Chapter 62: The Thousand Year Capital, Part 1
Part 1: Osaka
TIME: 04:37 Neighpon Royal Central Time
DATE: War Day 579/8 Solarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Seto Inland Sea, Occupied Empire of Neighpon
K: "Bombardment Group - open fire!" I ordered over the radio.
Battleships Inflexible, Invincible, Normandie, Ceasar, Rex, Shining Armor and Celestia all fired at the same instant. The ripple rip-roar of naval rifles rocketed throughout the Seto Inland Sea, causing even the sleepiest of guards to awaken.
It was all a distraction.
Sargasso Sea: "Inflexible reports good hits on the shore fortresses, General." She nodded, listening in on the Fleet Comms. "Thuringia and the Germane Fleet report no contact sea-side."
K: "Maintain fire. Switch between designated targets until we run out of them. Status on the light ships?"
Sargasso Sea: "The Scout Cruisers, Destroyers, and Torpedo Boats all report ready to embark." She nodded to me. "Whenever you're ready to transfer, K, let me know."
K: "Keep provoking them, and keep our Pegasi Fighters ready to take off at a moment's notice."
Deep Blue: "You really think this is a trap?" She tilted her head, slightly.
K: "The Yodo River is the fastest route to Miaco. And it utilizes our greatest strength - our naval power. According to the Emperor, any ship with a draft of less than 5 meters can navigate all the way to Lake Biwa.." I shrugged. "Every Destroyer-type and our City-class Protected Scout Cruisers with a lightened load, can pull that off."
Sea Swirl: "And Tirek knows this.. or, should. And if he doesn't, we'll have smooth sailing almost to the foot of the capital." She put in.
K: "Right. And I'll have some decent artillery when I get there. The only issue being, all the ships together can only transport two battalions at a time." I shrugged.
Sargasso Sea: "Thurnigia still reports all clear, sir." She shook her head. "Not even a single destroyer!"
Forest Spirit: "Hence the plan to transport the Equestrian Marines 1st and 2nd Regiments, the Royal Army 1st Artillery Regiment, and the Prench Fusiliers Marins in the first wave."
K: "Simultaniously as we start up the river, Bushins One, Two, and Three lauch a mass attack on Osaka, distracting whatever defenders are in the region.. backed by the Ambleon Marines and the 2nd Equestrian Marine Battalion."
Forest Spirit: "I still think we should hold the Ambleons in complete reserve." He raised his head a bit.
K: "Which is why you have the command for the Osaka operation. If the Ambleon Marines have significant issues, you can have Bushin Four move in at their rear and replace them on the line. I think Brigadier Fosberry'll do an okay job, though. They did well enough in the practice runs."
Forest Spirit: "And I still say we should hit Tirek somewhere else, first - Edo or Mutsu." He gestured. "Get the other nations some experience."
K: "Ahh.. after losing Tiamat, I want to take the initiative from Tirek before he moves something worse in - like I told you." I gestured back.
Sargasso Sea: "And as I said, I think both plans have merit. But, Commandant, you were outvoted."
Forest Spirit: "I can still make my mind known." He smirked. "K's practically my brother."
K: "Indeed." I grinned back. "Still nothing from Admiral Kaltbluter?"
Sargasso Sea: "Nothing. I get the feeling..."
Deep Blue: "Sir, Fleet Comms. Fleet Captain Wellington reports the battleships have run out of primary targets. Shore defenses are suppressed. Secondary guns are picking off anything dangerous they can see, but.." She shook her head. "..no sign of major resistance. I don't get it - where's their fleet?"
K: "I'm now convinced we destroyed it before we arrived, and at Fillydelphia." I looked at them all. "Think of the composition of the two fleets we engaged - those were some serious Capital Ships. And Tirek didn't demonstrate he had those until fairly recently."
Sargasso Sea: "Indeed, sir." She nodded, then looked to Forest Spirit.
Forest Spirit: "It makes sense. Tirek needs Neighpon as much or more than we need to take it back. He'd expend every effort to keep us from doing just this - and his usual strategy is NOT defense-in-depth.. it's pre-emption and defense immediate." He shrugged. "I think K's right.. I think whatever major Naval assets he had, he expended them trying to stop us from leaving Fillydelphia. We know he had Espionage, he knew our time table. He didn't have much of a choice but to attack when he did.."
Sargasso Sea: "..and the force we met south of Neigha was probably a reinforcement column for that first attack fleet. It just didn't get here in time. And Tirek's past naval activity doesn't suggest he'd commit minor forces for a defense - he'd pull back lesser units and preserve them elsewhere." She nodded, then shrugged. "Make perfect sense."
K: "Alright. Just don't let your guard down, just in case. Forest Spirit? All yours. I'm transferring to the Baleston." I gave him a hug, and Sargasso.. and Deep Blue, and Sea Swirl.. I even gave Oarbis a pat on the mane, nodding to the scar on their neck. "See you all in a few days. Keep the fleet off the bottom of the sea, okay?" A smirk.
Sargasso Sea: "I will, sir." She nodded back.
So, I exited the bridge, and met up with Blinda and Ochre, who would 'escort' me to the Lander that would take me to the Baleston.
Blinda: "Everyone's expecting a trap, sir." She looked at Ochre.
Ochre: "I.. me, too, sir. Something just feels way too easy about this." He hefted his rifle.
