Operation Silver Shield was a shit show, just like the former namesakes on Earth this was a shit show from the beginning. This mission was well beyond the capabilities of the men working tirelessly to protect the Federation, yet the mission was not over.
Since climbing aboard the barge no less than eighty seconds ago, Mike had led his fireteam through the scattered crates and shipping containers aboard the vessel. Valiantly leading others into what was certain death was something he had grown accustomed too even if it was never his intention. Over the years the man had seen many soldiers and fellow brothers-in-arms be massacred and killed before he could even blink. How many more would he have to witness die to the hands of these monsters, he did not know. Though all he could do is give his life to bring some sense of justice to this fantastical world. In addition to those names, he carried with him, he had added two more not long ago. Even if both McCann and Bishop were individuals, he couldn’t grow close too, he could remember their howling shouts and cries of war before their ultimate demise.
Jolting violently, Mike kept his head down as the barge made a swift turn on the river. He stared at the wet metal surface and noticed that there was a splotch of red blood on the ground. Raising his hand and touching his head, the staff sergeant felt the warm liquid flowing down the left side of his face. The crimson blood coated his fingers and he stared at the color recalling his state when he first arrived in this world. Like someone clapping every second, the distinct slaps of the gunfire hitting the shipping container he took cover behind. It was obvious that any visual concealment had been nullified and perhaps a stray piece of shrapnel had cut open a small wound on his head. Mike just wondered how long it would be until he finally took a bullet to the head finishing him off and ending his close calls with death. Clutching the rifle strung over his chest, he breathed slowly as he removed the magazine that was in hit and threw it into the dump pouch on his belt. He slammed a fresh one in and pressed the bolt release. With his jaw tightly clenched, he waited for a moment, an opportunity to gain a clear shot on one of the rogue agents that had pinned his fireteam in the middle of the barge.
In the matter of seconds a sharp noise emerged above Mike and golden sparks flew down onto him and on the wet metal surface below him. The morning sun shined upon him and he found himself turning to the shadow next to him that had just returned to cover after returning covering fire for Corporal Richard.
“Mike!?” Lecca asked. She leaned out from cover and captured in her mind where one of the rogue agents were firing from. Staring at her from the corner of his eyes, the staff sergeant looked directly into her focused brown eyes. If anything, she was the one leading his men to victory, and he was leading them to death.
Taking a closer look at the man staring at her, the silver-haired soldier’s eyes widened as she realized that a gash was spewing out blood above Mike’s left eye. “You’re hit! You need a medic!”
Mike replied, “I’m fine.” He removed his small roll of gauze and wrapped two layers over his wound and secured it with a small pin. “It’s nothing. We have to take out that gunner in the window!”
Her eyes focused on the scarring on Mike’s hands. “We need to get you out of here, but you won’t listen, will you?” She whispered just loud enough to be picked up by the headphones Mike was wearing. He clenched his left hand and adjusted his position against the bullet-ridden door he hid behind.
“A tungsten shell would fix all our problems. Where is combined arms when you need them?” Mike whispered beyond frustrated. He would much rather be stuck in the middle of the desert digging foxholes all day than be here under constant threat of one of the rogue agents taking his head off, not the he would complain about that. Perring around the corner as the field of fire was shifted towards Richard and Jorge, Mike was able to catch a glimpse of Raven hunched over a destroyed piece of the bridge as he watched the firefight with a silent expression.
“Dimond Actual, this is Major Maxwell of the army’s 12nd Division 3 Company under orders from Commander Osho. We heard you boys need some help in the apprehension of target Raven, I can’t offer much but a single pass from one of my vics. Point and we’ll shoot.”
“About fucking time! Light up that balcony and take out those rogue agents!”
“Roger. Priming coaxial weapon.”
Rolling on the only road that ran by the riverside, an armored vehicle unlike any Mike had seen before raced parallel to the barge. The boxy-turret on the top of the vehicle slowly turned and pointed the large bore of its main cannon at the balcony. The rogue agents were unaware of the threat that was staring at them. The gunner inside of the turret pressed his finger down on the trigger and flashes of light emerged from the coaxial machine gun mounted on the side of the primary turret. The gun kicked out the casings of the bullets being fired and the hail of led being sent over the river accounted for the movement difference. It only took for a single second for the first volley to slam into the balcony and tear apart the sheet metal that concealed the rogue agents.
