Volume 4 - CH 6

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Aboard a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, the San Antonio herself (LPD-17), the 75th Ranger regiment are enjoying a luxurious breakfast.

「Ah this is nice….. Hey did you hear the rumor floating around lately?」

A Soldier receives his meal, a plate filled with a heap of vegetables and meat with no separation between the two, plopping himself down on a table he calls out to one of his friends.

「Hey man! What’s up, which rumor?」

「The one about Captain Wittman」

「Captain Wittman…….hmmmm, oh the one about him? The whole thing seems unreal that its almost unbelievable. His M1A2 Abrams was wrecked by the Empire’s Giant Machina, but not just that, 28 hours later when rescue crews found him he was lying under the bodies of his subordinates. Covered in blood and oil they claimed he was on the verge of death. ―― I heard he lost his mind, but did he get reinstated and returned to duty?」

「Well, I figured I’d bring it up, but rumor has it, the Captain is participating in this operation…… Did you already hear about that?」

「Yeah, sort of…… I heard he’s changed into madman, hellbent on getting vengeance for his men」

「Yeah, figures as much. I heard he was dead set on volunteering, he even appealed directly to the president」

「Is that right?….. It’s like he’s in a hurry to die」

「……*Cough*, and why are you two sticking your nose into other people’s businesses?」

「「Sergeant!! Sorry it won’t happen again!!」」

Interrupting his subordinates rude banter, Staff Sergeant Brett Sieg had a scrunched expression as he glared at his men.

You should eat your meal quietly before getting out of here.

「Oh totally…..」

「Uh Sarge, you don’t have to be so uptight. we were just talking」

「Yeah, I know what you guys are talking bout. But I don’t give a shit, I’m telling you it’s rude」

「……I get alright, understood Sarge」

When Sergeant Sieg scolds them, Sergeant Wax Roofe tries to quell his cynicism, but backs off in the end. Just then their Battalion Commander enters the Mess Hall with a rugged expression, followed by the Battalion XO.

「……」

「Officer on Deck!!」

At the sound of those words, all the Soldiers in the Mess Hall stopped eating and stood up in a hurry.

「Group Attention!!」

And at the Executive Officers words, they moved to the position of attention while rending a swift salute.

「Rest」

Lowering their hands at their Battalion Commanders order, everyone moves to the position of Rest, and waits patiently for their leaders next words, while focusing their eyes on the Colonel.

「All right gentlemen, I have a some good news as well as some bad news, but let me start of with the bad news first. ――You guys have 15 minutes to put on your gear and equipment. And I want all Captains to head to the briefing room right after this」

「「「「Huh……….」」」」

「Hey what’s with those faces, I’m being serious」

「This is just the worst」

The Battalion Commanders cruel news spread amongst the Soldiers in the Mess hall, causing heavy sighs and small curses under their breath, as a few leaked pleading expressions.

「Now for the good news….. We will be the first ones to land on Gloria’s shores. Dismissed!!」

Disheartened by the news, the Soldiers left their meals on the spot as they hurried out of the mess hall with drooping postures, running to prepare for the assault.

Gathered in one of the corners of the San Antonio’s vehicle bays, Soldiers had their weapons, ammunition and equipment piled up in preparation for their landing assault at noon. 

Having already made preparations, the Soldiers who had been eating within the Mess Hall, jumped into the vehicle bay to don their gear and equipment, getting ready for combat.

「This is a pretty big thing….. But everything is happening so fast, I wish they would just cut us some slack」

The successor body armor to the OTV―― the Improved Outer Tactical Vest designed with a multicam camouflage pattern, Sergeant Roofe runs his mouth as he inserts several magazines in his spare magazine pouches.

「The whole thing can’t be helped….. Since the priority of this assault is to infiltrate Gloria’s Palace and secure the Otherworlder. Didn’t you hear the report from our operatives? Having spurned the Empire, the Otherworlder wanted to return home, and right now that person is hiding themselves away in a room within Gloria’s Palace」

「Well I heard about that. The change in plans came from higher right?….. Why does something have to happen at a time like this. I’m starting to get a bad feeling about it all.」

「Things certainly don’t seem to be looking very good. ….. Hey, Upham. Take that shit off」

「Huh!? But Sergeant, this…… Ah Sergeant, my name is Acomb, not Upham. Please get it right already」

「Haha, my bad for that」

「That’s what you always say…..」

In the middle of talking with Sergeant Wax Roofe, Sergeant Sieg makes an apologetic expression after making fun of Private Kloise Acomb.