K: "Well, if it was a hidden fleet or super-ship or something, it's not coming. It might be at Edo or Mutsu for all we know." I shrugged.
Blinda: "So.. what if it's something inland?" She tilted her head.
K: "Well, we'll have medium and light naval artillery close at hand for most of the assault, then land-based artillery when we get to the Capital." I nodded. "Hopefully, whatever it is, we can kill it with 76'ers and Funstons. Or Magic. We have Magic, too." I smirked.
Blinda: "Yeah.. heh." She shook her head. "We've come a long way, sir."
I patted her mane.
K: "Don't go getting nervous on me, Major. We're a long way from Carousel Island." I nodded to her. "We can do this."
Blinda: "This is the biggest one, yet." She frowned a bit. "And we have no idea what to expect."
K: "We'll get through this." I nodded.
We transferred to the Baleston, which had offloaded most of her coal, and anything else she wouldn't need for 72 hours of operation. Anything to save an ounce of weight, and reduce her draft by even the barest millimeter. Same with the Fillydelphia and Martingailer. They had a draft, now, of 4.875 meters.. just enough to, hopefully, get all the way to Miaco.
Our landing point would be Equus' mirror image of the Jonan-Gu Shrine in the Minami district of the city, the southernmost part we could get to by naval craft. Unlike my world, the population of the area was less than half, and far less urbanized.
As we set out for the river mouth, I wondered what Tirek had for us, up the river.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Shrine by the River
TIME: 06:52 NRCT
DATE: War Day 579/8 Solarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Yodo River, South of Minami District, Occupied Empire of Neighpon
Bushin Senshi: "Generarl." He nodded to me as I came out on the main deck of the Baleston.
Bushin Six, unexpectedly, had become the Special Warfare Division of the Neighponese army. Senshi, as its leader, had some handpicked troops with him - the equivalent of a Ranger company. His best, of the best.
K: "When we start landing, double check there's a translator in each unit." I nodded to him. "You'll come with my command team."
Bushin Senshi: "Hai." He smirked. "Finarry, we get de opportunity to fight trury side by side." He put a hoof on my shoulder.
K: "Yeup.. and with luck, you'll continue to serve the Emperor many decades after this." I gestured. "We have no idea what Tirek has up here."
Applejack: "Yeah, 's'why ah'm bringin' th' big guns.." She fussed a bit with her custom Sagebrush, and her Masterson revolvers.
The Masterson revolver was the ultimate refinement of the civilian Custer-Hickok-Earp designs. Chambered in 10x35mm Pony Express Ultra Magnum, it was about the most powerful cartridge most ponies could handle in a pistol. Hers had 7-inch barrels, and she wore two.
I had my Canidan C-7 Bradley/Gavin, and Morgan pistol. Most everyone was using Bradleys, save Medics and Comms. Snipers had either the Hathcock 11mm or Sniper Sherman in the same 7mm round as the Bradleys, but issued 20-round magazines of "match grade" ammo in addition to some 30-rounders. Save Teddy, who liked the Timberwolf, and Rarity, who preferred the Super Sherman in 9x48mm.
Lookout: "GENERAL! CAPTAIN! ALONG THE SHORE!" He called down from the Crow's Nest.
Captain Wall Eye: "What is it, Petty?" He leaned out from the bridge.
Along the shore were smatterings of Pony civilians. Some of them looked pretty destitute.. shabby, even. Hungry.
K: "Senshi." I nodded to him.
Senshi: "Hai!" He got to the very front of the boat, and pointed to a monk. "Anata! Monku! Nani ga okotte iru?"
As the Baleston passed, Senshi and I 'followed' the monk, walking towards the stern.
Monk: "Bushindesu ka? A, naruhodo. Hitobito o kurushimi kara sukui ni kita nodesu ka?"
Senshi: "Osu! `Ekuesutoria ando Purenchi' butai ga tojo. Shuto o kaiho suru!"
Monk: "Tireku wa watashitachi no min o ue sasete imasu, meiyo aru bushin. Isoide kudasai."
Senshi: "Watashitachi ni wana wa arimasu ka?"
Monk: "Hai, osoroshi hagane no akumadesu." He seemed concerned.
Senshi: "Watashitachi no shori ni shukufuku o o atae kudasai?" He replied.
Monk: "Hai." He held his staff aloft, and began chanting.
K: "What's all that?" I asked, as we almost ran out of deck, and started walking back towards the bow.
Senshi: "De people are suffering, K. Dey starve. Dere is a trap for us, some fearsome steer'l demon, he says. And I ask him for a bressing for our victory. So, he prays." He shrugged.
K: "Right, right.. AJ! Extra Funstons all around! Every one we got!" I called back, and looked up at Wall Eye. "Have the ships start throwing these Civilians some food! Anything we can spare!" I pointed to the boat cranes - as we'd be going directly ashore from the warships, we'd left the boats behind on one of the transports. "Use the cranes to drop them to 'em! Step lively! We have about fifteen minutes to the landing zone!"
Capt. Wall Eye: "Aye-aye, General!"
Applejack: "Ah got th' Funston's bein' passed 'round.. an' I'll take any prayers I c'n git right now." She made her 'upset' face. "Guaranteed, Tirek don't wanna lose this city t'us." She came up beside me, and gently nuzzed my side. "This'un feels diff'rent, hun.. gonna be bad, I figger.." She looked back as Pinkie was preparing her Knox. "Hey, Pinkie! Whuss'a weather look lahk?"
