(I may not know much about writing a good story, but I just really enjoy the concept of modern military in a medieval world. Anyway, the military base, CGJO ranks, and everything else are all creations of my own, not based on reality!)
United States, Virginia
The hum of electronics filled the Commanding General of Joint Operation's office at Fort Vanguard, the largest U.S. military base and Home to all branches of the U.S military on the East Coast. It was a Monday morning, and General Carter Widson, the commanding officer of the entire base, sat at his desk, eyes fixed on the massive screen in front of him. The usual reports flooded in, potential global threats, updates on military readiness, and preparations for the ever-increasing tensions in Europe.
Suddenly, the lights in General Carter's office flickered, followed by the massive screen in front of him. A feeling of unease settled in as the entire electricity in the room cut out, leaving him in complete darkness. His senses sharpened, and he stood frozen for a moment, trying to make sense of what had just happened. A few minutes later, the power returned, but as he resumed his work, he noticed something troubling—there was no signal. The usual feed from the base's systems was gone.
A few minutes had passed, and General Carter was still trying to make sense of the situation. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching his office door, followed by a firm knock.
"General, I have something to report," a voice called from the other side.
"Come in," General Carter replied, his tone sharp.
The door opened, and a man in his mid-40s stepped inside—Colonel Daniel Hayes, the Executive Officer.
"General, it looks like we have a major problem," Colonel Hayes said, his expression serious.
"What happened?" General Carter asked, his brow furrowed.
Colonel Hayes shook his head. "General, it appears there have been some changes to the land surrounding our base. Most of the soldiers have come to the conclusion that we may have been transported to a different world."
General Carter couldn’t believe what Colonel Hayes had just said. He immediately turned toward the window in his office, which faced the dock. From his vantage point, nothing seemed out of place—just personnel rushing about, everyone in a hurry. Everything looked normal. The idea that they were in different world felt absurd. With a skeptical frown, he turned back to Colonel Hayes, disappointment and disbelief clear on his face.
"General, please follow me outside and see it for yourself" Colonel Hayes said.
As they walked through the building, General Carter noticed the chaos unfolding around him, people were panicking, and confusion filled the air. His eyes briefly caught a glimpse of something strange through the windows, a mountain—but he dismissed it for the moment. Once they stepped outside, the reality hit him hard. A mountain loomed on the west side of the base, a sight so absurd he could hardly process it. There had never been a mountain there before.
"What the hell is going on? What is happening here?" Carter shouted, his voice filled with confusion and frustration.
"General, we need you in the command center. Now," Colonel Hayes said firmly, raising his voice over the confusion.
Carter shot him a glance, exhaling deeply in frustration. Without a word, he turned and marched toward the command center, his pace quick and determined.
Command Center
Carter finally reached the command center, where the high-ranking officers of the base had already gathered. The room buzzed with whispers and anxious chatter. No one bothered to salute as he entered, but Carter didn’t care. He moved straight to his seat at the head of the table. Beside him sat Brigadier General Liam Tomson of the Army. Wasting no time, Carter leaned toward him.
"Liam, do you know what the hell happened?" Carter asked, his voice low but tense.
"We're still figuring it out," Liam replied, his face grim. "But what we do know is—we’re not on Earth anymore."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"
"We’ve lost all contact with our satellites. Not a single signal from any of them." Liam’s tone was dead serious.
After a few minutes, more high-ranking officers filtered into the command center. Once everyone had arrived, the meeting began. The room was filled with serious faces, all eyes fixed on Carter, the Commanding General of Joint Operations. Without wasting time, Carter turned to Colonel General of the Air Force, Robert Smith, for a report.
"By now, most of us know we are in unfamiliar territory," Robert began, his voice steady but heavy. "We’ve lost all contact with our government and satellites, which leads us to the conclusion that we’ve been... transported to another world." He paused, letting out a deep sigh before continuing. "The 327th Reconnaissance Drone Squadron has already taken to the skies to scout the area and gather intel on this foreign land."
After Robert finished speaking, murmurs spread across the room as officers whispered to one another. Carter raised his right hand, signaling for silence. The room quickly quieted, and Carter began to speak.
"Given the situation, we’ll need to reduce our electricity consumption and conserve our oil, water, and food supplies," he said, his tone firm and serious. He sighed before continuing. "We must find alternatives for our resources—"
Carter’s words were shortly cut off by the loud bang of the command center door flying open. A man rushed inside and made his way straight to Colonel General Robert, leaning in to whisper something urgently in his ear.
"One of our MQ-9 Reaper has spotted a civilization to the north of our base," Robert said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "My team reports that it appears to be a large medieval-era city."
The room buzzed with whispers, But one voice spoke up, louder than the rest, challenging Robert's report.