「Sorry for asking, but Sarge, since the Marine Corps will be landing on Gloria’s shores right after us, do we really need to bring along the extra equipment, like water, food supplies, our night vision goggles and all that stuff?」

「Yeah, we don’t need――…… No, to be on the safe side, just bring your full set of gear. And better yet….. bring along some extra ammo」

Taken aback by his subordinate’s question, Sergeant Sieg was about to reply that they don’t need to bring extra things, but then made up his mind to just bring everything just in case there was an emergency.

「Understood, I will do just that, Sergeant」

「Hey Sarge….. What about this heavy armor plate?」

Right after Sergeant Sieg tells Private Acomb what to do with his gear, another Soldier raises his voice towards him.

「Hey you jackass, you better not take that out!!」

「Urk!! It’s a joke, a joke, I didn’t mean it……..」

Right as Sergeant Sieg’s thunderous voice roared back, the Soldier who asked his foolish question cowered back holding onto his armor plate like his life depended on it.

「What the hell….. Stop asking stupid questions」

「Hahaha, as always you really care about your men」

「Shut up, it’s not like that」

Turning away from Sergeant Roofe’s teasing, Sergeant Sieg reaches over and picks up his partner which had been by his side.

It was the FN SCAR which is capable of firing 5.56x45mm NATO rounds and can be modified to also fire the 7.62x51mm NATO and the 6.8x43mm Remington SPC.

Constructed to be modular as well as reducing maintenance costs, the SCAR was versatile to the point were it could be used in close-quarter combat situations and long range engagements.  

Originally the SCAR-H MK17 was designed to use the NATO 7.62x51mm bullet, but the rifles that the 75th Ranger Regiment were using for this major operation is the modified version. Which utilizes 6.8x43mm Remmington Special Purpose Cartridge. 

「Now then, its time to roll out…….what the?」

Right when Sergeant Sieg was about to leave the vehicle bay, he noticed something weird with one of his men.

「Private Park. What’s with that dirty grin you got going on?」

「Huh?……. It’s nothing, nothing at all Sergeant. Hehehehe~」

Confronting his subordinate, Private First Class Jackson Park didn’t display the signs of a man ready for battle, instead he was blushing from ear to ear, as his eyes looked down, swaying slightly from side to side. His actions looked kind of creepy, if one didn’t understand what was going on.

「What d’you mean nothing?…. Hey what’s up with that picture?」

Turning to look at what Private Park immersed in, Sergeant Sieg notices the photo in his hands, and questions his subordinate.

「Ehehehe~ *giggling* Are you curious? Are you worried about me Sarge!?」

Approaching his leader, Private Park leans towards his Sergeant and lowers his voice.

「Ugh… what the hell, this is awkward……」

「Well the the thing is…….. I’m getting married!! Once Operation Vermillion is over, I’m returning home to marry the girl in this picture!! Ehehehe~」

Private Park, flashes the photo with two frames of a pretty girl with short hair towards Sergeant Sieg and the rest of the guys.

「「「「「……」」」」」

Suddenly the Soldiers around the two freeze in place, in contrast to Park’s fluffy mood, the rest of the guys thought of a single thing.

((((( This…..this is a death flag!! )))))

「That’s why I’m earning as much as I can and saving as much as possible from this operation. Because once the Operation ends, I’m leaving the army and opening up a small bakery with her back on the mainland. Hehehehee」

Edging away from Park who was gleefully laughing while scratching his head. Sarge and the rest of the boys formed a circle of their own and began to discuss the death flag, Private Park created for himself.

「Hey, isn’t this one of those….. This is a death flag isn’t it?」

「「「「Yup, that’s exactly what this is」」」」

「Come on, it’s not that bad, right?」

「Oh no no no, Sergeant, this is really bad」

「So what do we do? If we leave it alone, Park is gonna die」

「He’s a great guy and all…….but still」

「Ahh….. If you think about it…. when you just take Jackson Park’s initials it becomes……..JP」¹

「「「「Ack」」」」

Realizing several crucial facts, Sergeant Sieg nodded at everyone as they surrounded  Private First-Class Jackson Park with monotonous smiles, who was staring at his photo.

