The early-morning sun beamed down on the deep blue ocean painting oil-like hues of pink and orange over the salty waters. Caught in the wind, flakes of sand shifted over the endless dunes that stretched the shoreline well beyond the horizon. Birds circled the beach, their black and white feathers occasionally broke free from their wings and descended towards the occupied grounds below.

Walking across the small dunes and divots that covered the beachfront, members of the 12th Light Infantry Corps of the Federation Navy and over fifty soldiers from the Federation Army walked the beaches carrying supplies and moving heavy equipment as they moved towards the coastal city of Juna. Commanding Officers made distinctive orders to their men, and their Non-Commissioned Officers made rounds to make sure the mission at hand ran like a well-oiled machine.

On the eastern side of the moving convoy, a smaller contingent of SMU operators totaling up to twenty-nine and ten solders apart of the 1st Engineering Corps and Military Police huddled under the cover of a large truck as several NIA officers and OMFS agents moved across the sandy paved roads that lead from one of many larger cities that dotted the eastern coastal border of the Federation.

In a steady tempo, Sergeant Randall’s boots made visible tracks in the mud and sand as he walked alongside his squadron and the other agents and officers to the small group that had formed around the truck. All around him, the men that moved into the distant town began to locate and disarm potential unexploded ordinance and explosives that were scattered during the hectic attack and defense of the small area.

Left and right, stretchers lined the beaches and short grassy fields. Each one was covered with a light black tarp, the body under left to be hidden from the world. Armed men walked up and down the line, as medical personnel moved several covered stretchers into their guarded tent where tools once used to save lives were now used to examine corpses.

Grasping a metal canteen from his belt, Randall took a delicate sip form the half-full container. Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind, ranging from the images he saw earlier in the capital city, to the endless calming waves that came from a major revelation by the President himself. Even now he grasped at the phantom memories that plagued both his mind and history.

Columns of smoke rose from several older warships in the distance. The 2nd Fleet happened to be in the area, and he could only imagine the flocks of sailors and military personnel moving across the wooden decks performing what he believed to be meager tasks, it was something he and the others always laughed at.

Now their cheerful voices faded in his mind as the incident not one day ago was held within their mindscapes.

“Stay close.”

Standing under the warm sun and the bright sky, Sergeant Randall squinted his eyes as the sun beamed down on the coast and a light broke out on the side of his face. He licked his dried lips and tightened his grip around the small bag that was slung around his shoulder; he followed the words of Captain Thompson as he led them towards to the town after receiving his orders from the Commanding Officer that was overseeing them. A flurry of look brushed over himself and the others beside him as their boots clapped against the semi-moist walkway into the town. It wasn’t unusual for OMFS agents to appear at the site of an attack, but the lack of agents present drew attention from the soldiers and sailors that were around. Thankfully with Thompson’s quick-witted actions, the group was able to find themselves inside the ruins with relative ease.

Brushing his calloused hands on a burnt wall next to him, a small amount of ash covered his hand. Not wasting another second, he brushed his hand against his pant leg brushing most of it off without issue. The movement caught the attention of his partner, but she refrained from saying anything worrying about the silent thoughts that never saw the light of day.

“Just another day…” Richard whispered to himself as he nearly stumbled on a burnt piece of wood on the ground.

Passing by several soldiers and civilians working to clean up some of the ruins throughout the town, Randall averted his eyes away from the scattered corpses that had yet to be collected by the containment teams present. Some of the civilians waved, primarily women and children; he like the others weren’t so used to the warm greetings that the people gave even in the graves of their fellow family members and neighbors. His partner’s guard slightly fell, as his own did upon noticing her unsettled state.

Now at a small building that was relatively unscathed from the inferno that once scoured the town, the group stood around a small wooden door as Thompson withdrew a small silver key from his pants. Pressing the key into the hole, he twisted the metal object and received a satisfying “click”. He moved his hand to the doorknob and gently twisted it, opening the door and revealing the world within.

As a horrid stench escaped the room, Thompson and Patterson were the first to enter the seemingly empty and dull room. Shards of light broke through a nearby window and revealed the source of the smell, a deceased man in the corner of the room. Scanning his weary eyes over the rest of the room, the older captain saw that it was in pristine condition; the single bed, large bag, small wooden desk, and office chair were all cleaned and not a speck of dust remained.

“What type of place is this?” Malkovich asked as he stepped inside the room alongside Simon, “Some sort of little hideout?”

“It’s a sub room that’s probably owned by the landlord or something…” Patterson responded as he walked over to the desk where several sheets of paper laid in the fragmented light.

