rain last night prevented the whole forest to burn down but charred remnants of burned trees show that the fire was fierce. Smoke and the smell of burned barks still fill the air around them.
The convoy stopped at a well in the center of the ruin of a village no bigger than Coda.
"Alright everyone dismount, I want drones on the lookout and SAT8s scan for survivors. Chris, you keep your eyes on that screen and warn us if that beast returns, we don't know what it is capable of and I'm not about to find out. 2nd Squad searches for survivors, 1st Squad secures the perimeter. Gary, bring your tank to the other end of the village and make sure it's clear. Lucas, you stay with Chris" Ava gives orders.
Everyone copy and start carrying out their orders. Ava sits on the side of the well and takes a small box that carries her mother's officer star out and stares at it. Since she arrived in this world, almost everything is hostile and dangerous, which only increase her worry for her mother. Trying to shake the thought of her mother and focus on the mission, she stands up and walks to a nearby ruin of a hut.
Ava picks up an arrowhead of a broken arrow and scans it. The arrowhead is extremely well-made considering the technology level of this world. Suddenly Ashley calls for Ava on the radio.
"Commander, we got survivors, 7 kids" Ashley reports as TACNet shows the rest of the unit her location.
"On my way" Ava replies.
She approaches what looks like a makeshift bunker covered by a large rock that was moved out of the way by one of the SAT8s. Ashley and Jimmy have dematerialized the front of their helmets and are trying to help the kids out of the bunker.
"LC, report? Jimmy?" Ava asks.
"I don't know about Elven's physiology but their vital sign are stable as human standards, and they seem fine commander" Jimmy reports.
"Bring them to the APC we'll return to Coda and see if they can help these kids" Ava orders as TACNet alerts that one of the SAT8 found another survivor.
The SAT8 standing over the well that Ava was sitting at just a moment before, its head staring straight down the well. Ava can see a body floating inside the well through her holographic screen in the helmet as she's run to the SAT8, scan shows that is a female Elven and her vital signs are dangerously low.
Ava runs to the well and without hesitation jump down. The thrusters of her TAC slower the descent to avoid a hard impact on the girl below. Once at the bottom, Ava carries the girl in her arms and call for everyone to stand clear as she activates her thrusters and jumps out of the well.
"Jimmy!" Ava calls for the medic.
Jimmy run up to the girl and deploy his field medical kit. 2 small medical probes are launched from the kit and start scanning the girl then proceeds to patch up her open wounds and scratches. He then injects the girl with a nanotech immune booster shot.
"She's having hypothermia commander, her body temperature is much lower than the other Elven kids. I don't need to be an Elf expert to tell she's at risk of heart failure at this rate…or whatever is it they call it" Jimmy says as he put a medical nanotech box on the girl's chest "This should warm her up and stabilize her"
The box expands and covers the girl's body except for her face with a white, soft bag that has a red cross on her chest. Vital signs are displayed holographically on her right shoulder.
"We found 74 deaths bodies both out and under the ruins commander, there's nothing else here" Ashley reports.
"Alright everyone regroups, we're heading back to Coda. Put the girl in the APC, Jimmy you ride with the APC for now" Ava call everyone back and they start leaving the area.
The convoy makes a quick stop at Novea Castle to ask if they would take the kids in but Aurelius rejects and insists that the castle is sacred and only humans are allowed to live in it. Without a choice, they head for Coda village in hope that the people there are more accepting.
--Coda Village--
"Commander, I've already told you that we can't take the kids in for the same reason we couldn't take Lucas. Not to mention now we have to leave the village because of the Flame Dragon threat too" the mayor complains.
"So as I know the Flame Dragon goes on a hunt every 50 years, do you run away every 50 years and then return when the dragon leaves?" Ava asks.
"Usually we go to the Imperial garrison at Alnus hill, the mages there will protect us against the dragon but since you destroyed them, our only option is to leave our home and travel to our relatives or find a new life somewhere else far from here" mayor Gorm explains.
Ava holds up her right arm and displays a holographic map in front of the mayor which startles him.
"Show me where you're going" Ava asks the mayor to point on the map.
"We will travel together along this trail, once we pass the river here each of us will be on different paths" the mayor point along a road on the map.
"We will escort you until you pass the river" Ava says "Alright everyone set the SAT8 and drones on patrol then help the villagers get ready for evacuation, Gary you're on sentry duty. Chris, contact Fort Alnus and let them know we're escorting a local convoy to protect them against an aggressive native life form"
The evacuation happening smoothly, villagers with the help of the 5th SIF are gathering everything they can fit in their wagons and pack up ready to leave. Ava walks along the main road to make sure everything is in order and make sure there's no trouble. Helping the evacuation will delay their exploration mission but it will help the UNE to win hearts and minds of the locals, words will spread and the reputation of UNE forces will be increased.
----
Lelei is helping her master Cato to stack countless piles of books into the wagon from their cottage at the far corner of the village. The weight of the books makes the axles slightly bend and would most likely cause them to snap if the wagon travels a long distance.
