"To everyone on this mail chain, confirm your messages. I thought the FBI plant within the Gaia Salvation Front said that the organization agreed to accept full responsibility for the Colorado attack. Why is it a stupid channel IronTruth video going viral saying they have an inside source that the organization had nothing to do with the attack?
The President wants to know what is the plan to contain this leak. We cannot let the most extraordinary discovery in human history to be made public through a plant. I would like to add that if we went public after the first contact, as I recommend, we wouldn't be in this situation.
Regardless, the DOJ needs to tighten up its security to prevent this from happening again. The White House wants a detailed report on how our PIs will address this issue and how to contain the story. What about the feed channels we operate to redirect attention to the fake eco-terrorist story?" - Counselor to the President Robert Murry
March 18th, 2069 (military calendar)
Hiplose Woods, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
As Comanche navigated the thick forest, Benjamin Ford followed their escort's makeshift dirt path, which the Rangers' engineers had created. The route allowed the Rangers to reach the front line quickly. However, the recent rain had made driving the elevated road troublesome.
As the Sergeant drove along the muddy trail, he noticed a blackened tree, scorched by something he couldn't determine. He knew a significant battle had occurred here—the signs of combat were everywhere.
"It looks like the Rangers gave them hell," Higgins said.
"Maybe," Ford replied. "From what I understand, this engagement happened two days ago, and we've only made it this far. And from what I'm hearing over the radio, there's a major engagement up ahead, so yeah… it isn't far."
"The Vampires are extremely territorial," Fraeya said. "Not as expansionist as the humans and kiriyaks, but they are aggressive when provoked. If someone invades their lands, they take it personally."
"Hey," Ford said. "They attacked first."
"I have no love for them," Fraeya replied. "They took my father and betrayed the Coalition to save themselves. I dream of your people burning their country to the ground."
"I guess the saying is true," Higgins said. "Who has the most beautiful flower has the sharpest thorn."
As they passed the previous day's environmental scars of battle, it was clear to Ford that the Americans had won whatever nameless conflict had been waged here. Yet it was evident the enemy was determined not to surrender. When Ryder was taken, Colonel Hackett had ordered an assault into this forest. While the intention was to create a corridor for a Quick Reaction Force to sneak behind enemy lines and rescue the missing Minutemen and British teams, the primary objective was to push the enemy as far away from Salva as possible.
The operation succeeded initially; however, the enemy refused to rout. The Verliance Aristocracy Order—which, according to Natilite, was like an Army Brigade—had put up a brave fight until they received reinforcements.
Army intelligence had limited information on the size of these reinforcements. All they knew was that they were sizable enough for the enemy to recapture multiple fortifications within the forest and regain momentum. This was why Colonel Hackett had deployed the Minutemen to help the soldiers and the Rangers—buy time to allow for an orderly withdrawal back to Salva.
After traveling some distance, they saw a light tactical transport blocking the path. A jeep had stopped in front of Comanche. The vehicle was lighter, with frames around the top, no doors or armor—optionally inspired by old jeeps to quickly move troops around or serve as simple transport behind friendly lines.
Two Rangers dismounted from their jeeps, identified as members of the 5th Rangers Battalion, and approached Ford's armored vehicle, warning them not to advance.
Fraeya inquired about what was happening. Higgins stated that he saw two transports coming down the hill. When Ford leaned over his steering wheel, he spotted the eight-wheeled vehicles. From what he could tell, they were evacuating casualties.
While they waited, the two Rangers suddenly turned toward the forest, rifles ready. Finding the sight strange and fearing they were about to be attacked, Ford turned in the same direction.
What the Sergeant saw horrified him. It was not an enemy soldier but a sixteen-foot massive creature standing on two feet. It looked like a grizzly bear; however, its snout was shorter, and its mane was light caramel, similar to a lion's.
The bear-like alien charged toward the two Rangers at incredible speed. They fired a few shots in haste. A couple of bullets impacted the beast's side, blood gushing from its thick belly. Shockingly, the Rangers' weapons didn't slow the creature down, as if it ignored the wounds. Within seconds, the animal rammed its giant body into the jeep, nearly knocking the vehicle over, before bashing through the two soldiers.
Watching the horrific sight, the alien bear grabbed one Ranger by the leg with its large mouth and violently shook the man without effort, then rammed him back onto the ground. With its powerful jaw, the beast bit into the soldier's armor, crushing the plate as if it were paper and forcing the American to scream in pain.
Ford quickly dismounted and pulled out his sidearm. Seeing that the bear-like beast was moving around while swinging the Ranger, it was hard to find a clean shot—as if the animal knew to use the soldier as a human shield.