The bullets shattered both the cover and the armor that each agent wore. Each round buried itself deeper and deeper into their bodies until it eviscerated all points of contact. Blowing chunks of body matter on the wall behind. Blood-red gunk was scattered on the floor and bone fragments laid strewn on everything within a five foot radius. The bodies of the rogue agents had long slumped against the ground and remained motionless, a thick cloud of smoke emerged from the balcony as the armored vehicle launched another volley of armor-piercing, incendiary bullets. The fire was more than effective and shredded the remaining portions of cover leaving nothing left that would stall Dimond Squadrons advance towards target Raven.
“Targest eliminated! All yours Diamond!”
“Thanks for the assist. We’ll make it through.”
The gunfire stopped as the armored vehicle pulled away from the road running along the river. Any resistance Raven had set up was now gone, and all there was to do was eliminate or apprehend the target. Confirming from their positions of cover that the rogue agents had indeed been killed, Richard and Jorge waited for both Mike and Lecca to push forward before continuing with the manhunt. The damage done to the barge was enough to cause a malfunction; thus, they slowly moved down the river giving enough time for response forces to reach their position and provide backup. However, this wasn’t an option. It would be the ideal situation to wait for someone to reinforce them, but with the odds of Raven having a backup plan and the possibility of him having a chemical weapon aboard the barge, there was little time for thought or room for error.
It was Mike’s goal to see this through. Raven might’ve been a man of confidence, vigor, and grit, but he had never stood against something of the caliber both Richard and Mike brought to warfare. Instead of wave tactics, this fallen hero would first hand experience what it meant to be under the hunt of experienced soldiers that would sacrifice anything and everything to eliminate him. This was his moment, but he would catch a bullet to the face before he even had a chance to stop Dimond Squadron. Some of the best of the OMFS had been selected to form teams under the command of the Rangers, so there was little risk that any one group would be unable to stop Raven. Perhaps he gained the respect of the Federation for his actions of exposing the critical weaknesses the nation had. Perhaps he took no pleasure in killing hundreds in his unknown mission to retrieve something from the Frontier under Project Forerunner. All that mattered was that he paid for his crimes and receive justice for the savage attacks he orchestrated throughout not only Zivaland but the Kingdom of Yondel as well.
Raven was perceived to have godlike powers. It was recorded and revealed that he had the ability to use all magic types, but he was still vulnerable to any bodily damage. All it would take was a stream of bullets to the brain, spine, or heart to guarantee a kill. What would happen after his death or apprehension was unknown. A power vacuum would open, and there was a very likely chance that other terrorist groups would rise against both Yondel and Zivaland.
“Good morning, Zivaland,” Raven said over the intercom. “My name is Raven, but really, I’m just Mr. Que. Time to reveal to this fine city how far its protectors are willing to go to save you all.”
“What the fuck is he talking about?” Richard asked as he was on point on the stairwell leading to the balcony below the bridge.
With no one bothering to respond, the four silently walked on the destroyed balcony. They passed by the first two corpses, one had been completely decimated and only the legs remained, while the other was missing the left side of his head and left arm. Just ahead were the final two, one had been torn to shreds and seemed to be hit by most of the volley, while the fourth and final rogue agent was still alive and slumped against the wall running his hands over his exposed entrails and bones sticking out of his body. His legs had turned into a red mush and his torso had practically been separated from his lower body.
Lecca dematerialized her rifle and walked towards the man. Her hands had snuck to the holster on her right thigh, and she freed the pistol she was gifted by Green all those months ago. She placed her hand on the slide of the tan weapon and racked it. She now stood over the man making him look up at her with tired eyes. Behind her own sharpened eyes she lifted the pistol and aligned the night sights. Sneaking her finger around the trigger and letting out a short exhale, all that remained was the screaming of the pistol as the slide slammed back ejecting the spent casing. A clean hole now was present in the man’s head, and he became motionless as the princess lowered the pistol and holstered it.
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The other three watched her in complete silence. They did not expect her to suddenly mercy-kill the man within the blink of an eye. No one, not even Mike expected this of the princess. Sure, she was the assassin of the king and she had taken lives before, but this was something else entirely. Her fury-filled expression made the kill look like a summary execution. Was the rogue agent guilty of treason, yes, there was no argument. That crime was punishable by death, but no one could expect the princess to perform the execution.
“Lecca.” Mike said without thinking.
“We need to stop Raven.” She said back ending the conversation.