Pinkie: "Oh, just pinkerrific.." This was delivered deadpan, as she was hunched over her equipment pack and sorting grenade shells.
Toola Roola: "I.. think it's going to be pretty bad, K." She shrugged.
K: "Great." I paused a half-second, and realized it'd been Toola that told us. "BLINDA! Make sure those seventy-sixers are landed in the first wave! And make sure we have a Battery in Anti-Tank mode with us as we advance!"
Blinda: "Right!" She was on deck, tossing some bread loaves in gunny sacks to the civilians.
Senshi: "We rland soon." He growled slightly under his breath.
We arrived at the landing point, just south of the Shrine. I didn't know the real-world layout of this city's mirror - Kyoto - but the Shrine was actually set several blocks west of its real-world location, almost right on the shore.
Baleston was in the lead, and as soon as we neared the shore, her main gun batteries were directed towards the center of the city. Gangplanks came out, and we started rushing down them. The 76mm guns were brought down from the Martingailer right behind us.
K: "My team! On me!" I gestured.
Blinda would take command if we were disabled. She was another.. another that might think like me one day. I didn't know when, but she showed signs of it from the day we met. She knew how to run an invasion.
Cosmic: "Flare out! Paratroopers inbound!" He called, and I could see the purple smoke marker had been tossed.
Paratroopers from Webley's unit soon filled the skies, carried by both Equestrian Air Force and Neighponese Pegasi. Parachutes soon opened, and I advanced with my team to the edge of the shrine's grounds, facing north.
THEN we started to hit enemy forces.
Norfy: "Right there! Platoon-sized formation, coming this way - Duregars!" He and the others got to cover.
K: "Snipers! Don't let us get bogged down, and don't let them shoot the paras!"
It turned out, that was the least of our worries. I could suddenly hear cannon - autocannon - firing from deep within the city to the north, near the Emperor's palace. Tracers started flying to the skies.
K: "COSMIC! CALL THAT IN FOR THE SHIPS BEFORE THEY SLAUGHTER OUR FLYERS!"
What was that about this being bad?
I could hear Cosmic calling in fire coordinates, though the ships were already engaging - lookouts on the Crow's Nests of the crusiers probably spotted the Triple-A. I could hear the shells arc overhead, and splatter within a tight radius. Most of the AA fire stopped after that, but I could see they'd gotten some hits.
The rest of the team dispatched the Duregar platoon before I realized they'd done so. I peeked up to take a look, and realized that the streets in multiple directions had barricades in them..
Gaze: "Looks like they wuz ready fer us, suh." He frowned.
K: "Tells me whomever's here, isn't stupid. Probably Rep. Tirek's running out of lieutenants." I shrugged. "He's one of the few left that has much combat experience, or understands us."
Gorcat: "K, we ain't gonna hafta wait long for that steel demon!" He pointed.
On the horizon was a huge landship.. probably four stories tall, bristling with guns, and making its way into the city at a slow pace. It looked like what would happen if a Steampunk-era society had designed the P.1000 Ratte.
K: "That's one hell of a demon." I twitched my mouth. "Those guns will out-range the cruisers, easily. And there's no way a 76 is going to pierce that hide." I stood and beckoned them to come with me, as Paratroopers started taking positions.
Running into Webley, as she was trying to help a Transport Pegasi get out of a tree, I grabbed her shoulder.
K: "Webley-"
Webley Weaver: "The P.1000 Ratte is the largest tank or first true land battleship ever conceived. Projected to mount two 280mm guns and several pieces of smaller ordnance, including 128mm guns for tank defense, there exists significant doubt whether a vehicle like that could be kept within a 1,000 tonne weight limit." She was trying to get the pony dislodged..
Fluttershy: "Webley.. he's.. he's dead." She pulled her back.
Webley: *Bitter sniff* "I-" She shut her eyes, and looked up at me. "Give me a job, sir."
K: "I need paras - your two best squads - to come with me and attempt a low-level combat jump on to that thing. Fast. We don't have any alternatives. No artillery we have is going to penetrate that thing. Our only option is close range infantry assault." I spoke in low tones.
Webley: "Yes, sir." She nodded, and moved past me. "FIRST SQUAD! SECOND COMPANY! THIRD SQUAD, FIRST COMPANY! GET READY! WE'RE GOING BACK UP!"
Cosmic: "..already calling Transport Command, sir. You going, too?"
K: "Me and the Paras. Only. Cosmic, Norfy, Gaze, guys, I want you and the girls to stay here and make sure we stick to the plan. Push for the Palace, and when you get there, dig in."
Applejack: "HONEYbun!" She scolded me.
K: "I'll have Coco and Webley with me, I'll be fine." I patted her mane.
Rarity: "Yes, but, you'll NOT have anyone that's.." She swayed her ass slightly. "..more invested in you than the rest." A short sniff. "Take Dash with you."
Dash: "Hub-a-HUH!?" She was taken by surprise.
Twilight: "Fantastic idea." She patted Dash on the back/flank. "I think Rarity's pointing out that you haven't slept with either of them, and we're a bit overprotective of you - the ones that have."
K: "Ye-Ah.. Dash, get ready. You can fly. Gilda, Gorcat, you too. Gorcat, you're gonna have to carry me." I shrugged.
Gorcat: "Ooooo! This sounds FUN! Hahah! Count me in! Yeah, sure I can carry yer human ass." He patted me on the shoulder.
