***

--- Fort Alnus, Temporary Rose Knights Quarters ---

September 25th, 2025

"This is humiliating. Accepting all these gifts from these people." Jalin said, complaining of the situation.

Bozes Co Palesti stands there and crosses her arms hearing that. To her and everyone else surprise, these NATO people have provided cloths, shelter, and access to what they call the mess hall. Some of their soldiers have been rude to them but nothing major.

She watches as Jalin walks over to his assigned bed.

"These people think they can…" Jalin Tu Fendro said as he sits down on the bed. Once he sits down, he notices how comfortable the mattress is. "Hmm… this isn't bad." He finishes in a surprise and happy voice.

As she watches his attitude change, she finds it hysterical on how quick he changed his mind.

Most of the Knights came from wealthy or noble families in Sadera. Most of them being females, wanting to break the mold and to make a name for themselves. She knows that Jalin did not come from a wealthy family, so he is not used to be getting handouts.

Suddenly, the lights go out and everything goes dark. The only source of light is coming from the windows that are facing the sun.

She turns around and sees Beefeater E Caty standing by what the Other Worlders call a light switch.

"Knock it off!" She yells, getting annoyed that Beefeater keeps turning on and off the lights.

"This is just, amazing. With no effort, they can summon light without needing a torch. I wonder what kind of fire that is." Beefeater said in an amazed tone.

"Please stop. They said not to do that." She answers.

"Yes, that is starting to make my head hurt," Jalin adds.

"Fine," Beefeater said and then walks over. "I love these clothes though."

She looks at her clothes. Just like Beefeater, her, and everyone else are wearing the Other Worlder cloths What they call a t-shirt and jeans pants or shorts. All of them are these olive color but some of the shirts are white.

She must admit, the clothes are comfortable and well crafted. While pain and tasteless in style, the quality is remarkably high.

Since arriving, she has not seen anyone in robs as you will see in Sadera and most places. A few people from this world who live in Alnus are in robs or in crafted wool dresses. Most of these Alnus people seem to have adopted these types of clothing now.

"I do wonder what is going to happen now." She said.

"We will see. When the Princess figures out the lay of the land. Just remember, these people are not our friends. They are still the enemy." Jalin points out as he stretches. "Right now, it is best to just relax and recover. Lay back on the bed and sleep… but I won't like it!"

***

--- Nearby meadow ---

September 25th, 2025

Hamilton and Andrew are hunting for thanksgiving.

"Where did you go…?" Andrew asked himself as he looks through his Mk 21 Precision Sniper Rifle scope.

When drinking at Apex, he overheard Delilah that they will not have enough food for Thanksgiving. Hearing that he decided to go out and get some fresh meat. He has not had a chance to his sniper rifle in this war. Things have been moving too fast or our missions have been too specific for it.

He saw this as a chance to use it again, to keep his skills as a marksman sharp.

"So, you look through that thing and can see very far away?" Hamilton Uno Ror asked, looking down at him as he lays on the grass.

"Yup. This thing I am looking through is called a scope. I can see up to that tree line way over there. The other one is called binoculars. They do the same thing without needed to attach it to a weapon." He responds, looking up from his rifle and up at her.

She looks at him and then looks out. Her eyes widen seeing how far away the tree line is. "You can fire way over there?"

"Yup. Do you want to look?" He said to her, sitting up from his position.

Hamilton looks back over and then crawls over to the MK 21.

"You saw how I was positioned? Do the same and look through that top part. Close your left eye and just look through." He said as he watches her.

As she gets into the position with his rifle, he is complexed by her. He got a chance to see the Rose Knights back Italica and here in Alnus. They all looked like they belong in their unit. Hamilton though, she does not seem to fully fit for some reason. He picked that up back in Italica.

"Holy the gods this is amazing," Hamilton said as she looks through the scope. "Do all of your weapons do this?"

"No… well... yes. Kind of. You need to have a scope to see that far. You have to add it to the weapon." He said.

"Wow… I can't believe it." She said out loud. She then looks away and faces him. "How does this work?"

"Well, I am not the best to explain things." He said. "Not big with words, I just prefer to play War Hammer and nerd out."