With no other choice, Mike let out a hasty sigh as he moved to the front of the formation and led his fireteam on a path that led to the bridge. Raven was suspected to have barricaded himself inside of the room as he disappeared during the volleys of fire the armored vehicle dished out. Everyone suspected that the fallen hero had taken cover amongst the smoldering room, but due to him not reappearing after the elimination of the rogue agents, and his sudden speech on the intercom, all they could do was suspect that he was preparing to make one last stand and prepare a dead man trigger to attack Ignis.
Switching his rifle to fully-automatic, Mike began to slowly ascend a small staircase. The other three walked behind him watching their tasked angles and remained in sync with every step he took. His eyes remained locked on the holographic reticle in his magnified sight. The electronic suit in his goggles had slowly been encountering more-and-more malfunctions and it was nearing the point where he would rather go it without the technological advantage if it meant he could focus on the battle ahead. Reaching a sealed door he let his rifle fall on his chest and used both of his hands to undo the lock. One it was ready, he nodded at the riflemen behind him as he swung open the door letting them into what looked to be a decontamination room. Closing the door behind them, Mike moved back to the front of the group as they walked through the bio-hazard marked environment.
“Were there contaminants stored here?” Jorge asked as he looked carefully at the yellow-colored tarps that covered the room.
“Who knows. This is beyond me.” Richard commented.
“Don’t let it distract you, we still have to eliminate Raven before securing the rest of the vessel.” Mike ordered garnering soft hums form the three behind him.
“Roger.”
Finally arriving at the last set of stairs that would lead them directly to the bridge, Mike was the first through as he ascended up the single pathway. He sprinted forward with his rifle tightly secured in his shoulder and he only stopped on the left side of the narrow corridor as Corporal Richard moved to the right and grasped the metallic door. The young man nodded at his staff sergeant before twisting the knob and slamming the door back.
A shot rang out in the middle of the room.
The first person that was supposed to enter the room slumped over on the ground. As the other two rushed in forcing their way into the room and opening fire, one individual remained in the stairwell in horror as she stared at the body that collapsed. In her shaking arms and widened eyes, Lecca stared at Mike’s bloodied face. His mangled left eye was handing out of its socket by a single thread, and he was motion less as all his weight pressed down onto her body making her collapse onto the stairs.
She let out a shrill squeal as it just clicked in her mind that Staff Sergeant Mike Randall had been shot in the head. All it took was a single bullet and now he laid in her arms. Blood coated his pale, rough face and poured onto the metal stairs and her clothes. Tears began to escape the young maiden’s eyes as she held the reclaimer tightly trying her hardest to not lose her emotions. With her mind set, she slowly began to descend to the bottom of the stairs with the reclaimer in her arms. At the bottom she set him on the ground and placed her hand on top of his own.
As she retracted her hand her eyes widened as she skidded over his wrist. Tears began to cloud her vision and she couldn’t see more than three feet in front of her as she stood up and materialized her rifle. She would return to Mike, but no one else was going to save Ignis. Something that she had been dwelling over in her heart since the day before had finally been settled, but now it was time to turn around and neutralize Raven.
Racing up the stairs with her white rifle raised, Lecca entered the room and noticed that Richard dragging a wounded Jorge into an adjacent room. Scanning the bridge, her sights instantly snapped to Raven who stood up from behind the terminal he had hid behind when engaging the squadron. Slamming the trigger back and firing a bullet directly at the fallen hero’s chest, the man intercepted the bullet before it even got close to his body. She knew that Raven had somehow overpowered her negative-charged magic and dispersed it before it could nullify any protection he may have casted on himself.
“Leccamaradel Emma Araish. The First-Born Princess of the Kingdom of Yondel and the daughter of the disposed king.” Speaking in a low growl, Raven adjusted his brown overcoat and dropped the pistol he was holding in his left hand. “You escaped me the first time. It won’t happen again.”
“Target Raven, get on your knees and interlock your fingers behind your head!” Lecca said not moving from her firing position.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
In an instant Raven was next to her with a knife placed against her neck. It took her a single second to register that she was aiming her rifle at nothing and that the fallen hero had teleported next to her. She clenched her jaw and grit her teeth as she looked out of the corner of her eye.
“You know that. Project Forerunner must succeed.”
“And you believe that attacking the Federation, especially the 3rd Fleet is going to accomplish your goals?” Gulping, the princess dared to talk back to the person that could slit her through before she could take her next breath.