Gilda: "Against THAT thing!? You might end up in Hidora!" She seemed.. concerned.. for him.
Gorcat: "You, too, woman. By Tartarus, I'm paying my penance! If it's today, it's today!" He growled a little. "What about you? Is today a good day to die?"
Gilda: *PFFT!* "AS-IF!" She puffed up her chest.
I gave Rarity a look, like, 'they're really getting hot and heavy over there.'
Rarity: "You two should mate when this is over. Stop denying yourselves. You've clearly chosen who's the stronger candidate to give you eggs, Gilda.." She shrugged a bit. "..so, get on with it!"
Gilda: "But, I haven't fucked K- AAAH!" She slapped her claws over her open beak.
Gorcat: "Yeaaahh.. he warned me about that!" He chuckled.
Dash: "Ah-heh... heh-heh.." She turned beet red.
Cosmic: "Transport Flyers are here!" He called out, interrupting.
K: "Let's go. We'll fuck later." I walked past Gilda and gave her a rough slap on the ass - a Griffonic flirt, and encouragement to come back alive.
We were about to go gut ourselves a giant steel demon, from the inside. It was huge, much larger than the real Ratte, but with smaller guns - I guessed the main turret was a pair of 8-inchers (203mm). Still, that thing could destroy the whole invasion force and the ships that brought them.
And I was about to fly over to it, land on it, and take it down. It struck me that, three years ago, I never would have considered it. I would have retreated and thought up something else..
..I guess this war's changed me, too.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Noble Sacrifice
TIME: 09:22 NRCT
DATE: War Day 579/8 Solarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Minami District, Capital City of Miaco, Occupied Empire of Neighpon
The team of Transport Ponies were assembled, along with Webley's two chosen squads, Dash, myself, Gorcat, and Gilda. We were armed up, and ready. Demolition charges, and a couple Funstons just in case.
K: "FLY!" I ordered, feeling Gorcat heft me into the air.
Now, mind you, I have zero safety equipment. I'm trusting Gorcat to keep hold of me the whole time, and not drop me. We were going in at low level, this wasn't even going to be a paradrop. This was closer to Airborne Assault via helicopter. And we'd already lost 23 ponies from Transport Command as it was, from the unexpected Anti-Aircraft Artillery.
My legs dangling over city streets, I looked ahead to the giant monster armored vehicle. I could see the thickness of the armored plates, the massive size of its treads, and the large twin barrel 200-ish millimeter gun turret on top. In addition to that, it had smaller guns of just about every caliber - and lots of them. It was bristling with armament, and probably had 50 or more troops inside.
And we were flying for it. And it was shooting back at us.
Webley: "K! THIS ISN'T GOING WELL!" She shouted.
K: "It'll be in range of the Baleston and the other ships in just a few minutes! And they're out of range! If we don't do something, our fleet is going to be at the bottom of the river! They can't back out, and they can't turn around!" I said, watching tracer fire come past me, and hearing a timed detonation fused shell explode nearby. I saw a trio of ponies fall from the sky.. "We don't have a choice!"
I felt Gorcat get some altitude, and arc over, trying to dodge shells. I could swear I felt one pass between my legs. We got over the Monster in short order. The Paratroopers - the ones left - were simply rolled off their nets, and the Transport Command ponies rocketed straight up into the sky to dodge AA fire. Gorcat set me down, and pulled up his Abrams machine gun.
K: "WEBLEY! What've we got left!?" I called, seeing her touch down ahead of me.
Webley: "FIVE!" She shouted back. "I just lost SEVEN of my best Paratroopers!" She hissed. "Along with the fourteen ponies flying them in!"
K: "Dash!? Gilda!?" I moved towards the first gun, and readied a grenade shell.
Dash: "I'm here! Hurt, but not bad!" She came up beside me, with a trickle of blood coming down her snout.
Gilda: "Right here, K." She was right behind me, by Gorcat.
K: "Webley!" I looked at the remaining paratroopers. "You, Coco, and Silver Slash take the first gun over there! Pixie Parasol, Orange Marmalade, and Cornflower Fields, suppress the machine guns when we get close." I looked at Gorcat. "You lot are with me."
Webley: "ROGER!" She moved off, and Pixie's team moved as well, taking the vanguard.
Pixie had a Funston, and she took aim at the Machine Gun Turret in front of the first two gun turrets at the rear of the machine. She went prone, checked her rear, then fired. The rocket impacted the covered dome of the machine gun nest, and blew it apart. They'd know we were here, now.
Webley: "LET'S GO!" She and her fireteam charged the first gun.
K: "Come on!" And I charged the second.
We reached our targets at about the same moment, and flung our charges at the base of the turret rings. We'd set the fuses for about twenty seconds - enough time to get back and get down, which we did.
The explosions of both demo charges blew holes in the smaller turrets at the ring, locking them in place. The last goal was getting the 8-incher. Problem is, we only had one Funston rocket left, and there were three machine gun turrets in the way.
K: "Pixie! Get the Machine Gun turret on the far left!" I directed, and aimed the Gavin at the one in the center. "Dash, put a grenade on the one on the right. Impact detonation. Hopefully, it can cut through the turret armor. Gilda, Gorcat, pour machine gunfire on those two turrets." I was hoping for penetrations, at least, or damage to their mechanisms.
