Otaheit, Mu

Embassy of the United States of America

Pierre Deville panted as he opened the doors of the embassy, having just been urgently summoned from his Ministry of Intelligence. Burdened by traffic, he had to bike all the way in order to arrive promptly. Upon his entrance, he was immediately seen to by a staff member, who guided him to the embassy’s CIA field office.

“Thank you,” Minister Deville said to the staffer as he entered the office, the door shutting behind him. He then drew his attention to the man sitting down on the other side of the room’s central table. “Mister Chamberlain, you’ve summoned me for an urgent matter?”

The black suited man responded with a Transatlantic accent, “I have, Minister Deville. I truly appreciate you coming here on such short notice,” he said, standing up and reaching over the table to shake Deville’s hand. “Please,” he then gestured to the chair below, “Take a seat.”

Deville sat down. Opting to get straight into business, he began, “I’ve heard that the Gra Valkans have finally invaded the Hinomawari Kingdom. It’s something to do with that, I presume?”

“Correct,” Chamberlain said. “Drink?” He held up a bottle of Qua-Toynian whiskey.

“Yes, please.”

While he poured a glass for himself and his Muan companion, Chamberlain explained the situation, “I’ve received intelligence from the Leiforian Resistance that the Gra Valkans are aiming for King Hinomawari and his family. As per the agreement struck by Director Klein, I’d like your men to put their new skills and equipment to practice. We need to extract King Hinomawari and his family to your western borders.”

Deville protested, feeling like the Americans were encroaching upon Muan sovereignty — despite their prior agreements. He deflected the request subtly, bringing up other concerns, “Is this such a task that necessitates the involvement of Muan assets? Is there no way to inform the king to evacuate?”

“The king and his family reportedly came under assault by unknown Gra Valkan elements. They’ve barricaded themselves in the castle and have yet been unable to acquire help due to the battle currently raging in Harunagakyo.” Chamberlain pierced Deville’s eyes with an emotionless stare. “The closest assets are the men under your command.”

“I see. However, I must share with you a concern, should I proceed with this. If we are to use advanced technologies in Hinomawari, the Gra Valkans will be able to determine our involvement. My government does not seek war against the Gra Valkas Empire quite yet.”

“I understand your concerns, and have prepared measures to address them,” Chamberlain answered confidently. “I will provide your men with a rendezvous point, where they will meet with an operative of the Leiforian resistance. He will provide captured Gra Valkan weapons and equipment for them to use. While the German examples we’ve shown might not be exactly the same, I have faith that they are similar enough to their Gra Valkan counterparts. Any Gra Valkans who encounter your men will think them to be operatives of the Leiforian Resistance.”

Deville gave a resignatory nod, finding no further excuses. Bound by duty, he agreed to Chamberlain’s request. “Then I hereby grant authorization.”

——

Harunagakyo, Hinomawari Kingdom

Explosions ravaged the outer walls of the city, sending panicking citizens fleeing deeper into the capital and toward the royal castle. Before long, the mobile armored forces of the Gra Valkans established a foothold in the city, occupying streets and eliminating threats wherever they surfaced. While the majority of their forces moved toward the castle, a few remained along the various regions of the city to maintain order and prevent defenders from regrouping.

Hiding in a marketplace warehouse, a clean shaven Muan stood watch by several windows. “Clear,” he whispered as a squad of Gra Valkans marched off.

Chatter inside the room resumed, with a man in merchant’s clothing elaborating a plan. “Specter will gather all of your belongings and return it to a safe house near the border. Meanwhile, the rest of us will use these weapons donated by the Leiforian Resistance to breach the castle and extract the royal family. Our first course of action will be to travel to the castle via an underground passage located in this marketplace. Guardsman Saito here,” he said, gesturing to a Hinomawari man on his right, “will guide us there. Once we reach the castle, we will split into two teams. Typhoon, Storm, and Thunder will cover our flanks. I, along with Rhino, Stalker, and Ghost will escort Saito to the royal chambers. The Americans will provide support by jamming the Gra Valkan radios. We will use manacomms to remain in contact. Questions?”

“Wolf,” a bulky, muscled man raised his hand, “How many hostiles should we expect if we rattle the wyvern’s nest?”

Wolf discarded his merchant robes and changed into stealthier gear while he responded, “There are about five hundred men in or near the castle. We won’t have to worry about tanks, since the Hinomawari streets are too narrow for them. The men though, I’d say it’s nothing you can’t handle, Rhino. Anything else?”

Wolf’s men shook their heads.

“Okay. Guardsman, please lead the way.”

The group emptied out of the building, slinking in the dark as they passed stalls and abandoned storefronts. They navigated around groups of buildings, encountering no patrols until they reached an old library, where a group of Gra Valkans was harassing a keeper.

“You don’t need all ten of your fingers,” the Gra Valkan threatened, pulling a knife on the man while his comrades held him down.

“I don’t need all ten fingers to shove my fist up your ass either, barbarian scum!” The keeper spat at the officer’s face, angering him.

The officer wiped his face and spat back, “I’m going to find your fucking family and skin them in front of you.”

Before the officer could even bring the knife near the keeper, his face was torn apart by a suppressed shot. Six more subsequent shots eliminated the remaining Gra Valkans, whose bodies fell to the ground with audible thumps. The keeper turned around in surprise, seeing Guardsman Saito’s uniform. “Guardsman! Quickly, get inside and hide the bodies! The King and his family are running out of time!”

