Chapter 12
April 16, 1964
6:45 AM
Vicenzo
Dennis woke up from a dreamless sleep, his mind too tired to have given his slumber any imaginative sequence as he finally got some brief but much-needed rest. But now he was awake and images from the larger battle flooded into his mind once again as he felt like he had been stuck in that hell for months even though the entire campaign was still barely a month old. The screams of dying men were the most memorable to him even though he wanted to drown them out with the sounds of helicopters and car engines and anything that could take him back home. To just sit down, get a nice burger at home, listen to the radio with Ma, and just exist for a short while.
Those lingering thoughts of home slipped into his mind and were suddenly dashed away as an unwanted but oh-so-loud voice echoed through his thoughts once again.
You'll lose it all and gain nothing...
It was with that memory in mind, only physically acknowledged with an exhausted huff, that Dennis Orville finally stood up from his bunk and began searching for his uniform in the early twilight hours.
The blood from several dead attackers had long since been washed off his satines, and they had already been dried and pressed as the American camp now had uninterrupted logistics. Still, a part of him doubted everything he saw would ever wash off so easily. And yet, he knew he had to be presentable for the meeting that was about to take place between very, very, very important people, so all those concerns had to be moved aside immediately.
At the very least, it would serve as a fine distraction from the images seared into his brain. His cuts and bruises were still a little visible, but they had improved much since the battle ended. All without the use of magic, of course. He buttoned up his uniform so his undershirt still remained visible, tightened his belt a notch more than he’d been used to, and exited the tent.
The palace grounds had been cleared of all wounded individuals by now. Up above he could faintly hear the incoming helicopters. Onboard would, if what he’d been told was accurate, several officers who’d begin the process of opening talks. Not quite diplomats, but people who could begin opening channels and inform the “military officer” present, Partha Traianus, of the present situation and perhaps give some options to her while explaining to the local civilian leadership, Governor Lucretius, exactly what should be expected of the US presence now.
And of course, it fell to him to be the interpreter.
He could see the Chinook approaching now, and he figured it’d be best to skip breakfast. Not like he was hungry, anyway. Really, his one hope was that the situation could be resolved without any needless posturing by the local leadership. He’d never been one for listening to long political speeches back home, after all. Home…
He tried to shake the thoughts away once again, but it was unavoidable.
He almost died. Had the guys not been nearby, had he not held on to his M16, had it been any other time of day, had any of the spears been more accurate, he’d be dead. Dead, probably on the way home to no one in particular. Maybe a distant relative would’ve been tracked down for his burial, but nothing else. Not really.
And then what?
Heaven?
Would it be so bad if he got to see his mom and dad again?
You sure you’re going there big guy?
The intrusive thought stopped him in his tracks and made his entire body freeze over with dread. Doubt. Fear. He half wanted to fall to his knees and beg there and then, but he composed himself. Now wasn’t the time for that kind of thought, after all. Now he had to focus on preparing for interpreting the big meeting. A historic meeting, really. True first-step diplomacy.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.
Before he could respond to his own nagging voice, another cut into his internal diatribe.
“Orville?”
“Yes, captain!” he choked out before standing at attention.
“You’re up.” his captain said with some surprise lining his words.
“Yes, sir, figured I’d get ready now.”
“Right. You sleep alright?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. The brass should be arriving any minute now, and… well, then it’s up to you to accurately interpret.”
“Yes, sir. Can’t wait.”
“Yeah, maybe we’ll end the war here and there.”
“I hope so, sir. The emperor’s daughter should have learned her lesson these last few days, so I’m hopeful she’ll simply agree to tell her old man to end the war already.”
“Indeed. Indeed. She does seem quite smart for a girl her age. Well… good luck, Orville.”
8:00 AM
Oh, this stupid bitch...
Dennis didn't really know what else to think of the young “princess”, though a part of him was chastising himself for daring to think of a woman in such a way. Yet the other part of him was asking just what the hell else was he to think as she continued to read from a piece of parchment as though nothing had happened over the last week.