"If you would just let me use magic to bring the books out we would have done by now master Cato" Lelei sweeps the sweat on her face.
"Lelei" Cato stands in front of Lelei and replies in a serious tone "Magic is a sacred gift from the gods to us mortal, we cannot use it for such trivial things".
"Yes, teacher" Lelei gets up to go get the last of the books being not happy with what Cato said.
After a few minutes, they finally finish packing and they both get on the wagon. Cato uses a stick and lightly taps the horse back signaling it to start moving. However, as the horse struggle, the wagon just can't move because of the bent axles and the weight.
"I think we need to leave some of your book behind master Cato" Lelei says in a calm voice.
"No, we're taking all of them, All!" Cato replies and waves his hand while saying a spell to lift the wagon up. The horse can finally pull the wagon forward with ease.
"Magic is a sacred gift from the gods to us mortal, we cannot use it for such trivial things. A wise old man once told me" Lelei looks at Cato and says.
"Good one young mage, good one" Cato replies with a smile.
When they reach the main road of the village, where the rest of the wagons are, they see faceless figures in strange armor helping the villagers. One of the wagon has it axle snapped and falls on its side hitting a man standing near it. One of the faceless people run up next to the unconscious man and deploys a strange kit that has 2 small flying creatures. A villager runs to their wagon.
"Master Cato, Lelei, one of the wagons is broken, can you use your magic to help them?" the villager breath heavily.
Before Cato could say anything, Lelei jumps off the wagon and runs towards the broken wagon.
"Wait! Lelei!" Cato calls after her.
Lelei getting closer as she hear the conversation of the strangers.
"He's ok commander, he should be up in a few hours" Jimmy inform Ava of the unconscious man.
"What about his family's wagon, can the SAT8 replicate another axle for it?" David asks.
"SAT8 replicator is too small they can only replicate ammo, but the one in the APC is big enough" Ashley replies.
"Roger that, I'll go replicate one" David says as he runs back to the APC.
It's not long before David returns with a new axle in his hands. Ava holds the wagon up with 1 arm, thank to the help of the TAC suit, while David and Ashley fix the wagon.
Cato comes up next to Lelei "Such strange armor, how can they see?"
"They are strong and make things out of thin air. They could be mages like us" Lelei replies while continuing observing the strangers.
After a while everything is ready to move out, Ava gives the signal for the convoy to start moving.
"Gary you stay in the rear, Ash your IFV will be in the middle of the convoy and my APC will take point" Ava gives her unit order.
"Let hope the dragon doesn't catch us on the road" David says.
"Shut up man, don't jinx it" Rob replies over the radio.
"Chris keep the drones in the air and your eyes on that screen, alert me when you see anything" Ava turns to the sensor station.
"Roger that commander" Chris receives Ava's order.
----
Ava reported to General Nguyen about Lucas expecting a full ear, but much to her surprise the General seem to agree with her decision. She could have left him at Novea Castle but she did not, part of her feels responsible for him and she believes taking him back to the UNE will give him a better future.
The wagons in the convoy are heavily loaded, which makes them move very slowly. On average, a medieval wagon could travel roughly 24km (15 miles) per day if everything goes smoothly. In this case, the convoy is moving at a speed of less than 1km/hour.
"My 532 years old great-grandma back on Theta Sphere can walk faster than this commander" Rob complain as he plays solitaire on the holographic screen. The APC is on autopilot.
"At least it's beautiful, just sit back and enjoy the…" Ava pause as the TACNet warning goes off "Chris?"
"Large flying organic signature detected! The dragon found us commander, 3 klicks out from 7 o'clock and approaching fast. Too fast!" Chris reports.
"All units break off from the column and prepare to engage hostile coming in fast. Chris call for air support NOW!" Ava orders as TACNet relay where everyone needs to go.
Despite the fast response of the 5th SIF, the dragon is fast and close in before anyone could react and breaths fire onto dozens of wagons and instantly destroy them.
Rory Mercury jumps up to the top of a tree and sees the legendary Flaming Dragon. For 900 years she has never come near the dragon as it is dangerous even for Apostle to fight them. Story of old told that there was an apostle before her time who attempted to kill the dragon but was disabled by its claws then burned and disintegrated by its continuous fire for days.
She looks at the fight and is impressed by the bravery of the strange warriors in the horseless, floating metal wagon. Their weapon seems to penetrate the dragon's scale easily but the rapid regeneration of the dragon makes it worthless.
The Lancer turns and shoots a HEIP round at the belly of the dragon burning a big hole but doesn't kill it. The dragon gives out a loud painful roar and fly up attempting to attack the villagers while its belly starts regenerating. The big jaw snaps a wagon in pieces easily.
"Damn thing why don't you just DIE!!!" Gary frustrates "Fire again!"
"Commander, it can't breathe fire when its belly is damaged" Ashley can see it trying to use It fire breath by could not while it belly regenerating.
"I noticed that too LC, we need to draw it away from the civilian. Rob focuses the APC fire on its face, Ash your IFV do the same. Gary, you keep hitting that belly" Ava orders through the radio.