"That is fine, you can try... what is War Hammer and nerd?" She said in a curious voice, giving him a big smile like she is taking an interest.

Seeing her staring at him bothered him a bit. Not in a bad way but just making him feel nervous. He felt like this when he first met her in Italica, after Sharpe was forcibly taken back to the town after saving it. Pina ordered Hamilton to take care of Vanguard-7 as a good will gesture.

Hamilton got a chance to play some card games, leaning some American culture. However, he lost against her and the team made fun of him ever sense. But he did enjoy seeing her happy that she won(1).

"War Hammer is just a board game people play. It is based on strategy, trying to out beat your opponent. And nerd is just a label for people like me. People who like to read manga and like stuff like that."

"Oh... interesting." She responds as she looks through the scope. "So how does this work?"

"Ok, well there are two small pieces of glasses. They focus on the image, making what you are looking at seem closer."

He knows it is far more complicated than that. That the glass redirects light to enhance the images and with modern technology, it is more computer than anything else. He is just trying to explain it in a way that makes sense to her.

"Impressive. This… can change everything. So, when we see something all you have to do is shot it?" She asked, looking back through the scope.

"Pretty much but there is more to it. You know how far your target because you have to factor in the wind, terrain, and others. Farther you are the harder it is to hit your target." He explains.

"Interesting. You must be really great at this." She said.

"You are easily impressed." He bluntly said.

"What?"

"I mean, why do you follow the Princess the way you do? I always have seen you by her side." He asked, switching targets.

She sits up on her knees, brushing off the grass off her Rose clothing. "Well, when I was five my gave me to the Emperor and he gave me to Pina as her loyal servant. Then I was ten Princess ordered me into the Rose-Order of Knights. I am honored to be her servant. I do as she commands."

Hearing that, he cannot help but look at her baffled by what she said it. "You're her slave…?"

"What, no, I am not a slave. I am just her servant. I help her in her daily tasked, whatever that is." She responds with a little vigor in her voice.

"That still sounds like a slave to me." He answers, not seeing a difference.

She places her hands on her hips, annoyed. "I am not a slave. You serve your leader don't you."

He scoots away slightly scared of her now. Now he understands why Sharpe lets Rory and Lelei do what they want, they get scary when angry.

"I am sorry. And no, he is my boss and friend. He commands the unit I am in but in my country, you can just be given to someone and be forced to serve them. That is highly illegal." He answers, trying to deescalate the situation.

She takes a deep breath. "I am sorry. I see how you people might see it like that."

She then turns around and sits down, placing her arms on her knees. "She isn't like her brothers. She doesn't want the throne; she just wants her time to shine and blossom into a big bright rose. She is a great leader; someone the Empire needs right now."

She then looks directly at him and gives a cheerful smile. "You see, I am not the strongest one in the group. I never could have survived because I am so weak without help. That is why I have to do this. I never could have kept up with the other boys and the other girls, Boze, Beefeater and the other. They are just stronger and better than me. During training and fighting small bands of goblins I always needed their help. If serving my Princess is all I can do and be there when she needs me, I have accepted that."

After hearing that, he turns around and sits down. He did not think of it like that. "Well, that isn't true. Strength is not always about being the strongest physically. The Army teaches that everyone has a role to play. Everyone has a skill that brings to the team. Every time I see you all together, it seems that they look after you not because you are some handicap but enjoy that you are around. I think they think that you bring kindest and trust to your unit. Since you are always there when they need you to be, always reliable."

"I never thought about it like that. That is nice of you." She responds, looking at him now.

"I kind of went through something like that. Back in middle school, I had these two bullies in school. I was a very scrawny kid back then. This one shy guy who was in one of my classes, his name is James. He religiously worked out at the gym. I think one day he just felt bad, so he beat the crap out of them."

"That was sweet of him," Hamilton said.

"Maybe. I just helped him with his schoolwork. Funny enough he was the one who introduced me to manga and comics." He adds with a chuckle.

"What are Manga’s? You said that word twice now." She asked.

"Let me show you." He said.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He taps on this reading app, where he stores his reading material.

That is when he notices her looking over his shoulder. She seems fascinated by his phone, just like everyone in Alnus when they first saw it. When he pulls out Goblin Slayer, thinking she would understand that more than the other stories he has. He hands her his phone and explained how to swipe page to page.