“...and I certainly hope we can open fair and equal relations going forward…” she continued and he repeated what she said with little conscious or particular investment in her empty words.
“...with peace for all parties after our joint defense of this city…”
Really, of the overall two hundred Americans who’d participated in the defense of the city of Vicenzo, seventy had been injured in some form, some bad enough to have to be sent home. Four had been killed and would be returning home in coffins adorned with the stars and stripes. Of the two hundred local troops the city had for defense, fifty had been gravely wounded fighting the fires, forty defending the walls from the varied attacks Octavius sent at them, and another thirty had died so far.
And yet now this woman was standing there trying to pretend she’d been as vital to the effort as any one of those guys in the trenches. He wasn’t the only one thinking that as he noted Governor Lucretius appeared rather uncomfortable and he was not alone.
Needless to say, as he translated, the officers who’d arrived did not appear amused whatsoever. He noticed how she was beginning to shrink away at the Air Force colonel’s glare each time she glanced up from the parchment to make eye contact or punctuate a phrase. The man hadn’t spoken, but as he translated, Dennis couldn’t help but notice that the man hadn’t blinked once as he eyed the young woman with an expression that made one wonder if he was trying to cause her to catch fire with his gaze alone. At least that much he could see.
And that’s ignoring the hooded figure to her left…
“For… for a better tomorrow. Ave Caesar.” she said and finished with a nod.
Still, Specialist Dennis Orville finished translating the young woman’s introduction and he waited as she sat down for the governor to open up next.
Governor Lucretius cleared his throat, then said, “Alright. Thank you, Your Highness. I will not bore you all with further introductions or a speech. So, gentlemen… while you have our thanks for rescuing our city, we should get the demands out of the way first, no? How is it that you would like us to repay you?”
Dennis translated, then at a nod from the officer in charge, he stood and read from a pre-written list of requirements.
“No payment for our services is necessary. Our only request of the city is permission to construct a military position that can be used to continue the war effort.”
“You wish to build a base here? A fortress?” Lucretius asked.
“Not a fortress, it is closer to a flat field where our flying machines can be stored and cared for when returning from a mission.”
Parthea stupidly spoke up then.
“But that is an act of war!”
The hooded figure next to her immediately chided her. Dennis had to blink a few times, as he could’ve sworn he saw the girl jump because a tail that he thought he saw poked at Parthea’s ear. The young woman quickly tried to add an addendum to her outburst.
“I mean, it would be… further provocation… which we should avoid.” she emphasized, then quickly added, “No such situation has been allowed before in our history!”
Lucretius sighed, then asked, “After the war, would such a facility still remain within our territory?”
Dennis translated, got an answer, then spoke back to Lucretius.
“A better deal can be discussed, but the current proposal for the base is to have it remain here. If you wish to have it turned back over to you after a period of time, it can be negotiated.”
“Is there a minimum period it must remain within your control?” Lucretius asked, noting Parthea already looked ready to blurt something stupid out again.
Dennis asked in English, listened, and then translated once more.
“That would depend on need, but if needed our leaders are willing to pay to hold the area for five years.”
“Pay? Pay as in, give tribute for holding the land?”
Dennis blinked, realizing his folly of not mentioning payment for the land earlier, then quickly said, “Yes, apologies. If you wish, we are willing to pay for use of the land as well.”
Parthea was quick to interject again, albeit with more of a point this time, “S-such a decision would have to be made by the Senate, the-the governor cannot simply sell land to a foreign power.”
Lucretius stated, “It would be leased if I understand this correctly, and I do hold authority over that decision. But she is correct that doing so would cause ire from those in the capital, and like it or not we are still citizens of the Empire and wish to remain as such.”
Dennis translated, suddenly finding the task oddly mundane. Was there not a bigger problem right now?