“The attack on the fleet is what I tried to stop. Yes, war would’ve occurred if it wasn’t attacked, but that’s besides the point. My people have been working to stop him for some time. And all we can do is prevent both sides from interfering as we accomplish our work.” Raven crudely interrupted Lecca with an annoyed glare.
Letting out a heavy sigh Raven lowered the knife and walked in front of Lecca who had trained the end of her gun on his head. Her vision was still cloudy from the tears she had shed moments ago, but her sights were ever-so-clear as it was steadily aligned on his pale face and jet-black hair.
“You have no idea what is coming,” Raven said with a smile. That alone threw the princess off as she felt the rifle in her hands getting heavier and heavier from her fatigue. “You wear two uniforms, princess. How may more will you wear until year realize what needs to be done. I’ve already spoken to someone you know, he did tell me about his oath, but he’s already disavowed it and is preparing to take my mantle of responsibility.”
“Tell me who before I cut your skull off!” Out of pure rage Lecca dematerialized her rifle and used the mana to form a short sword and held the blade in front of her with both hands. Her mind wasn’t thinking straight, her composure and any logical decisions had been thrown out the window. If she was going to kill Raven, it would be personnel. He had killed and injured many that she cared for. She would make him feel every death he caused.
“The mission would be compromised.”
Falling to his knees the fallen hero reached into his coat and brought out a medium sized dagger. He took the blade and held it just in front of his abdomen, and looking with determined eyes the old man spoke directly to the silver-haired soldier standing over him.
“Go on, complete your mission, Princess Araish.”
“Why—”
“The world I came from was vast. One nation in particular, in a time before mine believed that one should not betray their honor. I did, but a method to forgive myself is this.” Raven said before plunging the dagger deep into his abdomen. Blood dripped from the weapon and onto his hands before hitting the ground and casting splatters before Lecca’s boots. “Do it.” He ordered.
Taking heavy breaths the princess unlatched her helmet and let it slam onto the ground as she walked behind Raven and raised her sword. She had forgotten that this man, like her Reclaimers were from another world, perhaps even the same world. All the rage that had built up in her mind was washed away in an instant and now she remained in control as she came just one step further to understanding this madman and why he betrayed her kingdom.
“Even if what you say is true, I cannot forgive you.”
“It’s fine. I have someone that’ll judge me for my actions.” A bitter smile crossed his lips.
Before she took his life, the princess asked a single question.
“What is your name?”
Raven seemed surprised as he looked over his shoulder.
“John Hartman. Some call me Mr. Que, some call me Raven. But John Hartman is my name.” John said turned his head back to the blood-stained ground before him.
“May God have mercy on your soul, John Hartman.”
In a single motion Princess Lecamaradel Emma Arish swung her sword. It was a clean cut. The fallen hero’s head separated from his body and slumped to the ground, the rest did much the same. Staring at the blood that lingered on the edge of her sword, the princess let go of the weapon. Before it could hit the ground it dematerialized into millions of fragments that vanished within seconds. Raising her hand and clutching the radio on her chest, the silver-haired maiden spoke.
“To all Federation units, this is Agent Leccamaradel Emma Araish of the Office of Military and Federal Security, broadcasting in the blind. Target designated as Raven has been killed-in-action and I am sending a message to all listening.
Many of you may have suspected that I am not only a foreign officer of the Kigndom of Yondel, but as a member of the royal family. To those who have suspected me, you are all correct. This is a message to not only allies but enemies; stop these hostilities at once, or face the consequences of the Forerunners held within the Frontier.
I say again, cease all hostilities as there is a growing threat within the Frontier, out!”
Publicly Available Information: Intercepted Transmissions — High level threat:
Raven is dead, the fucking princess got to him. This is going to put a wrench into our plans; she not only revealed her identity but also put a target onto our operations even if she didn’t realize it. We’re going to have to adjust our approach.
Our fight against those hunters has been tough, but now both the Federation and Yondel are going to roll into here and muck everything up. Project Forerunner must succeed.
Admiral Martian has been keeping tabs and is limiting our resources, but he and his NOGS are going to preoccupied with the invasion President Harding is going to authorize in the next 48 hours. That, and those foreign agents within the OMFS, they’ll be busy.
We have some new players on the deck. Eliminate them if you can but consider them all to be high threat hostiles.