She takes it and beginning to look at the manga. "Wow, so this is a book? How did your scrip make the lines so perfect and write so small?"

He could not help himself but laugh at that. "It is digital… yeah… I will show you sometime." He finishes as he remembers she has no idea what digital means.

As she continues to look at the pictures in the manga, she looks at him. "Are we really this different? It seems like we are so far different. I thought if we went around and saved your people would help bridge the gap between our people."

He looks at her and sees what she is talking about. The phone must have shown her how far apart their technology is.

It is easy to judge someone based on the toys they have. That they might be better than you and the ones who do not are somehow inferior.

"Well, my boss thinks so. And your boss thinks so. The Major always talks about how technology does not equal character and values." He said and then looks to her. "Alnus proves it. Rory, Lelei and I guess that elf women now like to tag along not because we have five bars on our phone."

"I guess that is true. Pina wouldn't have gone on that quest if there wasn't hope." She said. "But why would you people have peace with us? You are very powerful. Matter of fact, why are you being so nice to me?"

He could not help himself from smiling. "Well, my country has a fancy way of making friends with its enemies. We beat the British twice, yes twice, now they are our closest allies. The French, Mexico, the Germans. The Germans again. Then there was Japan, now they are one of our closest allies. Vietnam, the Philippines, and there are a few more, I think. Point is, I don't see the point in taking this personal. This war will end one day, and we will move on to the next opponent."

"That is an interesting point of view. I guess that helps you from taking things not personal like your leadership." She said.

"You’re talking about his boss and yours too, I guess. Well, I don't have to make the big decisions. So it is easy to think like that when I just follow my orders." He said.

"That isn't true. If you just follow orders, you wouldn't be out here helping your friends by hunting for them." She responds with a big smile.

He is hesitating to respond to that. He didn't think of it like that, he just wanted a nice day and to, fix some personal problems. "Yup..."

That is when he sees her look at him more closely, seeing how his attitude changed. "Did I say something wrong... wait." She then gets this eye roll expression. "You own the tavern money, do you?"

He takes a deep breath and looks away embarrassed. "Yeah. Drinking games and I have a tab. I saw this as a way to help pay it off."

"Men..." She said as she giggles, rolling her eyes.

She then looks back at him. "Thank you for inviting me. This has been fun, getting away from everything." She said as her cheeks get a little rosy.

He stares at her, not knowing what to do. "Ahh, yeah. No problem."

As both said they then look away, breaking the connection. He was about to comment, but she holds out her hand, stopping him.

"Do you hear that?" She asked him, paying more attention to something.

He looks out and listens. "No…"

As he said that, they hear this strange noise in the bushes behind them. As they look, this giant bear size buffalo beast bursts out of the brush. Both jumped from the ditch they were in and start running for their lives.

As he runs, his training is kicking in. Both from his time when his father took him out hunting and the Ranger training, he received.

He jumps to the left and rolls on the ground. As he gets up, he pulls out his SIG M17 and aims. He was hoping that the beast would follow him but sees her that the bear is still her.

Seeing that he cannot get a good shot and starting to believe that his pistol won't have enough stopping power. He gets up and rushes back to the ditch they were both in.

He slides down into it and grabs his Mk.21 and aims. As he aims, he sees that the strange-looking buffalo.

Right before the buffalo gets to Hamilton, he pulls the trigger.

The buffalo falls forward, ramming its head right into the ground and rolls over. He also sees Hamilton falling forward.

He jumps up and starts running as fast as he can over to her position. He is praying to his Christian god that he was not too late. He knows his superiors will be ferocious with him if he allowed her to die and lose favor with Major Sharpe. More important, letting some he cares about from this world.

When he arrives, he sees Hamilton sit up, brushing the grass off herself.

"Oh god, I thought you died," He said with a big relief. He then looks to the bear buffalo. "Damn. This thing is huge."

"It is an Aguso. They are very territorial during mating season." Hamilton explained.

He walks over to her and hands out his hand, offering to help her up.

She takes his hand and is lifted back to her feet. "Ahh, thank you."