“Now, regarding our actual movements…” he recalled the briefing, “...our machines will be moving out of the mountains and have an uninterrupted path to the capital. We understand that, if not interrupted, we will reach it in a week’s time. If Octavius tries to rest, he will be found and captured. If he makes it to the city, unless he leaves immediately, we would’ve already arrived there by land, let alone air. We would, of course, prefer not to damage your capital city and instead focus on ending this war and bringing peace.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
He stared at the uncertainty in the young woman’s face.
I need a break...
While waiting, he allowed his eyes to dart towards the tired-looking bodyguards that stood nearby, trying to see the younger one as some form of eye candy to distract himself. Granted, the rabbit ear woman next to the governor was easy on the eyes- if not for the ears and tail- but she was clearly his woman and the 10th Commandment couldn’t be clearer on that. The chestnut-haired guard was at least human and, from the looks of it, on her own.
Maybe I should start flirting... wonder how old she-
As Parthea spoke up, he ensured his attention was on her again.
“Perhaps I can speak to my father in person to better secure such peace? I believe there is still a wyvern I can take back to the capital. It will only take a day’s flight then, no?"
Lucretius added, “Senator Marcel’s wyvern has indeed survived the week and I believe he could take you back to the capital tonight if needed.”
“Why, yes… yes, that could work! Lucy here can message ahead, as well!” she motiond to the hooded girl.
A silent nod was the response.
Oh, we’ll get to you soon…
He did not bother to return eye contact as the hooded creature briefly stared directly at him. Still, relieved at the apparent speed with which the meeting was moving, he turned to face the generals and translated.
The man finally said, "Ask the princess the following..."
Dennis listened, nodded, and turned to the young woman.
"Can you guarantee your father will surrender?"
She winced at the question and her guards tried to hide their surprise. Even the governor appeared somewhat uncomfortable with the word. Dennis kept his gaze level and waited.
Finally, she started slowly, "He... he said that negotiations should always be an option, so I am certain-"
Lucretius interrupted her.
"It was not a question about negotiations. Will he surrender? I doubt it, to be perfectly honest."
Another wince, as if the question was a slap to the face, but he couldn’t pity her. If anything, by now Dennis had to force himself not to glare at her.
He didn't send you here to negotiate… and you know he won’t negotiate, either.
"I... I cannot say for certain... I know we have no chance of winning!” she blurted out, “And I'd like to believe my father will make the intelligent decision, but..." she paused, a nervous expression on her face as she avoided eye contact with the Americans.
"But you cannot say for certain?" Dennis half asked, half repeated to himself, but the response was a quiet nod from the emperor’s daughter.
Brilliant…
He then turned to translate again.
The officers spoke amongst themselves a moment, then asked another question. He turned back to her, hiding some inner glee at the expected reaction the question would bring.
"Say we took you hostage; would he surrender then?"
Not disappointing, both the governor and imperial daughter recoiled at the suggestion.
“I- I know that this would… customary, but… no, it would not deter my father from continuing with this scorched earth campaign. It would only make things clearer to him that he needs to keep going!”
Dennis nodded and translated back.
The Air Force colonel appeared disappointed, but the other officers nodded along and requested something else, but the young woman quickly blurted out something else.
"My father already sees you like an invading army of barbarians out to destroy the empire in anger! If you give him anything that confirms his suspicions, he will do something drastic."
I don't know if you've noticed, but we are here to destroy the little plot of land you call an empire.
Instead, he said, “We are negotiating to avoid that outcome, highness. But we will destroy it if you give us no alternative." Dennis concluded, desperately trying to keep his voice from sounding like a growl as he reminded the princess what their situation was.
"But my father will not surrender if you do!"
Dennis turned and translated.
He turned back to her and repeated what he’d been told.
"We need him to surrender. You have seen the destruction this war is causing. If the quickest way to bring peace requires destroying your empire, then that is what we will do, but if we can avoid that, then please help us avoid that."
She slumped down slightly and said " I wish it were so simple as just asking. Wars here often result in the complete destruction of an enemy faction, sometimes regardless of surrender. Just ask her. It's normal."