Pixie nodded, reloading her Funston. She got prone again, checked her rear, and fired her rocket, hitting the machine gun turret square in the center of its four gun barrels, and blew it apart.
Duregars were coming out of the hatches on either side of the smaller gun turrets, now, and starting to shoot at us. Once Pixie fired, she and her fire team rolled over, and started firing back.
K: "Now, Dash!" I fired my grenade at an arc, and landed it square on top of the machine gun turret, blowing a chunk out of it, and disabling it, apparently. It stopped firing.
Dash: "No problem!"
She got into a tight crouch and fired as well, the grenade travelling at a lower arc, and impacting on the machine gun turret's face, blasting away two of the barrels, and opening a hole in the gun shield, the torn edges preventing it from rotating.
Gorcat and Gilda hosed the hole down with machine gunfire, and the turret stopped doing anything. They then turned their fire back at the Duregars, supporting Pixie and her team.
K: "WEBLEY! YOU AND ME!" I held up my other demo charge. "Dash, keep those Duregars off of us!" I pointed back at them.
Scrambling up, Webley and I charged the final turret. It was rotating, trying to get range and azimuth on the Cruisers. It fired, but the shells landed on the far side of the river bank. It blew apart several houses and a larger building. Civilian casualties, to be sure.
Webley: "Are we trying to disable the turret rings, or what?! It's already aimed at the ships-"
K: "Breach the access door!" I pointed, handing her my charge.
Webley: "WHAT?! Are w-"
K: "Going inside! Hurry!"
She hung the demo charge on the door handle, and pulled the fuse. We pulled around to the back of the turret, and waited. A blast later, and the sound of metal impacting metal told me the door was off its hinges.
We whipped around, and moved in. The turret was rotating, but we both got in the access door. The Duregars inside were working to reload the guns. Webley and I - not thinking about stray rounds hitting the powder bags - opened fire, hosing them all down.
K: "Let's blow this sucker." I nodded, pacing further in.
Webley: "We're just going to detonate the turret, right?" She looked at me.
I said nothing.
Webley: "Right?!"
She blinked, and smacked me with her right foreleg. I'd just made her pull off the four-panel Meme Comic from Star Wars.
Webley: "But, seriously-"
K: "This thing can still crush half the city. The danger to the fleet is over, but we need to stop this thing, or they'll just turn it around and hit the palace.. like, run it over." I shrugged.
Webley: "Point." She shook her head. "I'm going to talk to you later about everyone that just died doing this."
K: "Expected." I got to the interior access elevator. "We knew this was going to be bad." I shrugged. "Lotta broken families after this."
Webley: "So.." She opened it, and pulled a 'mouth grenade' from her vest, snapping it open, and dropping it in. "..what's the butcher bill going to be? I'm down a squad of my best troopers.. Transport Command just lost about a whole Squadron and change.. we can't take casualties like this on every major operation, K."
The grenade went off, and we heard screaming. I grabbed the ladder, and slid down it, Bradley tucked under my arm. Once I was on the deck, I hosed down everything I saw. Engine access area - the engine deck was in the rear. Webley got down next to me, and covered me as I reloaded.
K: "Think I don't know that? Tirek's army probably outnumbers us a thousand to one, and he doesn't care about casualties." I shook my head. "The tanks coming out in a month will help. If Bright Eyes can start aircraft production soon, that'll majorly cut down on risks."
Webley: "Urgghhh.. if Tirek hadn't had a way to refine petroleum like that.."
Yes, the main reason we could not have tanks before now was a lack of a power plant. We could copy what Tirek had, but we had no way to make fuel until the Crystal Kingdom was liberated, and even after that, we needed raw material - oil - and lots of it, and then a way to refine it. This took time. We had a tank design ready to go, but..
K: "What'd you expect his tanks ran on? Pegasus farts?" I smriked at her as we got to the door to the engine deck. "You pull, this time." I grabbed a grenade from my vest.
Webley: "Har-deee-har-har." She gave me a smirk-frown, and yanked the hatch open.
K: "Welp." I pulled the latch, snapped the handle out, and chucked it in. "He did, and we didn't."
Webley: "Yeaaahh.." She kicked the hatch shut distractedly. "I can't help but think fewer ponies would have died if we'd been able to field tanks and armored vehicles, sooner." A shrug, and she one-leg fired from the hip, taking out a Raptorian coming down from the upper deck - likely an officer.
K: "Nothing I can do about that.." I whipped around, and traced my aim up the ladder. "..frag out.." And fired a timed-fused Gavin grenade up to the upper deck, hearing it clatter on the deck floor. "..I don't know how to distill petroleum." I shrugged as the grenade went off, audibly killing several enemies. "Wasn't part of my skillset." I went for the ladder and started climbing, letting the C-7 Bradley hang on its strap.
Webley: "..I know. I guess I'm just mad. N-Not at you.. you.." She sighed. "..I probably would have gone insane if I'd never met you. Or-or become a hermit, or something, thinking I'm actually crazy."
I got to the top of the ladder and quickly scanned above. This deck was where the bunks and things were. Beyond, it said "cockpit."
K: "Almost there." I got all the way up, and covered for Webley.
Webley: "I knew this was going to be bad. All night, I had nightmares. First, some guy named Ermey screaming in my head to get my shit together, then some guy named Ian talking about the M-2 Carbine, and another guy named Atwood talking about Belleau Wood.." She sighed heavily as she got to the top of the ladder. "..and it ended with something called Arnhem."