He nods his head, smiling at her. But suddenly he finds himself tackled by her; she gives him a big thank you hug. He feels her holding onto him tight and he starts to feel embarrassed.

"Ahh, thank you?" He responds. He wraps his right arm around her, giving her a half hug.

They look at each other and for a moment he felt the urge to kiss her. Both look at each other blushing.

The Aguso corpse makes a gas sound, ruining the mood.

They both then look to the beast laying there.

"Well, I guess we have our gain now. They are good to eat." She points out.

"Yeah. We better cut it up before it rots." He replied.

***

--- Alnus Community ---

September 25th, 2025

As Princess Piña Co Lada walks through the town of Alnus, she is with her friend Panache Fure Kalgi. They decided to look at what the fuss is about with Alnus.

While not as grand as Sadera, with the tall buildings, marble statues the large marketplaces. It feels like just another town like Italica. The big difference is how well intergraded the place is with the Other Worlders culture and this world.

"I do not believe I have ever seen this many different races in one place before," Pina said as she looks around.

"I agree. It also feels strange not seeing any chains or auctions around. What you said seems to be true, it seems that they walk to talk when talking about slavery." Panache states.

She agrees with her friend. So far, she has only been told that these Other Worlders do not value the ownership of people. This is the first time she has gotten to see what life like inside Alnus. Her conversations with Sharpe have been very character and values base. It is interesting to see it plain as day.

"It reminds me of Italica. Count Colt Formal tried to establish a safe place within his borders for no Humans. Here it seems to be a reality." Pina said.

"A safe place for everyone besides us." Panache points out, glancing behind her at the two Alnus Military Police escorting them. The Human is named First Sergeant Miloslav Suchanek and the Siren is Corporal Myuute.

She glances back, one being a man fully armed and another green hair Siren. "Is this necessary? We are not going to rob anyone. We just want to see this town you built"

"Orders are ordered." The Miloslav said.

"And besides, the brass might allow you for helping our people but that does not mean we trust someone from the Empire. Especially the princess." The Myuute said in a mistrusting voice.

"Hey!" Panache turns around to face both of their escorts. "Hey, I do not care who you are or where you came from, but you will show respect to royalty when present you Other Worlder American."

After hearing her friend said that, she places her arm on her shoulder and gives a passive wave to both soldiers. "It is ok, everything is good. No issues here."

She then pulls her friend closer so she can speak in the ears. "Knock it off. We didn't go through all that trouble just to get tossed out because of my bloodline and title. They don't care about that stuff and I honestly don't care either. Gaining their trust so we can have lasting people is more important."

"Princess, we still have customs…" Panache said because being interrupted by the Human soldier.

"I am not American. I am from the Czech Republic." Miloslav points out.

She looks over to the man, realizing that he is saying he is from a different country. She knows others came with the Americans. She has dealt with them at the Gate. It did not cross her mind on how many different countries from the world across the Gate has come here.

"Sir…" She begins to say.

Miloslav holds up a figure, telling her to stop. "Don't call me sir, I am not an officer. Call me First Sergeant Miloslav Suchanek."

"Ok, sorry. First Sergeant Miloslav Suchanek how many countries are there?" She asked the question.

"Hmm… is it eighteen, nineteen countries now?" Myuute replied.

"It all depends on what you mean. Here fighting you have the US of course with the rest of the NATO countries. Then you have Australia and Japan. None combat nations, close to forty. That doesn't even include the United Nations organizations."

She could not believe that number. The more she thinks she understands these Other Worlders the more it seems she knows nothing.

"What is NATO? I have heard that word be spoken a few times." Panache asked.

"The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or known as NATO is a thirty-member intergovernmental military alliance between two continents. Going, to be honest, you really pissed the wrong people." Miloslav said, being blunt.

"Lighten up partner," Myuute said as she gives Miloslav a light punch in the shoulder.

Right now, she has many questions about the other world however she can tell the soldier is not in the mood for her questions. She decides to hold off on her questions, saving them for Sharpe when she meets him again.

"Let's just go." She said to her friend. Then they start walking again, wanting to get a full view of the town.

They walk around the town, taking everything, they see in. They see traders from Italica and Elbe, trade goods for other goods.