「Huh? Wait…why are you guys looking at me like that? Everyone is looking pretty scary――guack!! …. …. …..」

The moment Private Park realized what was going on, he was already surrounded, and that was when Sergeant Sieg timed a nicely placed right hook straight into Park’s jaw.

Taking the full force of the blow, Private Park’s eyes went wide with surprise as his consciousness faded before collapsing to the floor without a sound.

「Oh no!! Park just collapse suddenly. This is serious」

Making a big deal out of the situation so everyone could hear, Sergeant Sieg purposefully exclaimed what happened.

「What’s up? Wait, isn’t this really bad? Could he have drunken too much alcohol, his insides must be in so much pain.  Shit, we’d have to send him to the hospital back home to get treated immediately」

A medic who had been checking on Private Park’s condition, follows along with Sergeant Sieg’s lead.

「「「「Aw that sucks, this is really unfortunate. This needs to be taken care of」」」」

Sergeant Sieg along with the rest of guys brought Private Park wrapped up like chopstick sleeve, with forged medical documents to depart from the San Antonio. Up on the flight deck, the guys threw Private Park onto one of the helicopters departing for Parabellum’s mainland, so he would go to the hospital.

「……Hmm!?….mmfmffm. (What the!?)

…..mmffmfm (Sergeant?)

….mmfmfmfmfm… (Why am I?)

…….MFFMFFMM!! (HEY, WHAT’S GOING ON!?)」

Before heading to the flight deck, they had placed Private Park in a straight jacket from the medical room, they had also gagged his mouth to prevent him from uttering a word. But the moment he was thrown onto the helicopter, he woke up in surprise as his buddies moved away, while his Sergeant began to explain.

「Private First-Class Jackson Park you are ordered to return to Parabellum’s mainland to recover from your injuries.  This is an order signed by the Battalion Commander. Group Attention, Present Arms!」

「「「「Hup!」」」」

Timed with Sergeant Sieg’s words, the men give Private Park a send off salute, trying to hold back their laughter.

「MMFFMM!! (SERGEANT!!)」

Unable to understand what was going on, Private Park looked at Sergeant Sieg and his buddies with confusion as the helicopter lifted off, headed back to the mainland.

「…………..Alright, time to go」

「Guahahahaha!! In the remarks section for illness, you put that he was suffering from lovesickness, ah damn this is too funny my stomach is starting to hurt. Haa~….. Ah that was really something. I guess that’s it, shall we head out?」

Finishing up on some minor business, Sergeant Sieg headed for the rear of the ship where they would be launching from, there he met up with Sergeant Roofe and the rest of the men.

Dozens of landing craft pass through the debris of what was left of Gloria’s Main Gate which had been thoroughly destroyed by the navy’s shelling.

「Let’s go over the mission before we land on Gloria’s shores. I want you guys to remember the changes firmly in your thick skulls」

Once everyone was aboard the LCAC-1 a landing craft air cushion otherwise known as a hovercraft, Sergeant Sieg began to reiterate their units mission to his subordinates.

「The first objective, the 75th Ranger Regiment, that’s us, will land on the Gloria’s coast and secure the beachhead. After that, Delta forces will air assault Gloria’s Inner Palace, and secure the area.

They will secure the Otherworlder and evacuate the palace via helicopter. By doing so, they’ll get the attention of the Empire’s forces, preventing them from sending reinforcements to the coast, allowing us to gain control of the beaches. 

But in the event where something goes wrong and we can’t bring back the Otherworlder through air travel, then its our job to break through the city and create a route. We will rally with Delta, escort the Otherworlder back to the shore, get them on a boat and bring the individual to Command.  Do I make myself clear!!」

「「「「Sir, yes, sir!!」」」」

「One minute before we landfall!!」

Skimming the surface of the water and making waves, the LCAC is propelled by its two large fans, internally four gas turbine engines power its approach towards the sandy shores of Gloria. 

「Let’s do this!! Ranger’s Lead the Way!!」

「「「「HOOAAHH!!」」」」

Sergeant Serge, riles his men’s spirits as they brace themselves to land.

「Beach ahead!! Prepare to land!!」

Dozens of LCAC’s beach Gloria’s shores at once and began opening fire with their .50 Cal heavy machine guns and MK19 grenade launchers.

The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated across the beach as the front filled with dust and debris.