K: "Operation Market Garden - an attempt to cut off Germany in World War II and end the war months faster. It failed, and a lot of Paratroopers were killed." I shrugged. "Your Special Talent was trying to warn you."
Webley: "I guess that's why I'm so salty about it - I can't do anything to change it." She frowned, and got in a position to cover me.
K: "Neither can I. Best we can do is try to minimize the carnage being done to the people we care for. The civilians of this city, our fellow soldiers.." I shrugged. "..and continue to win against Tirek, not get bogged down." I reached for the hatch handle, and found it wouldn't open. "Stay here."
I went back to the 8-inch gun turret and grabbed one of the powder charge bags. I came back and set it against the door.
Webley: "Oh-ho-ho.. this could get messy." She smirked, and helped me pile things against it, to direct the blast entirely towards the cockpit.
Finally, she hovered down to the lower deck, and I got to the ladder. Taking my last hand grenade, I flicked it open, and heaved it right into the center of the little construction, letting myself drop down.
The explosion was INCREDIBLY loud, and as soon as it went off, we felt the tank go off course, and slowly roll to a stop.
This was one Steel Demon we'd conquered. Together.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Grounds for Violence
TIME: 10:31 NRCT
DATE: War Day 579/8 Solarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Grounds of the Imperial Palace, Capital City of Miaco, Occupied Empire of Neighpon
We'd stopped the steel demon, and regrouped with the landing forces. In addition to the Paras that died before getting there, Orange Marmalade was critically wounded, and Pixie Parasol had been killed. Dash wasn't hurt bad, and Gilda had a bruise under her feathers. Gorcat, Webley, and I didn't have a scratch.
Webley's Paras were the ones to take the worst casualties as we moved through the city. We'd dropped an entire Regiment. She was down to one working Company. 292 Paratroopers had been killed or wounded out of action in just about one hour. Her dream about Arnhem had come true.
This was in addition to 42 ponies from Transport Command, and 117 Equestrian Marines.
Webley: "K, my ranks are shot through." She shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm just about combat ineffective." She looked over at the 68 remaining Paratroops. "What do you want me to do?"
K: "Well, I want YOU to stay with ME.." I put a hand on her shoulder. "But, send your remaining Paratroops back to the landing beach zone and have them pull security for the logistical troops and artillery."
Webley: "Maaan.. when'd I get such good friends?" She grinned at me, and moved over to her remaining troopers.
K: "Get Coco, too." I nodded after her.
Rarity: "Mm.. I didn't get my best lover until the war, so.." She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "We have lost many friends today. But, I refuse to let that hurt me."
Toola: "No kidding." She glanced at the Palace walls. "So, what's the plan?"
K: "Well, the palace ceased to be combat oriented hundreds of years ago, and most of the walls were replaced with simple slat wood, and thin stone on the outside. I want to try and just climb the walls and get inside the palace's inner grounds, but that might not be possible. If not, we make surgical cuts in the walls at specific locations-" Senshi interjected.
Senshi: "We have.. pr'laces where gates once were. Easiest to break t'rough, dere. Patchwork to seal de holes was.. ehhmm.. not incredibly precise or of high doorabirity." He shrugged. "From da inside, you can even see dem crlearley."
K: "What Senshi said." I nodded.
Blinda: "I'm done reorganizing units." She scowled. "So many injured.. so many dead." A sigh. "Have you heard from Osaka?"
K: "Yeah. Ten percent casualties in the opening minutes. Tirek expected me to invade there. They dealt with something even bigger than that thing we killed.. but, they had the option of taking it out with battleship guns. After it was downed, a popular uprising began - half the city's up in arms and joining us." I glanced back at the Baleston. "Thing is, Sacquet said, they were digging in at the shoreline. We interrupted them hardening their defenses. If we'd waited like I'd originally wanted, by the time we got here, it would have been a LOT worse."
Blinda: "We just don't get any GOOD options, do we!?" She shook her right foreleg in the air, aimed south. "DAMN YOU, TIREK!"
*THWAK!*
A wet, meaty hit.. and blood sprayed all over my face, obscuring my vision.
Blinda: "..oh." She fell.. SHE FELL!
-Norfy: "SNIPER! SNIPER! EVERYONE GET DOWN!" He reacted before I could.
K: "MEDIC! GODDAMNIT GET A MEDIC OVER HERE!" I leaned right over to her and pulled her back towards the wall. Blood was coming from her midsection, which I plugged with my hands.
Fluttershy: "Here, let me help." She moved in and started examining her.
Webley: "Oh. OH NO! BLINDA!" She zoomed over next to me.
-Cosmic: "WEBLEY! GET DOWN!" He pulled her back from the street as another round impacted right where she'd initially landed.
Fluttershy: "Oh.. this is bad. I have the holes plugged, but we need to get her back to the Baleston.."
-Gaze: "RARITY! CAN YE SEE TH' SNOIPAH!?"
Dash: "Rig her up! Webley, you're with me!" Dash tugged her goggles tighter on her head.
-Rarity: "Fourth floor, east tower, middle section. They're under concealment, now, probably moving. I don't have a shot."
K: "No, you and Gilda. Webley, you stay here." I pointed with blood dripping from my finger.
-Teddy: "I can get a shot from over here, but I need bait!"
Dash: "FINE! GET her on a LITTER!" She helped Fluttershy do just that, and her and Gilda took off for the ships.