Fraeya dismounted, holding her arm toward the creature. Her hand glowed like water spraying into the beast's head. This only angered the alien bear; however, it gave Ford and Higgins the opening they needed. The two Minutemen opened fire into the animal's thick hide.
To Comanche's confusion, the beast didn't die or let go of the Ranger's leg.
"Now what?" Higgins asked.
"Look for a shot," Ford said.
"Wait a moment," Fraeya said. "I will try to blind it."
The alien bear swung the Ranger around to prevent the Americans from getting a clean shot as it retreated into the forest, slowly walking backward. There were a few openings, and the two Minutemen took them, firing into the beast's hide. While blood gushed as expected, the beast refused to react or release the man.
Noticing someone stepping onto the AMTV hood, Ford saw Ar'lya aiming her spear in a fighting stance.
"Now, Fraeya," Ar'lya said.
The wood elf girl cast a hydromancy spell, spraying water over the beast. It was powerful enough to get the beast's attention while not sufficient to kill the Ranger. The intention was to blind the alien bear, allowing the Farian to toss her melee weapon.
With the beast blinded, the spear cut into the side of the animal's head, causing it to let go of the Ranger. The two Comanche operators and the other Rangers opened fire and engaged the beast until their magazines ran empty. All of them wanted to make sure the alien bear was dead.
The bear wobbled, then looked around in confusion. With blood flowing all around its body and chunks of its hide sliding onto the dirt, the beast let out a mighty roar before dropping to the ground, lying in a pool of its own blood.
Ford stood staring at the beast, maintaining his aim. Some of the others wanted to relax now that the target was neutralized; however, he was still shocked at how the animal had tanked their attacks and felt fearful of approaching the corpse.
The two transport trucks stopped, and half a dozen Rangers jumped out. Four of them kept their M11s at the ready, securing the area. The other two were medics rushing to the two wounded men. Two more dismounted from the lead medium-sized vehicle with rifles aimed at the corpse, taking no chances.
"What the hell was that?" Higgins asked, lowering his M31.
"It is a Leoursi," Ar'lya said. "I have run into them multiple times while living out here. They are very dangerous."
"One of the soldiers in the Palatini was warning me of these beasts," Fraeya said. "They are hunters. If they have your scent, they will chase after you until they either kill you or feel like they are about to be killed."
"Not bad from someone who lived in a city," Ar'lya said. "I have seen them chase a caravan for three days as they transported cattle. If it were not for the adventurer guilds providing protection, they all would have been killed."
"So, it is a super predator," Ford said. "How did that thing absorb our bullets?"
"That is simple," Ar'lya said. "Leoursi has two skins. There is the organic exterior armor that protects the inner body. If the beast had escaped, the Leoursi would have shed its outer layer and grown a new armored hide."
"If I recall," Fraeya said, "they do not like going after people. Not enough meat."
"That is normally true," Ar'lya said. She then smelled the air and snapped her fingers. "There is so much blood in the air; the Leoursi must have thought there was easy food nearby."
"Okay," Higgins said. "How did it bite through military-grade armor as if it were paper?"
"Do you not have predators in your world?" Fraeya asked.
"We do," Ford said. "But nothing like that."
"That is why they are so feared," Fraeya said. "Their teeth are strong enough to bite through metal. But why did it attack them? They typically do not hunt people."
Staff Sergeant Forest approached and studied the situation. "Ar'lya is correct. We had to deal with this on the farm all the time."
"What do we do, Sarge?" Ford asked.
"Nothing," Forest said. "They have everything under control, and we have orders. Remount."
Seeing the Staff Sergeant leave, Ford returned to the wounded Ranger before heading toward the forest. Fraeya and Natilite had warned his people about what they saw as the wild, and now he could see why. While it wouldn't be something the Americans couldn't handle, this was a dangerous world. It only reinforced that Ryder and Assiaya making it as far as they did was a miracle.
After the Leoursi incident, Comanche took about forty minutes to reach the Rangers' position. The rear guard directed Ford to an open area, away from the battle on the other end of the camp.
Exiting the AMTV, Benjamin Ford saw dozens of friendly soldiers rushing between positions. Some carried wounds, while others carried ammunition for the raging battle ahead.
With his VISOR down, his HUD displayed each soldier with a green marker, including their outfit—5th Rangers, Alpha Company, Battalion HQ. Based on the layout, they occupied half a ridge leading to the riverbed below, and the enemy was attacking their position.
"Comanche," King said. "Hold up here. Ghost-Lead and I are heading to the Battalion CP for our orders."