Nodding as he stepped to the side to examine the bed, Malkovich began to look for anything that caught his eye. The others did much the same except for Mike and Lecca who remained in the doorway not wanting to crowd the already full room. One-by-one, boxes, wooden crates, and files were displayed where they laid in the now bright light that emerged from Thompson’s flashlight. He would normally be against such an action considering their current predicate away from US forces, but he relented as he needed the light to gather the important items for examination outside.

Being directed by Patterson to take two boxes out of the dark room and to a small tent set up by the NIA officers, Mike and Lecca took it upon themselves to deliver the packages as they walked alongside each other moving away from the others that were sifting through the myriad of hidden documents found throughout the cramped environment.

Feeling the mud below his boots, Mike looked out to the destroyed town. “Not every day you see something like this…” His words carried a familiar weight. The princess beside him hummed at what he said, she could easily discern the fact that the sergeant had seen a similar sight in his own past.

Shining gently down on the sandy and ash-filled streets of the small town, a gentle rain fell from whatever heaven rested above in the scattered light-gray clouds. The sounds of the droplets provided a near-inaudible white noise, a calming noise, something the princess had learned to appreciate ever first interaction with the men she now worked with on a day-to-day basis.

Her thoughts attempted to drift towards each man’s current state of mind, yet the whispers of the wind flowing over the barren streets drowned out her voice as the pattering of multiple footsteps against the wet roads occupied her mindscape.

Slowly, eight men walked out a nearby alleyway thar stretched through what looked to be a shopping district. Although they looked like normal soldiers, more specifically members of an Air Combat Regiment, the men held themselves at a higher standard as they stalked around two men within the center of their group with unfamiliar weapons in their hands. The men spoke to themselves, their voices muffled through the scarves, and masks they wore over their faces. Each step they made was slow, but held a purpose, and an eerie silence fell around the two agents as they slowly trailed behind them.

Reaching the NIA tent, it seemed that everything was going to proceed smoothly other than the odd encounter with the unknown soldiers. Placing the boxes down and moving to turn around, Mike stopped Lecca from moving outside as the leader of the unknown soldiers waved his hand and one-by-one the soldiers dispersed to their assigned objectives within the town.

“Didn’t think I would see you both here.”

Snapping out of the trance he had entered from watching the masked men disperse, Mike raised an eyebrow to the dirtied and battered man before him.

“How are you doing, Phillips?”

Unlatching the helmet strap on his chin, and taking off the metal object, the crisp wind blew through the operator’s hair as he gave a small smile.

“What are you doing here?” With a chuckle he stepped forward and offered his hand, which the sergeant and princess gladly took with small grins on either of their faces.

“We should be asking that!” Lecca exclaimed in a hushed tone, “What are you doing here with those soldiers?”

Phillips simply shrugged his shoulders as he did not want to state his reason for being here. “An apt question, though not one we should be asking right now. To put into simple terms, I am acting as a liaison to the army right now.”

The silver-haired woman simply sighed as she shook her head, “Fine…”

Before the man could retort the woman’s down attitude, he stepped out of the way as a rumbling noise came from down the street. Facing the direction where the noise was coming from, Mike felt a vibration in the ground as his mouth slightly went ajar as the thunder of four heavily armored vehicles moving across the paved roads drew his and others attention.

Armored vehicles in similar design to the Russian BMP rolled along the road as both engineers and soldiers from the mechanized unit sat atop with loads of gear and weapons by their sides. Some of the agents and troops called out to them in cheerful voices making the men atop wave their hands.

Taking a deep breath and grasping onto his pant legs, the sergeant felt a cold bead of sweat run down the side of his face. The display before him flashed before his eyes like lighting as his surrounding turned into long stretches of desert that went beyond the horizon he could see with his naked eyes. He familiar weight sat upon his shoulders, body armor. The air around him felt hot, and for the briefest of seconds he wiped his sweaty hands against his pant legs once more.

A cold breeze brought his thoughts away from the distant memory. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted his partner watching the armored convoy roll pass with quiet eyes and parted lips. A silent breath escaped, and her foot gently tapped against the dirt below her. The constant rhythm provided a gentle temp that slowly brought back her conscience as she faced Phillips who had turned around to speak to one of the NIA Officers nearby.

Slouching back on the wooden beam used to uphold the tent, Mike took a deep breath as a wave of fatigue flowed over him from the long night of walking, he and the others had to do after the sudden attack within the capital city. Though the initial crisis was all but over, the scars left by the attack combined with the new threat that had just sprouted along the southern borders was something not to be trifled with in such an exhausted state.

“So, what do you think of the briefing we were given?” Striking up a conversation about the mission they were dispatched on, Lecca turned back to him as she strode over while brushing her hair which was tied up in a small bun.

Feeling a sense of Déjà vu, Mike turned to answer. “For all we’ve been through in the last twenty-four hours? I think that coordinating with a response team should be the last of our worries. What we should be cautious about is that the mission to intercept the kingdom’s armies is still going to happen within the next few days.”

