"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, 2068 (military calendar)
Hiplose Woods, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
With Comanche navigating through the thick forest, Benjamin Ford followed Ivy's makeshift dirt path, which their engineers had created. This allowed the Rangers to reach the front line quickly. However, the rain had made driving the elevated road troublesome.
As the Sergeant drove through the muddy trail, he noticed a black tree scorched from what he couldn't tell, only that a significant battle had happened because of the dysfunctional terrain. The signs of battle were everywhere.
"It looks like the Rangers gave them hell," Higgins said.
"Maybe," Ford said. "From what I understand, this engagement happened two days ago, and we have only gone this far. And from what I hear over the radio, there is a major engagement up ahead, so that isn't far."
"The Vampires are extremely territorial," Fraeya said. "Not as expansionist as the humans and kiriyaks but 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 said. “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 days' environmental scares of battle, it was clear to Ford that the Americans won whatever nameless battle was waged here. It was clear that the enemy was determined not to give up. When Ryder was taken, Colonel Hackett 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 route. The Verliance Aristocracy Order—which, according to Natilite, is like an Army Brigade—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 sizeable enough that the enemy could recapture multiple fortifications within the forest and recapture the momentum. This was why Colonel Hackett deployed the Minutemen to help Ivy and the Rangers. Buy time to allow for an orderly withdrawal back to Salva.
After traveling some distance, they saw a Light Infantry Reconnaissance Vehicle (LIRV) blocking the path. The vehicle was lighter compared to the AMTV, with its frames around the top without doors or armor, which was optionally inspired by the old World War Two vehicles with modern designs. The idea was to quickly move troops around or as a simple transport behind friendly lines or for quick raids.
Two Rangers dismounted with their LIRVs, labeling them from 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 saw 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 toward the general 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-like, similar to a lion's.
The bear-like alien charged toward the two Rangers at incredible speeds. They fired a few shots in haste, with a couple of bullets impacting the beast's side with blood gushing out from its thick belly. Shockingly, the Ranger's weapons didn't slow the creature down as if it ignored the wounds. Within seconds, the animal quickly rammed with his giant body into the LIRV, 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 until ramming him back onto the ground. With the massive animal's powerful jaw, the beast bit into the soldier's armor, crushing the plate as if it were paper, 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 seemed only to anger the alien bear; however, it gave Ford and Higgins the opening they needed, firing this weapon into the animal's thick hide.
To the two 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 a clean shot as it retreated into the forest, slowly walking backward. There were a few openings, and the two Minutemen took it, firing into the beast's hide. While blood was gushing as expected, the beast refused to react or let go of the man.
Noticing someone stepping on the AMTV hood, Ford saw Ar’lya aiming her spear in the fighting stance.
“Now, Fraeya,” Ar’lya said.
The female Noble Elf cast a hydromancy spell, spraying water over the beast. 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 the side of the animal's head, causing it to let go of the Ranger. The two Comanche and the other Rangers opened and engaged the beast until the ammunition within their magazines was empty. All wanting to make sure that the alien bear was dead.
The bear wobbled and then looked around in a confused manner. With blood flowing all around its body, chucks of his hide slide onto the dirt, and the beast lets out a mighty roar before dropping onto the ground, laying in a pool of its blood.
Ford stood as he stared at the beast, maintaining his aim. Some part of him wanted to relax now that the target was neutralized; however, he was shocked at how the animal tanked its attacks and felt fearful of approaching the corpse.
The two transport trucks stopped, and half a dozen Rangers jumped out. Four of them with their M11s at the ready, securing the area. The other two were medics rushing to the two wounded men. Two more then dismounted from the lead medium-sized vehicle with their rifles aimed at the corpse, taking no risk.
"What the hell was that?" Higgins asked, lowing 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 sent, 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.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"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 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 was 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 left, Ford returned to the wounded Ranger before heading toward the forest. Fraeya and Natilite had warned his people to be worried about what they see 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 Ranger's 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 the dozens of friendly soldiers rushing between positions. Some were carrying wounds, while others were carrying ammunition for the raging battle that was up their heads.