"What about the fight?" Wallace asked.
"Would hate to miss out on the action," Barrios added.
"That's not our mission," King responded. "Make sure our supplies are secured and refuel the AMTVs."
The Warrant Officer-1 left Comanche with Ghost's Captain. The rest of the team began securing their supplies, ensuring they had what they needed. At the same time, the Twins went to a nearby 4th ID fuel truck attached to the Rangers during this counterattack.
For Benjamin Ford, while he was securing the spare ammunition, sudden loud explosions and intense gunfire erupted right after. He couldn't help but turn toward the general direction of the battle. "That sounds close," he said.
"Sounds like the Rangers are giving them hell," Gonzales said.
"I don't think it is the solid victory you think," Higgins said.
"What are you?" Gonzales asked. "An enemy sympathizer?"
"Ha, that's very funny," Higgins replied. "I've been on COMs all morning. The Aristocracy has launched a major offensive against our forces. Battles like this are raging all across the Eastern line."
"Eastern?" Ford asked. "What about the North? Weren't the enemy gathering there?"
"Outside of moving troops in and out of position, I received no word of battle," Higgins said. "Only over here."
"Because it was a fake," Forest said.
Fraeya leaned out of the vehicle window and asked, "What do you mean by fake? Are they illusions?"
"There are too many to be an illusion," Forest said. "They deploy troops to a sensitive spot, knowing we will also remove vital resources from more critical areas. They are trying to thin us out."
"Many people only see the flashy stuff in war stories," Ford said. "The funny part is that a lot of fighting is about who can get into a superior position before the fight."
"I see," Fraeya said.
Seeing the elf girl's lack of response as she withdrew back into the armored vehicle, a part of the Sergeant couldn't help but feel that he had received the cold shoulder. A part of him understood that she was probably still upset about what happened at Mount Orlatus—his stopping her from boarding that Unity airship.
Feeling frustrated, Ford remained silent and went back to his work. That was when he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. Knowing the subject matter, the Sergeant expected it to be one of the Twins. When he turned, he was surprised to see Kurt Forest's robotic hand resting there.
"I have been married for over a decade," Forest said.
"And what do you recommend for resolving this?" Ford asked. "She absolutely hates me."
"Yup," Forest said. "There have been many times my wife hated me when I made decisions with my family. Looking back, I could have handled some of those situations better, but things typically work themselves out if you genuinely believe you did the right thing."
Ford stared at the Staff Sergeant, confused. "But… we are not in a relationship. We are teammates—or used to be."
"I was not implying you two were," Forest said. "The principle is the same, though. What you need to do is nothing. You did the right thing, so you have nothing to apologize for. Don't force the matter; stand by your actions. Fraeya will either come to terms with that reality or not. But if you believe you were wrong, it will only make the matter worse."
"Easier said than done," Ford said.
"I did not say it was easy," Forest said.
"I know what I did was right," Ford said. "I just didn't realize I would be the bad guy. But how do you know when you make the right decision and not be a prick?"
Forest chuckled as if recalling old memories. "And that is the definition of a minefield. You must trust your gut and hope things pan out. And if they don't, own up to it. It is about respect."
Hearing additional weapons fire coming from the other side of the Ranger position, the Farian jumped off the roof of the forward AMTV and rushed away, heading toward the sound of battle.
"There goes our tour guide," Wallace said.
"This is why we don't rely on civilians," Forest said. "Ben, go drag her back."
"Sarge." Ford left the convoy and headed deeper into the Rangers' position to go after the Farian.
As the Comanche soldier passed through the Ranger position, Ford stopped to allow three soldiers—two carrying a stretcher with a wounded soldier, the medic holding an IV—to pass. The injured man had burnt scars across his Itlian chest plate, with a hole on the left side. What surprised the Sergeant was that he saw no blood.
He understood why. The intense heat from the enemy elecprobus staff weapon had cauterized the wound—something he had not seen often on Earth.
With his path clear, the Sergeant rushed through the crowds. As he drew closer, the intensity of the battle grew louder. A group of mortar teams fired toward the struggle, with a radioman giving directions. The radio operator was holding a notepad and writing down every detail, most likely calculating the precise distance between this mortar pod and the enemy to avoid friendly fire.
As Benjamin Ford passed the mortars, a Sergeant First Class approached him, blocking the Comanche warrior's path.
"Where are you going, Sergeant Ford?"
As Ford stared at the Sergeant First Class, a green label appeared over the Ranger's name, stating Whitman. That was how the tall, Caucasian Ranger knew his name, sharing the same shortwave LOCALNET IFF network transmitted from their battlesuits.