Everything seems interesting to her but there is one fact that she cannot help from seeing. There is no fear in these people's eyes. If she sees fear, it is when they look at her and her friend.

"Pina. Is that Grey over there?" Panache asked, pointing down a street.

She looks over and sees Grey there, talking to some small girl. None of that makes sense, why would he be here talking to some girl. Unless he wanted to come here just to see her.

"I do not know but it seems like they know each other." She responds, confused by the sight.

That makes her think maybe everything they been through was for him to get access here just to see her. It is not uncommon for older men taking an interest in a younger woman. They are seeing it as a better way to guarantee children and easier to turn into a wife. That is quite common for older soldiers, nobles, and politicians.

However, Grey Co Aldo is not like that. All her life she has known him to be a very honorable man. He took care of her and her fellow Rose knights. He never used his position and power to use or abuse them but treated them like family.

"Let's go find out." She said and heads over.

When they walk over, both automatically felt unwelcome as the little girl looks to them.

She looks down at her and then recognizes her. She is that girl from Italica during the siege, her name is Princess Selina. She was with the Americans when they arrive. She then looks up and sees a blue hair girl name Lelei. She wonders why Grey is talking to them.

"Hello." She said, trying to break the ice.

"Your highness. I was just having a friendly chat with Selina and Lelei here. Sharing stories." Grey said. "You can just call her Selina or Selina Sharpe. Nothing else." He finishes, looking directly at her.

She sees his action, wondering why he said it like that. She decided to take his advice, not wanting to anger these people. She knows Selina is wanted by the Empire, more specific, her brother Zorzal. Right now, she does not care about any of that. There are more important issues at hand then an ex-princess of a vassal kingdom.

"Ok, nice to meet you Selina and Lelei. I do not think we had an official meeting." She said and then looks to Grey. "What brings you down here Grey? You didn't tell me you were coming here."

"He doesn't have to," Selina said in a suppress angry tone.

She looks down, surprised by her reaction. She can tell that the girl does not like her present. She understands why she is one of the leaders of the Empire. It is strange how she is friendly to Grey though, since he is a soldier of the Empire too.

"Selina is nice," Lelei said, talking over to her side.

"It is ok little one. It is a fair question." Grey said and then looks to her. "I came down here to talk to the Major. I ended up running into his daughter here." He stops and looks down at Selina. "congratulations by the way."

Selina looks up at Grey and smiles. "Thank you, Sir Aldo."

Right then it hits her. She feels a little stupid that she did not pick that up the first time. "Selina, I take it Sharpe adopted you?"

Selina looks back at her with a serious look. "Yes."

She struggles to have a response to that. She wonders what in the world that she did to her directly.

"You little bra…" Panache begins to say before she stops her.

"Well, I am happy. I have been trying to find him. I like to thank him for helping my knights. You see…" She said before Selina stops her.

"Look, I was told to be nice to you. Because you helped our people. But if you try anything you are dead." Selina said in a blunt voice.

She struggles to take that. She is not used to people talking down at her, especially someone younger and weaker than her. She wonders if Selina is worried that she will take the girl to her brother Zorzal, which she has no intention to do so.

"You have nothing to fear from me, Selina. I won't harm you." She said with a smile.

"I am not talking about myself. I am talking about if you screw over my father again then I am going to kill you. You people will not take a second family away from me." Selina said and then looks up to Grey with a smile. "Bye Grey. See you at the party."

She watches as Selina walks away. She then looks to Lelei as she tries to get her attention.

"I am sorry for Selina's appearance. She gets emotional when it comes to family. You have nothing to fear from her." Lelei said.

She takes a deep breath and smiles. "That is ok. She is just trying to act strong."

"Agreed," Lelei said. "If you try and screw over Sharpe again, I will fry you first. Then Rory Mercury will finish off the remains of your flesh and bones." After saying that in her usual cold voice, she walks away.

As she watches them walk away, she hears Grey chuckling. She looks over to him annoyed by that. "Why are you chuckling…"

"Because they remind me of you when you were a kid. You and the kid have a lot in common. Before your brother's bad habits started to influence you." Grey said.

"That doesn't mean she has to be disrespectful to royalty." Panache states annoyed by what happened.