"A medieval-era city? Are you telling us we've traveled back in time to Europe? Have you identified the country’s flag? Are they human?"
The voice belonged to William Jones, the base's diplomatic ambassador, who had been preparing to leave Fort Vanguard for a high-stakes negotiation with Russia. But everything changed when the base was unexpectedly transported to this foreign land. After William's question, the room fell silent, and it was Robert who, breaking the silence, began to speak.
"We still haven't confirmed the country yet and yes, they looks human based on the report" Robert said.
"As General Carter said, we should immediately find alternatives for our resources, and establishing contact with those people could help secure our daily needs. This should be our top priority." One of the officers said.
"I understand what you're trying to say, but our top priority should be getting back home as soon as possible. We should gather all our scientists to explain how we can return immediately." one of the officers in the room said.
"What the hell are you talking about? Science can't explain this shit that's happening to us!"
"Oh? You don't want to get back? This base is carrying 10% of the U.S. military. If the world finds out that Fort Vanguard is gone, Russia or China will surely take action."
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Two sides formed in the command center, one group wanted to establish contact with the people of this foreign land, while the other insisted on focusing on getting back home, caring little for the people in the foreign land. The debate grew heated, and Carter shouted.
"QUIET DOWN!" Carter shouted. The argument between the two sides fell silent as Carter began to speak. "As I said, we must secure our resources first, and that means establishing a relationship with the people of this foreign land. After that, we can focus on how to get back home. This will be our plan, whether you like it or not." Carter's tone and expression were serious.
After Carter's speech, everyone in the command center exchanged glances, and slowly, one by one, they all agreed with his plan. Once everyone was on board, Carter spoke again.
"For our base security, instead of just the MPs guarding and patrolling, every branch will join them and be on high alert 24/7 starting today," Carter announced. After a brief sigh, he continued, "As for our agenda today, I want Mr. William Jones to establish contact with the city the MQ-9 Reaper spotted to the north. Can I entrust this to you, Mr. William?" Carter said, looking directly at William.
"Yes," William answered with a serious expression and a tone determined to carry out the task. Carter knew that, technically, he didn’t have the authority to give orders to William since he wasn’t part of the military. However, given the situation, they were all in the same boat.
Fort Vanguard, North Gate
As William stood at the north gate of the base with his two assistants, he noticed three M1280 approaching.
"Those must be the guards assigned to protect us" William thought to himself.
The three M1280s came to a halt, and three figures in full tactical gear dismounted from the lead vehicle, making their way toward William and his assistants.
“You must be Mr. William? I’m Major Lucas,” Lucas said, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Yes, I’m William. Nice to meet you," William replied, shaking hands with Lucas.
"Anyway, this is Captain Parker, my second in command, and Sergeant Ryan," Lucas said, introducing the two men. William shook hands with both.
“These are Jeannie and Gabriel, my assistants,” William said, introducing his team to Lucas and the others.
"Great, we should get going now. We've got a long way ahead of us," Lucas said.
William mounted the lead vehicle, while the rest of the team went to the second and third vehicles. Once inside, he met two more members of Lucas' team.
"Oh, by the way, William, this is our driver, Jacob, and the guy next to you is Michael," Lucas said as he took his seat in the front.
William smiled slightly and shook their hands as the vehicle started to move.
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While on the way, William didn't expect the ride to be smooth, given that they were driving off-road. As he checked his bag to make sure he hadn't left anything behind, Lucas began speaking to him.
"By the way, William." Lucas said, handing him a small earpiece. "If things go south or you and your team are in danger, you need to say one word: 'Lincoln.' That’s our code. If you say it, we’ll know to move in and provide backup. Don't hesitate to use it if the negotiation takes a turn or if you feel threatened."
William nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "Got it. 'Lincoln' if things go bad. I’ll make sure to keep that in mind."
"Anyway, I can't help but ask," Lucas said with a smirk, "What if the people we're about to meet don't speak English?" He chuckled lightly. "I mean, we're in a foreign world, after all."
"Don't worry, I can fluently speak seven languages," William said, glancing out the window of the vehicle.
"Yeah, sure, but what if they don't speak any of your seven languages?" Lucas replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, if they don't speak any of my languages, then we'll have to rely on diplomacy," William said, "Plan B is simple gestures, signs, and maybe some basic drawings. If that doesn't work, we can always try to find someone who does speak a common language."
"Hmm, yeah, sure, sounds like a plan," Lucas said quietly, his expression skeptical.
After traveling for 20 minutes, they could already see the massive walls of the city. The walls were tall and imposing, made of thick stone, with multiple ballista mounted on top.
As they searched for the entrance gate, they saw a massive crowd of people, with multiple carriages lined up in front of it, waiting to pass through.
"Shit, this will take forever." Lucas said.
"We can't do anything about this," William said, observing the long line of carriages and people.