Seeing the name tag Whitman, Ford responded, "Sergeant. I am with the Minutemen. Our tour guide rushed through here, and I am retrieving her. She is a Farian."
"A Farian?" Whitman said. "No idea what those are. It's hard to keep track of a rock like this. But I did hear reports of a furry person heading toward the front. I have three men chasing after her."
"That is her," Ford said. "Please tell them not to worry, as she is with us. I will take care of it."
"Okay. Hurry though. My Rangers don't need the distraction."
Understanding the Sergeant First Class's frustration, Ford moved toward the sounds of battle. However, someone warned of incoming aircraft before he passed the NCO over LOCALNET.
Looking toward the south, Ford saw an enemy airship. While it was hard to tell from its speed and thin design, he concluded it could be an Akilla-type interceptor. Regardless, the Sergeant knew what an incoming threat looked like, and this airship was one.
When the interceptor grew closer, the attack airship fired two glowing green missiles at the Ranger's position. The first missile impacted one of the mortar pods, forcing Ford to seek cover behind a large boulder. The other rocket impacted the Ranger's robotic light tanks.
Seeing that the Akilla had flown past their position, Ford saw traces of small arms fire directed at the retreating airship. In the distance, an Arrow missile fired from a rear unit zoomed past the tree line and impacted the enemy airship.
Knowing that Comanche would need to leave soon, Benjamin Ford rushed past the Rangers. He reached the front line, a decent distance from the Battalion HQ where Rommel King was. When he arrived, he took cover behind another boulder occupied by two other Rangers—one holding a sniper rifle and the other using a range finder.
The two Rangers acknowledged the Minuteman's presence but remained focused on their duty, which was fine with the Sergeant, as he had his own mission. Looking over the boulder, he saw the raw battle.
The Rangers were occupying a ridgeline next to a waterfall. The enemy occupied their own ridgeline, covering comrades below. Columns of hostiles holding shields at an elevated position slowly forced their way across the creek bed against the Rangers on the opposite end.
The Verliance Aristocracy were firing their elecprobus and circiletum from their entrenched positions. Their heavy accelerator, protected by a mage's barrier, fired and impacted a tree, causing it to fall. Small energy bolts impacted all around, covering the area with flechettes embedded into trees and the ground. A small shield wall in front of the ridgeline added additional protection, combined with geomancy raising the ground for extra cover. Those same mages used magic to either project large boulders from the cliff edge or attempt to destabilize the ground the Rangers occupied.
The waterfall's flow decreased as the water began to rise into the air, forming a ball. Small water-based projectiles burst from the giant ball, raining onto the Rangers' position. Some impacts were blocked by the Itlian armor; however, any exposed skin had little resistance to the sharpness of a water projectile.
The sound of a 30mm Bushmaster from a Buffalo UGV light tank impacted the enemy positions, quickly destroying any earth-based defenses the Aristocracy geomancy mages had erected. A combination of soldiers manning M2 Browning heavy machine guns and other light arms poured fire into the heavy enemy infantry positions. Rocket fire, from direct to guided missiles, pounded the enemy, either disrupting or destroying their intended targets.
A squad of IRiSS robotic warriors stood at the center, firing their M338 medium machine guns or larger caliber heavy rifles toward the enemy. One of them, Ford could see, had its front armor plating covered with flechettes.
Hearing the sniper team searching for the enemy hydromancer, Ford slid away to avoid distraction. Turning, he noticed Ar'lya sitting on a branch as she watched the battle unfold. "There you are," he said.
"I wanted to see how your kind fights," Ar'lya said.
"You cannot rush away like that," Ford responded. "There will be plenty of those opportunities in the days ahead. Besides, you saw us fight before."
"That was different," Ar'lya said. "That was small teams running around in the forest. I never saw two armies go at it before like this."
The comment surprised Ford. Given the state of the world, he had assumed most people on Alagore had seen some action, especially her, being a traveler. However, he recalled her stating that she had come to this region to avoid the war and not get in the middle.
"Welcome to war," Ford said.
"You are not kidding. I struggle to imagine why people volunteer for this. They are going at it as if they were fighting over the last pot of water."
"That is above my pay grade. Whenever someone asks a question like that, the Colonel always said, as long as someone wants your roof, you either fight or surrender. Everything else is politics. I also looked at it as if someone had to do the job."
The Rodent didn't respond to Benjamin Ford's words; however, she agreed with the statement, as evidenced by her ears flicking.
Hearing Forest over TEAMCOM stating that Rommel King had returned and they had their orders, the Sergeant and Farian needed to return.
"Now, we need to go."