“Not many people know about what might happen in the foreseeable future, huh?” With a conflicted expression, Lecca stepped forward after the convoy had fully passed with her partner following her trail.

“Yeah, I don’t get it.” Mike admitted rubbing the back of his head, “The Navy knows what’s up, then several other officers from the other branches have their piece of the pie; what I’m interested in is why the president hasn’t called off the raid.”

“He’s using it as a last resort, perhaps retaliatory?”

Mike hummed as he and his partner finally arrived back at the room where three more boxes waited for them to transport back to the NIA tent. Working together the two picked up their respective box as they moved to turn back to their former position across the block.

Gripping the box in his hands, the sergeant couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the whole situation he and the others had been thrusted into upon entering the Federation. From going to scouting out what the Kingdom believed to be the “Demon Lord’s” armies to now taking part in a counterterrorism and anti-war effort, each question he had in his mind was relating to why he of all people would be responsible for the word’s future. For now, all that was available to accomplish was to conduct the orders given by his immediate superiors and help his squadron to further their unit cohesion with OMFS agents and other military personnel.

“Well, the least we can hope is that the Federation refrains from making any rash decisions.” Mike said.

“I’m aware… I just hope my own Kingdom is not the one to start a war when the threat of the Demon Lord still exists…” Lecca calmly stated with a small frown adorning her lips.

“Demon Lord?”

“Is something the matter?” She asked, looking out of the corner of her eye with curiosity.

“The intelligence the kingdom held suggested that the Demon Lord laid beyond the frontier.” Mike began with a calculating gaze, “They were wrong? Could the Demon Lord be waiting further beyond the Federation?” he swallowed his suspicions as another came to his mind, “If such a Lord knew of the technological advancement that the Federation has made, would it be proper to assume that he is simply going around the country to attack the Kingdom?”

Lost in all thoughts spurred by his line of thinking, Lecca never spoke as she walked a single pace away from his side. What he said confused her to no end. The world she was taught by her father to know as a child now conflicted with the possible reality that he simply formulated with a few sentences.

“Well, I hope to talk to the king about this if we ever return. This outsider view may help explains some of the gaps our intelligences has had over the years.” Lecca explained, “I do wonder if he had considered such an option or a possibility that other nations like the Federation exist beyond the frontier.”

“Then, we’ll make it happen.” Reaching the tent, Mike was the first to place down his box just within. Sweat fell from his face, but a smile remained on his lips as he turned and motion for the princess to follow him back to the squadron.

Shaking her head with amusement Lecca followed him. She was more than glad to be working with both Mike and the other men that her own nation had summoned them to fill their ranks; at first, she thought that dealing with such summoned individuals would prove troublesome. It turned out that each of them was very vocal and responsible no matter the situation, they like Captain Oliver were true professionals and would no doubt be more than useful to the Kingdom—though that’s not where they belonged. They held the right to return to their home world of Earth, and she would help them every step of the way. For now, the only challenge waited as it pertained to escaping the Federation’s grasp and returning to the kingdom, but it was a problem for another day.

Walking in silence the two once more returned to the room, but thankfully Thompson and the others had finished scouring the room and were waiting outside while a small four-man team collected the decomposing body inside. Rubbing his wrist, the captain held an uncertain expression as he watched the men take the body out of the room, the unholy stench made him cringe and pinch his nose till the men were out of sight. “Let’s go.” Was all he could order as a small amount of dust kicked up from below his boots.

Gently placing their boots onto the ground before them, each operator walked with patience as they moved in sync to the NIA tent where Officer Phillips and a single other Officer waited for them with a canteen full of water in their hands. Clenching his fists, the captain silently stood in front of his men before they formed a half-circle around the two officers waiting to give them their next orders.

The silence was palpable between the Rangers-turned-intelligence agents, and the two officers standing across from them. Each man waited for a word to be spoken, and the unknown NIA Officer looked upon them with a gentle sweat as he set his sights upon the foreigners surrounding him.

“Listen up!” The officer began ridding himself of his nervous disposition. “You have all been instrumental in the investigation following the attack on the capital less more than forty-eight hours ago. All of your eyewitness testimonies and combined efforts to dig up those responsible have finally come to a head and the National Intelligence Agency and Office of Homeland and Foreign Intelligence is ready to reveal who was responsible for this unprovoked attack on the Federation.”

Becoming still at his words, the man let what he said sink in before he continued.

“We have confirmed the identity of the man that attacked the venue; Akira Hiro, one of four Heroes summoned by the Kingdom of Yondel twenty years ago.”