The three M1280s approached the end of the line and lined up for the entrance gate. Their massive vehicles caused a commotion, with the people around them staring and whispering among themselves.
"We're really standing out in these vehicles," Jacob said, chuckling a little.
"I'll try talking to them," William said, quickly exiting the vehicle. As soon as William opened the door, Lucas and Michael followed suit.
After exiting the vehicle, Lucas and Michael went on full alert, scanning for any potential threats. William, however, was curious and began approaching the first person he saw. Lucas and Michael followed, but they stopped in their tracks when they suddenly heard a familiar language.
"This long damn line, why can't they just open the gates for the merchants?" said by the person William was trying to approach.
"English?" William said in shock, turning his head to Lucas and Michael.
The person turned around, hearing William's voice. He took a moment to assess the situation before responding. "Hey, can you believe this shit? The city is cl-" The person was cut off as William raised his voice, speaking loudly and clearly.
"Hello! Do you understand me? Do you understand English?" William asked, his tone urgent.
"Y-yes, I understand you... but what do you mean, English?" The person replied, his face a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"The language you're speaking," William said, pointing to himself.
"Huh? En-gl-iss? I don't know what you're talking about, I'm speaking the common language," the person replied, his tone still confused but more curious now.
"Sorry for my rude behavior, I'm William Jones, the envoy of the United States of America," William said, his tone polite but firm.
"Envoy of a country? Anyway, I'm Lirbert, a merchant," Lirbert replied, his eyes narrowing as he sized William up. 'Envoy... if I can get close to him, maybe I can sell my products in his country and make a profit' Lirbert thought to himself, already considering the possibilities.
"Can we ask a few questions?" William asked, his tone polite.
"Sure, sure, ask as many questions as you want from me," Lirbert replied, his face lighting up with a smile.
"What country are we in now? And what city is that?" William inquired, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Huh? You don't know what country you're in, despite being an envoy sent here?" Lirbert asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Haha, let's just say we're a little... lost. But since we're here, why not establish a relationship with this country?" William replied with a friendly smile, trying to steer the conversation in a positive direction.
"Right... Anyway, we are in the Kingdom of Eldarion, and that city is Erlun, governed by the Duke of Erlun," Lirbert explained, a glint of pride in his voice.
"Do they also speak the common language?" William asked.
"Yes, most people, if not all, in Eldarion speak the common language," Lirbert said, glancing toward the gate before turning back to William. "Since you are an envoy, you can skip the line. Wait here, I'll tell the guards." He quickly turned and hurried toward the gate.
After a few minutes, Lirbert returned, accompanied by two guards dressed in what appeared to be iron armor. As they approached, William waved to Lirbert, who happily waved back. It seemed Lirbert was gesturing toward William, pointing him out to the armored guards.
"I'm Ardric Varnes, Captain of the West Gate Vanguard," the guard introduced himself.
"I'm William Jones, envoy from the United States of America. These are my escorts," William replied, gesturing to his team.
"That strange carriage in the back, is it yours?" Ardric asked, eyeing the M1280.
"Yes, that's our vehicle," William confirmed.
Ardric's expression turned skeptical as he took in the sight of the vehicle. 'What kind of country suddenly appears out of nowhere in a time like this?' he wondered.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I will need to report this to the Duke. Please follow me."
Ardric motioned for them to proceed, though his mind was filled with doubt. He couldn't shake the feeling that something about this situation was far from ordinary.
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Kingdom of Eldarion, Erlun
Everyone, along with William, was escorted by four guards on horseback towards the Duke's residence. As they passed through the main road, every person they encountered couldn't help but stare at the M1280. It was the first time they had ever seen such a massive, unusual carriage in their city.
After traveling for a few minutes, they eventually arrived at the Duke's residence. Since they couldn't bring their vehicle inside, they dismounted and proceeded on foot. William, Jeanne, Gabriel, and four members of the Delta Team made their way to the Duke's residence. Lucas, the team leader, Jacob, the team medic, Tyler, the communications and intelligence specialist, and Ethan, the tactical specialist, followed closely behind, each alert and ready for any unexpected threats.
While four members of the Delta team went inside to escort and guard William, three remained outside to secure the vehicles. Parker, the second-in-command and reconnaissance specialist, Michael, the team's weapons specialist, and Ryan, the team's sniper, stayed alert. As Parker surveyed the area around the Duke's residence for potential escape routes, making sure not to be seen by the guards, he noticed something alarming, a large army marching along the main road, heading toward the northern gate.
"What the hell was that about? A show of force?" Parker muttered to himself, confused by the sight of the large, fully equipped soldiers marching toward the northern gate. He watched closely, trying to understand their purpose and whether it had anything to do with their presence in the city.
Chapter 1 End here :)