-Rarity: "I'm sticking my head up. You BETTER tag that thing!" She hissed at him.
Webley: "..why me!?" She looked at me.
-Teddy: "Trust me!" He rolled his shoulders, and set up.
K: "Webley, you're-" I pointed.
-Rarity: "Alright.. here I go." She raised up, and intentionally fired at a floor below where the shot came from.
Webley: "I'm a.. you're going to promote me, aren't you?" She frowned at me.
-Teddy: "GOT HIM!" He fired, before the other sniper did. I didn't see it, but the round went through the sniper's scope, and into his eye.
K: "Major. Take Blinda's place as Landing Force Commander." I shrugged. "You know how to do this just as well as anyone." I looked up, seeing my team had gotten the sniper without being told. "GOOD WORK!" I nodded to them.
Webley: "Sss.." She lowered her head, then raised it. "It's because I think like you, already, isn't it?"
K: "You've seen /k/, right? Wikipedia? The Art of War?" I put a bloodied hand on her shoulder. "I've been sizing you up for this since Second Ponyville."
Webley: "I'll do my best, K." She smiled a bit.
K: "Good. Teddy, did you get a good look at the sniper before you ended him?" I leaned over to him.
Teddy: "It was a Gizmonk, sir. I think Tirek is deploying them, now.. and if they're smart ones, he'll use them like Special Forces." A shrug from him. "They know fighting better than ponies, they have hands like you, they'd make excellent saboteurs and.. snipers."
K: "Yeah. Good assessment, Security." I smirked a bit.
Teddy: "It's what I do." He nodded a bit, and looked up as Dash and Gilda landed.
Dash: "Doc says.. she.. should make it.." She shook her head. "It's bad, though. She's going to be out of action for a while."
Webley: "I'm glad she'll be okay." She raised up. "Coco, you're my Aide, now."
Coco: "Yes, ma'am. Orders?"
Webley: "Get Dusty, and you two round up our forces, get them to the palace walls, and prepare to breach." She nodded. "I want our artillery support ready in case we have to level half the palace to take the other half."
Coco: "Right." She tapped Dusty, and off they went.
Twilight: "K.." She put a hoof on my shoulder.
K: *Sigh* "Damn you, Tirek."
We'd take the palace in short order. But, we'd already paid too high a price for this. Tirek could afford losses like this. We could not. It reminded me of a million things at once - similar situations that "good guy" leaders found themselves in. And it hurt me that I wasn't able to avoid the same trap. Like, it was my fault. I was so angry, so absolutely done with this war, I just let things flow around me.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Unwanted Duel
TIME: 10:48 NRCT
DATE: War Day 579/8 Solarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: Grounds of the Imperial Palace, Capital City of Miaco, Occupied Empire of Neighpon
A few minutes later, our forces were ready. Assault ladders were up and ready. Being made for ponies, they weren't easy for me to climb. So, I just found myself a pile of rocks, and got up them, then raised myself up - shocker, the short Pony wall meant I could climb over it by myself.
K: "Ready." I checked my Bradley, then nodded.
We got over the walls, no problem. However, what confronted us.. was not what we expected to see. In the courtyard, facing us, was the one thing we'd avoided until now.
Shogun no Ken: "Ah-HAH!"
I tucked as soon as I got over the wall, aiming up at the.. Shogun. The Emperor's son. And a complete company of guards. All ponies. All armed. With both copied Zhukovs and swords or spears. These were his elite, his 'Samurai' as it were.
We were about to fight our own people. Ponies.
The first wave of Marines that got over, stopped, half having taken cover, the other half, not. Senshi was about ten feet to my left.
K: "Shogun." I didn't move.
Shogun no Ken: "HYOOMAN!" He pointed a long Tachi at me, grasped in his right foreleg. He then curtly turned his head to Senshi. "Bushin." And bowed, respectfully.
K: "..you want to duel me, don't you?" I could read this situation like a book.
Shogun no Ken: "Hai." He got into a middle-guard stance..
K: "And if I say no, everyone starts shooting. My ponies, and your ponies, die needlessly." I still didn't move.
Shogun no Ken: "Hai. Veddy good, hyooman." He gave me a cruel smirk.
K: "Whereas, if I challenge you and win, they surrender." I cleared my throat. "And if I act dishonorably, they fight."
Shogun noi Ken: "Hm." He nodded.
K: "And you won't challenge Bushin Senshi." I glanced quickly at him - his eyes alone were telling me this was a very bad idea.
Shogun no Ken: "Egzactury." He cocked a brow. "Werrl?"
I swept my Bradley to one side, off-hand, and raised my right hand, fingers splayed, and rose to a stand. I tossed the Bradley at Senshi's hooves.
Senshi: "GENERARL!" He exclaimed. "De Shogun ish one of de best swordsponies in awlr of Neighpon!!"
Applejack: "HONEYBUN! DON'T DO IT! YA DON'T STAND A CHANCE!"
I paced towards him, hands still away from my body.
Twilight: "K! This is CRAZY!"
Coco: "..kick his ass, sir!" She cheered.
Sigmask: "Show him how we do things in Equestria, General!" He yelled out.
Ochre Wave: "Chop him up in'ta stew meat, sir!"
Webley: "K----! Be.. be CAREFUL!" Funny she'd support me like that, and call me by name.
I knew they cared. This was another mismatch, and worse that it wasn't even a sword fight that I was totally familiar with. It was foreign, I was expected to hold to a whole new set of rules.