Having his VISOR down, his HUD displayed each soldier with a green marker, including what outfit these soldiers belonged to 5th Rangers, Alpha Company, Battalion HQ. Based on the layout, they occupied half a ridge leading to the riverbed below, and the enemy attacked their position.
"Comanche," King said. "Hold up here. Ghost-Lead and I are heading 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 make sure we have enough synthetic fuel for the AMTVs."
The Warrant Officer-1 left Comanche with Ghosts 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 trunk attached to the Rangers during this counterattack.
For Benjamin Ford, while he was securing the spare ammunition, sudden loud explosions with intense weapon fire 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 a solid victory as 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 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 to his comment as she entered the armored vehicle, a part of the Sergeant couldn't help but feel that he got the cold shoulder treatment. A part of him understood as she was probably still upset about what happened at Mount Orlatus, him stopping her from boarding that Unity airship.
Feeling frustrated, Ford remained silent before going back to his work. That was when he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. Knowing the subject matter, the Sergeant expected it to be one of the Twins. When he turned to investigate, he was surprised to see the robotic hand belonging to Kurt Forest on his shoulder.
"I have been married for over a decade," Forest said.
"And what do you recommend on 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 confusedly. "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 being a prick?"
Forest chuckled as if he was 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 with the medic holding an IV. The injured man had burnt scars across his Itlian chest plate, plating 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 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 Minutemen could hear the intensity of the battle growing louder. A group of mortar teams fired toward the struggle, with a radioman giving directions. The radio operator is holding a notepad and writing down every detail. Most likely, they are trying to calculate the precise distance between this mortar pod and the enemy to avoid accidentally dropping a shell onto their friends in the middle.
As Benjamin Ford passed the mortars, a Sergeant First Class approached him, blocking the Comanche warrior 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 White men. That was how the tall, Caucasian Ranger knew his name, sharing the same shortwave LOCALNET IFF network imitated from their battlesuits.
Seeing the name tag, staying Whitman, Ford responded, "Sargeant. 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 fury 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 approached the intense sounds of battle. However, someone warned incoming aircraft before he passed the NCO over LOCALNET.
Looking toward the south, Ford saw an enemy airship. While it was hard to tell based on its speed and thin design, he concluded that it could be an Akilla-type interceptor. Regardless, the Sergeant knew what an incoming threat was when he saw it, and this airship was incoming.
When the interceptor grew closer, the attack airship fired two glowing green-like missiles at the Ranger's position. The first missile impacted one of the mortar pods, forcing Ford to seek cover by a large boulder. The other rocket impacted the Ranger's robotic light tanks.
Seeing that the Akilla flew past their position, Ford saw traces of small arms firing at the retreating airship. In the distance, an Arrow missile fired from a rear unit zoomed past the tree lines 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 by another boulder occupied by two other Rangers—one holding a sniper and the other using a range finder.
The two Rangers acknowledged the Minutemen's presence but remained focused on their duty, which was okay with the Sergeant, as he had his mission. Looking over the boulder, he saw the raw battle.
The Rangers were occupying a ridgeline next to a waterfall. The enemy was occupying their ridgeline, covering their comrades below. Collums of hostile 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 position. Their heavy accelerator, being protected by a mage's barrier, fired, impacting next to a tree, which caused it to fall. Small energy bolts impacted all around, covering the area with flechette embedded into trees and the ground. A small shield wall in front of the ridgeline, adding additional protection in combination with geomancy raising the ground to add extra cover – those same mages using magic to either project large boulders from the cliff edge or attempt to destabilize the ground the Rangers were occupying.
The waterfall's flow was reduced as the water started flowing into the air, forming a ball. Small water-base projectiles busted from the giant ball, raining onto the Rangers' position. Some of the impacts were blocked because of the Itlian armor; however, any exposed skin would have 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 protection from the Aristocracy geomancy mage. A combination of soldiers manning M2 Browning heavy machine guns and other light arms poured into the heavy enemy infantry position. With 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 its front armor plating covered with flechette.
Hearing the sniper team searching for the enemy hydromancy, 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. With the state of the world, he assumed most people on Alagore had seen action to some degree, especially her, being a traveler. However, he recalled her stating that she came 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, someone has to do the job."
The Rodent didn't respond to Benjamin Ford's words; however, he noticed that she agreed with the statement based on 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."