「Ceasefire, Ceasefire!! ….. Commence the landing!!」

「Go, Go, Go, Gooo!!」

Just as the cover fire relents, the landing craft air cushion (LCAC) deflates its skirt as it beaches itself, lowering its ramp. As the up-armored M1151 HMMWV (Humvee) leaves the craft, the rest of the soldiers equipped with their enhanced armor and modified exosuits which strengthened their abilities exit the craft.

「There’s no resistance….. Where’s the enemy?」

「I’m grateful that we landed without incident…. But its too quiet, that this just feels creepy」

「Hmmm, it’s just like the calm right before the storm…..」

Though their landing was successful, Sergeant Sieg expected some form of resistance, but contrary to his assumptions, there weren’t any.

Storming the Gloria’s shores in a tight sequence of events, following the Navy’s and Air Forces bombardment, the 75th Ranger Regiment braced themselves for a quick and expedient enemy counterattack, but amongst the crater covered coast, almost like those on the moon. The Soldiers of the 75th gained control and managed to secure the beachhead without any losses.

This Chapter was translated by Kuro_0ni

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As soon as the 75th Ranger Regiment gained control of the Gloria’s coast, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment nicknamed the “Night Stalkers”  soared overhead in their helicopters one after another.

「Looks like our Rangers secured the beach without trouble」

Flying alongside the MH-6 Little Birds exterior seats, Lieutenant Graham Anchorage, watched Soldiers of the 75th Ranger Regiment take up positions along the blast cratered sandy beach.

「……There’s no signs of the enemy. Where did they all go?」

「I wonder. Did they all get blown up during the bombardment…. Or are they vigilantly waiting for an opportunity to strike at us? Maybe that’s what it is」

「We’re nearing the objective. Brace yourselves!!」

Flying overhead past the sandy shores and city’s white buildings, the Lieutenant replies back to a Soldier asking where the enemy disappeared to.  As the helicopters pilot lowered their altitude, Graham told his men to get ready.

「Alright then…… is it time for us to make an entrance?」

Equipped in their multicam special forces body armor which was a Soldier Plate Carrier System, they all wore black helmets as they racked and chambered their HK416 assault rifles. Lieutenant Anchorage observed Gloria’s palace as it towered over its surroundings like a small mountain.

「Huh? There’s 4 archers on the wall!! Take them out!!」

While trying to land within the palace’s courtyard the pilot notices archers trying to fire on them from a wall.

「「Roger that!!」」

With six personnel aboard the MH-6 Little Bird, it was the Lieutenant and another Soldier who fired upon the attacking archers, responding to the pilot’s call with a single pull of their triggers.

Their muzzles flashed with gunfire as bullets left their barrels in a continuous motion.

And immediately following their actions, the lively movements of the enemy Soldiers became limp, like a puppet whose strings were cut.

「Target Down!!」

「Clear!!」

As their bodies took on the brunt of all the bullets, blood flowed from their countless wounds dying the walls and the area around them red.

「All right, we’re touching down!!」

After eliminated the enemy archers, the MH-6 Little Bird flew in-between the palace’s walls to land within the courtyard. 

「Go, go, go!!」

The moment the helicopter safely touches ground, the Lieutenant and his men fill into the Palace’s courtyard and takes defensive positions.

「See ya guys later!! Good luck out there!!」

Having safely taken the Lieutenant and his men to their objective, the pilot calls out to Graham wishing them well as he departs, rising into the sky and heading back to their ship.

「Everyone move forward, make sure to spread out!!」

「「「Understood!!」」」

「What’s that!? Enemy incoming!!」

While several Little Birds (MH-6) unloaded Delta teams into the courtyard, the Palace’s Imperial guards began to appear one after another.

「ATTAAACCKK!!」

「「「「UOOOooooooo!!」」」」

「Nock your arrows and prepare your bows!! Fire when ready!! 」

「Start chanting your magic!! Show them the power of our magic knights, let them know how inferior they are, a weak species incapable of using magic!!」

「「For the Empire!!」」

Coming out in force the guards rush with swords and spears to where Delta forces landed, while archers and magicians sent ranged attacks from walls and the palaces windows.

But contrary to defending party’s expectations, Parabellum considered Archers and Magicians high priority threats and eliminated them on sight, before dealing with foot soldiers. Once their enemies support was gone, they turned the rest into corpses riddled with holes almost like a beehive.

Inserting 150 of their members, Delta managed to secure the courtyard and its surroundings within 30 minutes. Managing to make contact with their agents & spies, luckily they were able to secure the Otherworlder who had been hiding within one of the storage rooms.