I stood before him.. he had his blade out, I was empty handed. With my left hand, I took my Morgan from my chest holster, and chucked it back behind me, roughly at Ochre Wave.
K: "I can't talk you out of this? Can't.. negotiate?" I turned my head, slightly, away from him.
Shogun no Ken: "No." His one word was like ice.
K: "Magic or no magic?" I cocked a brow.
Shogun no Ken: "Magic!?" *Guffaw* "Eef you have it, you had bettah use it!!" He went to High Guard - a signal that I better stop talking, or he'd just cut me down.
I held my left hand forwards, and slowly drew the Sword of Rainbow's Light with my right, grasped it twohanded, middle guard, copying him. As I've said many times before, I'm not a swordsman.. but I am a strategist. I'd watched enough Katana sword fights to have a rudimentary understanding of how they swung their blades, their ready stances, and so on.
I was going to trick him.
K: "I bow, sir." I bowed my head to him. "May our ancestors smile on us, this day."
The Shogun bowed as I did.. then he charged with speed matching Sombra's. And I could tell he was holding back. Just the first move, and he was going to toy with me.
Fine.
I pulled back, and 'waved' my sword at his, knocking it away, like a Katana-wielder might. Not an edge-on-edge clash as with European swordfighting. I made it look like I was going to go for an undercut, then kicked back, rolling almost backwards, and buying some distance.
He didn't talk - he was no amateur, and this was no display fight. He moved straight in, and tried to down-cleave with the Tachi. Instead of going straight back, I rolled to his STRONG side, seeming to give him an opening to strike one-handed.
Which, he did, thinking me a fool.
At this range, I simply dropped the Sword, and reached out, grabbing his foreleg in my hands, and pitching him INTO his own swing, and THROWING him with all my adrenaline..
Keep in mind, he's about the same size as Campanula. Tall, statuesque, even, with a bit of muscle. About 90lbs.
And I swung him around, and threw him, like an Olympic hammer. I had muscle, now. I had strength. I'd been working like a maniac the last three years. Even with my deprivation in the Herdiet Union, I'd regained my lost strength. I was much stronger than the noodle-armed nerd that arrived here over three years ago.
He flew into a cherry tree, almost head first, and I was smart enough to know he wasn't going to hit it. He taunted me about magic. That meant he had some of his own. And there was only one kind he SHOULD have - what we'd call Ninja Magic.
He popped out of the air in a puff of smoke. And I knew, I knew he'd use the velocity I just gave him, to try and come around behind me. I had already grabbed the Sword of Rainbow's Light.. and the second he popped back in, almost directly at my rear..
K: "SOMBRA, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!" I screamed it.
Everything, everywhere, went black.
K: "LUNA, GIVE ME STRENGTH!!" I screamed that even harder.
Effectively, I cut all light within a 100-meter radius, then shot the lights on at full intensity. My eyes were closed. But everyone else's - including the Shogun's - were open. The pupils would have started to expand to take in more light the second I called for Luna, and the brightness of full moonlight, would be like a magical flashbang.
Everyone yelled out. The Shogun lost his composure, and rolled out of his dive, crashing into the ground. I was on him that very second, and jammed the sword into his right foreleg, that still grasped his Tachi, pinning it to the ground. I then pulled Senshi's Ugachitana, and swung full force like a golf club, stopping right at the flesh of his neck.
K: "I spare you." I snarled.
Shogun no Ken: "I-" He then realized, his sword was pinned to the ground, and my second sword was at his neck. "..IMPOSSIBRU!!!"
K: "You are defeated." I resheathed the Ugachitana, making sure to gently nick my thumb as I did so, and then fetched the Sword of Rainbow's Light from his leg, having to wrench it out - he'd be crippled in that arm, I'd landed it on the elbow joint.
I stepped back, fully expecting him not to accept this.
He started to roll up, and just as I thought, just like a typical Bad Guy, he suddenly had throwing stars, which he went to flick at me, but realized I was too close.
I kicked him in the gut as hard as I could, then, as he landed, I squared up his gonads like a soccer ball, and snapped my foot into them so hard, you could hear billard balls slam together.
K: "GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!"
He was almost unconscious from that.
I slipped my hand behind my back, under my uniform shirt, and pulled my PA-63, which I cocked and stuck to his head, and turned to his soldiers.
K: "SURRENDER! NOW! I HAVE DEFEATED THE SHOGUN OF NEIGHPON!" I screamed. I was so done with all of this.
Neighponese Loyalist Pony: "Suh.." He stepped forwards, and bowed to me. "..you have'a indeed defeated da Shogun.." He wouldn't look at me. "..but you know, surrender.. we cannot.."
He drew his own sword, and immediately impaled himself on it, drawing it across his belly, and spilling his guts out.
One by one, the rest of the Shogun's guards, did similarly. No words, no prayers, no final cup of Sake.. they just committed mass Seppuku, rather than face a trial for treason.
I looked down at the Shogun, who was coming around.
K: "You are unworthy of my time." I spat at him. "Senshi. As my equal, I ask you deal with your dishonorable countrypony."
I walked away. Senshi, without a word, came over, and, using the 'new sword' - a Morgan - he shot the little prick in the head. Me? I walked over to Applejack, and sunk to my knees, throwing my arms over her.
The palace was ours. At an incredible cost.
{End of Chapter 62}