Dennis glanced at the blinded rabbit woman standing guard near the governor. In response, the woman gave the princess an obviously fake smile but only bowed her head somewhat and said nothing. Dennis frowned, reminding himself of the history lessons of the ancient world.
Damn it…
Parthea continued.
"More than that, our empire is the largest in this continent, and if Father believes it is a fight to the death, he will act accordingly, even if your intentions are not to completely annihilate us. The suffering of the people would be unimaginable. We have the largest, most advanced army in this land apart from yours. To divert it entirely into causing as much damage to the land, the people, and you as possible... I dare not imagine the outcome. The land would be unusable, and people in areas you cannot reach would be exterminated if they side with you, or starve to death as everything breaks down... it would destroy us, but it would also be impossible for your people to establish a rule over this land. I know what is at stake. That is why we must treat this matter with extreme caution!"
Dennis translated to the generals who appeared to nod along. He heard one flat out say “Like the Japs? Great.”
He did not translate that to her. Not yet.
Governor Lucretius said, “We should begin by getting allies in the Senate. A few weeks should be enough to convince those we need to, really. A good argument from a few influential individuals should convince him and the rest of the Senate.”
Dennis translated that back quickly, only to then get asked, “And this cat woman?”
He noted how the hooded girl’s ears twitched at the attention being brought to her even before he translated the message.
Parthea was quick to say, “As I said, she is communicating with the leader of the Seljuk tribe. He should also help ease the message to my father.”
“Is she aware we captured one of her friends?”
The cat girl nodded.
“If we can expect full cooperation, then he will be returned alive to your tribe. Same for any prisoners we have taken thus far.”
Another nod.
Dennis turned to the officers. They gave him a final nod, then waved to one of the guys outside. Dennis hid the urge to smirk.
Now we really get to tell them who’s in charge.
He started calmly and matter-of-factly.
“Now, we believe we must make the following very clear. If peace efforts fail, and your father does indeed wish to continue the war and run away, the following is to be expected. We are not going to bother placing cities under siege as was seen here or as your history shows. We do not fight that way anymore if we can avoid it.”
He did not even bother to look as two guys carried in a wooden stand with a printed-out photograph taken by the “unmanned” aircraft the Air Force had brought in. He did notice the Air Force’s colonel grin from ear to ear as the image of the capital city of Iberia was placed on the stand. He knew he had to emphasize the consequences, so he repeated it.
“Highness, Governor. Here is what is going to happen should peace not be met. Our warbirds, the ones that kill your wyverns and their riders without difficulty, arrived this week. You already saw a few. You have until we finish the construction of the base here to get your father to see reason and surrender."
“That… that is the capital?”
“Yes. From up above.”
“W-what will you do if we fail?” she asked, and he felt some pity at her attempt at bravado.
Too bad.
“There will be two phases. By the time we have set up construction here, special forces will have been inserted into the capital to help evacuate those who will work with us to ensure government functions once the current heads of state are taken out.”
He turned to the image.
“We can already see your father’s palace and the senate building. The larger ones compared with everything else around the city as well as the fact they have large gardens. These areas will be not be eliminated first, but rest assured, they are targets of interest. The walls here and here…” he pointed at the circled sections to the north of the city, “...will be destroyed by our warbirds.” then, to the circled areas near the river that went through the city, “These ports will be hit as well, as we understand they bring in slaves. The exact ones will be prioritized, but if needed we will destroy all of them.”
He heard Parthea audibly swallow.
“That will be the first phase and the first and final warning to your father. The walls will be destroyed to ensure our war machines can enter with minimal resistance, and the destroyed ports will ensure no easy escape by ship. If he still refuses to surrender, we will be forced to escalate further.”
“E-escalate further… how?” she asked now very much knowing what her situation was.
Dennis turned to the generals and translated. Listened to the quick, cold response. Then, back to the girl, he spoke in a neutral tone.
“As necessary.”
“W-what does that mean?”