「The enemy retreated…. This was much more easier than I thought. As soon as we hit them, they all pulled back and left.」

Preparing the Otherworlder for aerial evac and reviewing everything that happened so far, Lieutenant Anchorage muttered to himself while carrying a dissatisfied expression.

Originally the plan was for Delta to completely secure Gloria’s Palace and wait for the Army & Marine Corps to link up with them, but because the Palace itself held a substantial amount of Imperial forces, that plan was scrapped.

And now since they learned about the presence of the Otherworlder, the plan had changed and Delta Forces were tasked to extract the Otherworlder from the palace and return back to the ship.

「It’s still too early to relax, Lieutenant.  We can’t ease up on our actions until the Otherworlder gets on that chopper. Everything’s gone silent now, but we’re still in a dangerous situation since we can still be attacked by Imperial forces still within the Palace」

「I see, hey aren’t we outnumbered like by 100 to 1?」

Chiming in to address the Lieutenant, Graham’s subordinates give out realistic answers.

「Heck if I know. Oh hey, seems like our ride is here」

Pointing towards the distance, Lieutenant Anchorage catches sight of a MH-60K Black Hawk closing in as it descends towards the palace courtyard.

「――What the!? Oh shit, Clear the way!! Get out of the area!!」

The moment he sensed danger, it was already too late as the Lieutenant shouted out.

Right when the Black Hawk was getting ready to touchdown within the courtyard, hidden within the clouds and moving like a storm. A Dragon Knight swoops down and strikes the helicopters fuselage and breaking away its tail rotor.

「Aw Shit!! MAYDAY, MAYDAY!!」

「This is Granger 02 we’ve been hit!! I say again we’ve been hit!! We’re going down……fuck……」

As the aircraft spun out of control, its pilots tried hard to mitigate the damage, but it was like trying to stay in control of a bucking bull.

Having lost it’s tail rotor, the helicopter spun unable to balance the torque of its main rotor, twirling over and over as it crashed.

But with the way the Black Hawk crashed it bounced following it initial impact, causing its rotor blades to fragment while it still spun like a sickle.

「*Cough* *cough*…… what happened?…..」

Having dropped to the ground with his head in the dirt he didn’t sustain a single injury, Lieutenant Anchorage picks himself up while raising his face to the tragedy around him.

Dust still permeated the air as the Black hawk which came to extract the Otherworlder was wrecked in its entirety. Members of his squad raised moans and groans as they lay injured, scattered around the crash and its wreckage. For the Dragon Knight which struck the helicopter, its mount and its rider didn’t fare any better as they had been sliced by fragments of the main rotor which broke away during the crash.

「…….Hey wait…..where’s the Otherworlder!?」

Witnessing the tragic scene before him, Graham immediately realizes the main purpose of why they were there. Vigilantly scouring the area he looks for the Otherworlder they were supposed to protect and escort.

「Isn’t that!?….FUCK…….」

Frantic his eyes grew wide as he found the Otherworlder, or what was left of him. Casually rolling from the debris was the head of the person whom they were tasked to extract. Realizing that this operation was failure, it was impossible for them to continue on any further.

「The HVT is dead!! I say again the High-value target is dead!! This mission… is a failure!!」

「With the appearance of Dragon Knights, it has become impossible to return by air!! Request armored reinforcements ASAP!! Request support from the 75th Rangers and Headquarters now!!」

Failing to safely extract the Otherworlder, and having their escape route denied by the enemy, the Lieutenant barks commands, requesting for immediate support.

「Hurry, recover the wounded now!!」

「MEDIC!! I NEED A MEDIC!!」

From the calls for help, Medical Soldiers rush to aid their injured members as they move to recover the wounded.

「Fuck!! They’re still Dragon Knights flying above us, we don’t have air superiority right now!! 」

「The enemy has begun their counterattack, they’re all over the place!!」

「Shit!! Our enemies are coming to attack with a renewed strength!! Fallback!! Everyone move into the tower behind us, get out of the courtyard!! We’ll be dead if we stay like this!!」

Having rescued their wounded from the downed Special Operations Black Hawk (MH-60K), Delta teams fell back to the nearest tower, to defend against the incoming Imperial forces.

「This has all…. turned into a shit show…. no, this is only just the beginning….」

While lending his shoulder to a wounded subordinate, Lt. Graham mutters foreboding words as the counterattack towards Parabellum becomes reality.