"That doesn't matter Panache. Please stop bringing that up." She said and looked at Grey in the eyes. "Why were you talking to them?"

"I overheard there is going to be a holiday party. With her blessings, Selina was inviting me to it. I was requesting for Hamilton, Beefeater, Jalin, Boze and you two to come. I think it would be good for us to see their culture outside of the war." Grey said.

She looks at him as a surprise by what he said. After the threat, all she wants to go is go back to that barracks, but this is an opportunity she cannot pass up. Since the conversation at the Gate, she has been trying to get a one on one meeting with him. Wanting to try and restart peace talks or something. So far, she has no luck.

"Were you successful?" She asked.

"I still need to get that confirmed but I think it is safe for you all to come. I would not wear your armor though. You don't want to send the wrong single." Grey responds.

"Ok. I will tell the others. I hope this party is worth it. I hate parties." She said.

She cannot stand parties. Always wear this over-designed tight dress or robs, dancing around with these noble young men who think very highly of themselves. Everyone talking about how great they are and living in the clouds.

"We will head back and tell the others."

***

--- Havcristen, The Greater Elies Region ---

September 25th, 2025

Krysist stands there on the city walls standing by one of the fire pits. He is trying to stay warm as he looks out into the east. The night is cold, but it is clear.

This boy walks over to him. "Here is your meal General."

He looks down at the boy. The boy looks to be twelve. He takes the bowl of soup and pats him on the shoulder. "Thank you, boy. That will be all."

As the boy walks away, he looks back out to the distance. He takes a bit from a piece of bread that came with the soup. As a General, he can have the best of food this city can offer. Sleep and eat in the best of rooms and beds. Sleep with the pretest of women.

For the sake of the men, he decided to pass on all of that. For his plan to work he knows he needs the full support and belief of the Imperial Army that is a station here. Most of them will probably be dead by the time this is all over and they know it.

The men need to know that he is with them until the end. That he is not like the nobles in Sadera, who prefer to fight this war within their city comforts. That he is willing to live and sacrifice just like any of them.

Out there in the night, all he can see are all these bright flashes and the sound of battle and explosions. The final defensive line fighting off the NATO forces as they advance to the regional capital. Once and a while he can hear this very loud explosion that was dropped from these flying machines.

With his time with Major Sharpe team, he learned a lot. How they communicate, how they think and operate. They are passionate but they are also clever. Sharpe passed his test, both as a leader but also his character. Her unit also passed his test, coming back for him and able to operate without their leader.

While the last two thoughts were not part of his original test, it was valuable information. It showed that their senior leadership understands the art of war however the lower ranks are capable to operate independently. They do not operate in a top-down system like the Imperial Army but empower their lower ranks.

He also learns that they are soft-hearted, willing to invest many resources into helping others if they can. He thought that might of been a weakness however he found that to be a strength. Using the elves was a great way to figure out the true nature of the enemy culture and priorities.

As he eats his supper, he can only imagine the battle in front of him.

He thought his trench system would have better results. He knew the enemy had powerful weapons of war. After traveling for those few days with the Rangers shows how far their technological abilities are. They can see in ways he could have never imagine possible.

But now he has a better idea of how they operate and hopefully his change in tactics will help. All he must do is hold out as long as he can for his plan to work out. This war will end, and the Empire will survive this war.

He looks around the wall and sees all the other guards standing there, looking out in the same direction. He knows the feeling they are having, pure fear. He does not blame them.

All the battles, the hardships, torture, and abuse. All the wars he has fought and opponents who they thought they were worthy of his sword; he hopes these Other Worlders will bring what has been missing in his heart.

For some reason though, looking out before battle, he always feels like this is more home than anything else. Like he was born into this life, never knowing who his mother or father is. Since the say he can remember, this is all he knows.

He expects to see Legatus Propraetor Pelue Muilk in the morning with the remaining Legions. Then he will explain his plans on defending the city. He just hopes the traps will be ready by then. He knows when these Other Worlders finally attack the city, it will be a fight for the Army lives.

In the end, though, he is ok with that fact. He thinks that everything is going as plan. He has full confidence that his campaign in Elies will be a success.

He then chuckles to himself, imagining the battle to come. "This is going to be a ride."