Grasping her hands together, the princess breathed quietly. The men around her slowly shared glances amongst each other as they looked at the Chieftain with worried eyes. “I-I… I was just four years old… There’s nothing I could’ve done…” She forced out trying to not let the anger she felt boiling below her skin burst out.

“We never suspected you.” Mr. Phillips said while crossing his arms, “Things wouldn’t have worked out the way it did if we considered a child and individuals summoned no less than several months ago to be our primary suspects. It was actually quite easy to clear your names when we cross referenced data from our agents and officers within the frontier.”

“I see…” Lecca said absorbing the information presented.

“Anyways, most of the country is calling for blood, but message snipers working throughout the kingdom have revealed that the Heroes were not working under the King’s or any official military representative’s orders.” The officer continued bringing their attentions to a nearby board which displayed a location on the southern border. “We have exactly three days before Navy launches a counterattack. We need to set up a dialogue with the possible invaders or else we are looking at war.” He said in a cold voice.

“War.” Thompson parroted slowly rubbing his chin.

“Correct.” Mr. Phillips said stepped up while tugging his BDUs sleeve, “From our intel, we suspect a first contact party to arrive within two days at the southern most point. With army ACRs, you are to target and access this party before making first contact with the kingdom. Speed, intimidation, and violence will have to play roles in convincing them to back off. Your mission is to infiltrate the area of operations and speak with them, if they resist, call in artillery and move to destabilize the rest of the assault force that will move on the Federation.”

Each looking at each other with expressions of shock and unsettlement, the Rangers considered their options as the officer provided the final portion of information to their directives.

“Let me be clear, these people have blood on their hands, innocent blood. You have full authority to prosecute the targets as you wish, but I will stop what HIGHCOM wants by ordering you all to show some restraint. As Officer Phillips said if they prove any trouble, eliminate them, and move with the 1st Armored Company to initiate a first-strike operation on the remaining knights and pikemen in the valley below.”

Raising his hand, Thompson asked a crucial question that was overlooked, “What about the Heroes? What if they show?”

“You all have received a presidential order to eliminate those people. Make no mistake that they are on the Kingdom’s payroll, but we don’t know of their abilities due to them being outside of nation for so long.”

“We’ll burn this fucking world to the ground if they do show up.” Baker said picking up his pack from the ground.

“Good. Meet at the edge of town at 1200 hours. Dismissed.”

A cold breeze blew over the town as the men turned around and exited the tent. Walking away, Thompson aimed to return to the entrance to the town to receive his next objective. He began to walk the distance under the golden light that shined brightly above. His attention remained on a pair of two figures conversating near an armored vehicle, but he never was joined by Mike, Malkovich, and Lecca as the three were stopped by Mr. Phillips and brought aside.

As the ever-lasting silence followed the captain and the others, Malkovich was the one to speak up at the sudden withdraw from the rest of the squadron. “Any problems?” He asked brushing his hand across the small stubble which had grown on his chin.

The hum of a T-30 flying overhead prevented the Case Officer from responding immediately. Mike himself looked up to the sky as the large plane slowly passed overhead followed by several more vehicles of similar design. The reason for the flights wasn’t a complete mystery; it was no doubt a response to the attack two days ago. Provided that the Federation hadn’t simply decided to attack the Kingdom, the planes were guessed to be carrying men and supplies to bases near the border.

“I just want to make sure you all know what you all are getting into.” Phillips said resting against a stack of boxes near the edge of the tent. “We can’t risk half assing this.”

“We’re not going there over our heads. It’s just another mission for us.” Malkovich admitted.

“That’s why I’m telling you this: It’s no mission. We’re talking about the potential about war here.” Phillips pressed with a sense of urgency in his voice.

The man wasn’t wrong. Sending foreigners to a mission that determined the fate of two entire civilizations was a dumb idea, yet there was merit to having a “third party” intervene in this matter. With a neutral view on the two countries the men, outside of the princess, would have a fair shot at establishing a dialogue with a mitigated risk of bloodshed.

“The least we can do is prevent a war…” Mike said in an unsure, strained voice.”

“Get to it. Malkovich, can we speak for a moment?” Phillips said sending away both Mike and Lecca.

Publicly Available Information: Levels of Mobilization:

In times of peace and times of crisis, the Federation Armed Forces have several levels of readiness:

M-CON – Mobilization Condition:

MCON RED – Armed Forces ready to deploy within 3 hours. Maximum readiness. War imminent. “Forward March.”

MCON PURPLE – Army ready to deploy within 6 hours. Military on standby. Near war. “Dark Night.”

MCON BLUE – Security forces and Border Guards activated. Joint-Investigation Initiated. “Bargaining Power.”

MCON GREEN – Normal Status. Military on standby, Security Forces stand down. No threat. “Quiet Day.”