“We have several plans depending on how the situation develops, highness. Remember, we all want to reach a peaceful solution here that ensures minimal loss of life.”
“Y-yes, of… of course.”
Governor Lucretius cleared his throat.
“You men are… certainly confident of your ability to do this.”
“That is the truth. Emperor Traianus attacked our people. Those responsible will be held accountable sooner or later.”
The young woman then tried to add something but fell silent.
“We… we should head back to the capital at once. I must speak to my father.”
“First we need to ensure a plan of entry as well as several other details.”
“But… but if Octavius gets to the capital first-” she stopped, glancing at Lucretius who had raised his hand.
“We will help you as necessary. We all want to end this war soon, after all. Highness, I will get Marcel to pack his documents quickly and ready his wyvern. You sort things out with these men so that we can avoid… that.” He concluded by pointing at the map with the circles drawn over the city.
Parthea nodded slowly, and Dennis translated back to the officers who all now appeared pleased with themselves. They stood and started talking to each other while Dennis suddenly felt a chill go up his spine.
“Your leaders seek allies within the capital, do they not?”
The Seljuk Agent had snuck up behind him and he hadn’t noticed once, but more importantly than that was how she’d spoken to him.
English.
Now eyes were on her.
Dennis glanced at the generals, who now also seemed to notice the cat girl had moved over the table to their side of the room. None particularly threatened. Yet. That could change.
Dennis quietly replied in English, “Allies?”
The girl nodded while Parthea looked on, confused.
Dennis saw the girl speak without moving her mouth, which only disturbed him further as she added with a sly, feline, smile.
“Indeed. There is one person of interest in the capital that just may offer what you need.”
Imperial Capital
Thule’s eyes shot open in the darkness.
The presence was there again. This time, feline eyes once more stared at her from outside her cell. Her rabbit ears perked up as she realized how quiet the cells around her were once more.
“What is it, Seljuk?” she grumbled.
“The enemy has made contact with my people.”
“How strange. They sought you out?”
“We had no choice in contacting them and once more I come with an opportunity for you.”
“I already told you, I am willing to help if it means destroying this damned empire.”
“And if it means saving it?”
She paused.
The memory of blood-soaked fields, decapitated corpses of men, women, children, and the awful stench of it all flooded into her mind once again. The warm touch of her mother and father was nothing but a distant memory, the laughs of those around her equally distant. Only screams and agonized cries exist there now.
“Never. They…”
“Is that what your mother would have wanted?”
“You bastards knew what she wanted and killed her anyway!” she growled, her red eyes glaring back at the spymaster. The creature only chuckled at her anguish.
“Of course, of course. You shall hear from me again, Your Majesty. You shall get what you want, worry not. I believe we all can if we do this correctly.”
“Do not patronize me.”
“I am not. I promise.”
She watched the eyes disappear into the darkness and once more she was alone with her thoughts and a strange chill. She wrapped the few rags she used to cover herself around her and huffed. Silently, she mused on the odd additional question the Spymaster had poised.
Save the empire?
Her?
Why provoke her now? He knew what she wished for more than anyone. The head of the Seljuk tribe was not quite a mind reader, but it was always close enough. So why pose that question to her?
She considered the words and the way he had asked them, and slowly, with a twitch of her rabbit ears, she realized one possibility. Perhaps not an entirely accurate one. But depending on what the Spymaster had seen from these invaders from another world who could now possibly bring vengeance for those she’d failed, it was at the very least plausible.
A crooked grin slowly spread on her face.
Fear.
If even that feline-eyed creature was scared, insecure to the point of asking her such a question, then the kind of monsters that had come forward from those cursed mountains were truly something beyond her wildest hopes. True vengeance could, finally, be within grasp.
Thule, one must always exercise mercy if they can.
Her grin vanished at the memory. A ghostly echo that never quite refused to leave her thoughts. She felt a little colder as she wrapped the rags around her a little further. She could not let those thoughts ever dominate her mind.
Not again.