Focusing fire at the face seems to make the dragon even angrier, it starts to turn and chase the 5th SIF instead of the civilian wagons. The dragon flies up and swings its tail at Ava's APC completely disabling the shield in 1 hit. As the dragon turns for another attack Rob activates the APC shield dome but it is too disabled by 1 hit. The dragon ram into the APC, making a dent in the KEL armor and knocking it on its side effectively disabling the APC.
"Where's my damn air support Specialist?" Ava tries to get out of her seat.
Chris still attached to his seat thank to the seat belt, he looks at the screen and replies "They're here commander".
The 2 SF-40 launch their AGMs hitting the back and the left wing of the dragon destroying the wing. With the wing destroyed, the dragon is now grounded until its generation is complete.
Let out an angry roar, the dragon rushed for the downed APC. Before it could ram the APC again, Rory leaps in with incredible speed using her halberd to knock the dragon's head away.
The Elven girl has now regained her consciousness and trying to get out of the medical bag. Jimmy turns off the bag to let her out so he can calm her down. Suddenly the girl jumps between Ava and Rob and point at her heart. Seeing that Ava doesn't understand what she means, the girl point to her heart with 1 hand and the other point at the dragon.
Understand what she means Ava calls Gary "Gary try to hit its heart" then she looks at the girl "where?" and sees her circle the area between the belly and the upper chest "Between it's chest and belly, use AP shell"
"Roger that, you heard her fire!" Gary order his tank crew to fire.
The Flame Dragon is on the ground but the AP shell penetrate It body all the way from 1 size to the other destroying it heart. That seem to stop all its regeneration, the re-aiming for the heart gave the dragon enough time to regenerate its fire pocket in the belly.
The dragon take it last breath to breathe fire at the APC but was stopped by a green energy shield of some sort. Ave looks at the back holographic window and sees a blue hair girl with green glowing eyes and a staff seems to be chantin a spell. She orders the 2 SF-40 to make another pass and destroy the dragons head killing it completely.
Ava gets out of the APC "Gary bring we need your help to turn this thing up"
The Lancer was able to turn the APC back up with ease. Ava stands on the side and impressed by the dent that the dragon was about to inflict on the APC in 1 hit. She then here her soldiers get their guns ready and turn back around seeing a small girl in lace up top, short and long trench coat all in black color approach. The strange girl holding a large halberd, seem heavier than she should be able to carry.
Before she could say anything, the elven kids and Lucas rush to greet her.
"Miss Rory, you came to save us!" the kids cheers.
"Hey we did all the fighting!" David half joke half-serious but back down when Ava holds her index finger up.
"I'm impressed, you are brave and powerful. Nothing and no mortal were powerful to hurt the Flame Dragon, legend has it that it cannot be killed but you killed it with such efficiency. Not even I can kill it" Rory pauses for a moment "I can't see mana aura from any of you or your staffs, if not magic that you are using then what is it?"
"We call it technology, my name is Commander Ava Bennett of the United Nations of Earth. We appreciate your help" Ava replies.
"I'm Rory Mercury Apostle of Emroy, God of war and death, you can call me Rory" Rory replies.
"Hey kid stay away from it" Rob says behind Ava as a blue hair girl approach the APC.
She hold out her hand and her staff glowing, a green mist cover the APC and the dent cause by the dragon slowly return to normal. Seeing that and witness a small girl was able to knock a massive dragon off balance, Ava realizes how little she understands this world.
"Commander, General Nguyen wants you back in Alnus ASAP, he say it's top priority" Chris reports to Ava.
"Alright, we regroup with the civilian first" Ava orders.
Everyone regroup with the villager's wagons, Ava is discussing with Mayor Gorm of their next step while Ashley and others count their casualty.
"The dragon is dead but we won't go back to Coda, with the Imperial army in the region destroyed there will be bandits and criminals. We better off to leave this place" the mayor explain when Ava mention that they don't have to run anymore "But we regretfully have to leave the wounded and those without a wagon behind, we cannot take them with us".
Ava doesn't like what she hears but she also understand the mayor's reason. She looks around at the wounded villagers and the burning wagons then think for a moment.
"They can come with us" Ava say calmly.
"Ma'am?" Chris standing next to Ava confused by the order.
"There will be a lot of paper works and probably a lot of yelling from General Nguyen, but our order is, I quote 'do everything you can to help the local in need' right?" Ava shrug her shoulder then turn back and look at the mayor "anyone else wish to join us can come too".
"I'll come with you" Rory says as she jumps in the back of the APC and joins the elven kids.
"Me too" Lelei say calmly as she walks up the ramp of the APC
The mayor passes the words to the rest of the villagers, many of them feel adventurous and wish to come to Alnus because so far the UNE prove to be able to protect them and seem to be good people. Ava contacts Fort Alnus and requests an escort convoy to come and pick the refugees. Leaving Gary's crew and the Lancers to provide security for the villagers, Ava and the 5th SIF double back to Fort Alnus in the APC and the IFV.
---