Wolf pointed at the bodies, “Stalker, Ghost, help the keeper bring the bodies inside. Strip them of anything useful: ammo, equipment.”

“Got it, sir.”

The group retreated inside the old library, with Wolf covering their rear. He kept his guard up and scanned the area as he backed up toward the building, quickly closing the doors behind him. “What do we have?” He asked his men.

“A few dozen spare magazines for our MP-40s and some for the STG-44s. We’ve also got ten more stick grenades,” Ghost replied, his voice attuned with his name.

“Good. Let’s keep moving.”

“The passage is this way,” the keeper said, bringing the group to the basement. He then pulled on a book from a shelf and dragged the entire shelf to the left, revealing a secret passage. “Please, hurry!” He then placed a hand on Wolf’s shoulder as he passed through, “And thank you for saving me. I bid you luck in your endeavor.”

“We’ll get him out safely,” Wolf nodded.

After half an hour of traversing the passage, they finally reached a dungeon tucked away in the depths of the castle. Taking the lead, Saito peeked through the small wooden door ahead, ensuring the coast was clear. He waved to the Muans, giving them the signal to advance. “The royal chambers are located near the top of the castle. Right now, we are under a shed in the gardens. We will have to get inside the castle without arousing suspicion. We can proceed now, or wait ten minutes until the sun sets,” he said, looking at light pouring through windows upstairs.

“We don’t have time to spare,” Wolf decided. “Let’s go now.”

Saito slowly climbed the stairs and reached the ground floor of the gardener’s shed, which was empty. He then peered outside using the tiny decorative slits placed all around the building, finding no one in sight. Wolf and his men confirmed this and quickly rushed to a row of tall hedges. Using hand signals, he directed his men to keep watch while he moved up. Luckily, the path from the shed to the castle’s back entrance was clear. He waved to his men, beckoning them to proceed.

Hiding under several arches by the back entrance, they patiently waited as Saito stealthily opened the door. They fanned out and covered all angles, escorting Saito as he brought them to a secluded stairway that led directly to the throne room. They reached the top of the stairway, which was obscured by a large curtain. Peeking out of it, Wolf identified a small squad of ten Gra Valkans picking through the paintings and regal artifacts around the room. A dozen Hinomawari guards lay dead on the floor, filled with bullet holes and oozing blood onto the tiles.

With the soldiers distracted by greed and under the false assumption that the castle was secured, Wolf’s men were able to sneak out of the stairway. They took positions that allowed for a simultaneous execution of all the soldiers, and acted on Wolf’s signal. Suppressed shots rang out, immediately killing the unsuspecting Gra Valkans.

After disposing of the group of soldiers looting the throne room, they carved a path to the primary stairway, where they eliminated another Gra Valkan squad.

Wolf issued orders to his men as they reached this checkpoint. “Typhoon, Storm, and Thunder, keep this stairway locked down. There’s no other path to the throne room. We cannot lose our escape route. Use grenades and collapse the primary staircase if you need to. Everyone else, let’s keep moving.”

“The royal chambers are right up ahead,” Saito explained pointing at the hallway opposite of the throne room. “They are just past the guards’ quarters, the kitchen, and the dining hall.”

“Okay. Let’s sweep the rooms.”

Wolf’s team first entered the guards’ quarters, closing the door behind them as they cleared each room. Due to the rooms’ proximity to each other, Wolf ordered his men to refrain from using their firearms. Even though the weapons were suppressed, they were still as audible as an American hairdryer. Not wishing to attract the attention of hostiles expected ahead, they used their knives to silently kill the Gra Valkan soldiers.

Only the whistle of blades striking the air and skin could be heard, complemented by the muffled gurgles of dying men.

“Shh…” Wolf whispered as he tore the last soldier’s neck open, keeping his gloved hand over the man’s mouth. He stared at the panicking soldier without remorse, waiting until the light faded from his eyes before he dropped the body. “Guards’ quarters are clear,” he whispered over the manacomm. “Moving to sweep the kitchen and dining hall.”

The kitchen and dining hall were relatively empty due to a lack of items to loot, save for a couple men who were attempting to pry decorations from the wall. They were promptly decapitated by Saito’s sword, spraying blood all over the walls. “Gah…” He looked at the aftermath in disgust, wiping his blade on the bodies. “How messy.”

“Let’s grab their gear. Kitchen and dining hall are clear,” Wolf updated. “Moving to royal chambers.”

The closer they got to the royal chambers, the more bodies they saw. Situated outside a massive set of doors, an entire platoon sat idly, guarding the hallway while a demolitions team carefully prepared explosive around the large doors. One of the guards caught a glimpse of movement in the distance, much to Wolf’s misfortune.

“Identify yourselves!” The guard yelled.

“Shit,” Wolf cursed, weighing his options while more guards came to investigate.

“Time to go loud, sir?” Rhino asked.

“We might have to,” Stalker seconded Rhino’s suggestion.

Considering the inputs of his men, Wolf decided to unleash their arsenal. “Looks like there’s no other option,” he said, seeing only one hallway leading to the royal chambers. “Take out the vanguard and use grenades on the rest.”

Ghost peeked from the corner, firing his MP-40 at the three guards who came to investigate the disturbance. As soon as their bodies hit the floor, the rest of the platoon entered combat. Though their numbers would have normally guaranteed victory, this was not such a circumstance. The tight formation of the platoon, coupled with the deadly choke point that was the hallway, sealed their fate. A barrage of grenades landed in the midst of the crowd, eviscerating those caught in its blast zone.

The Gra Valkans fired at the corners, hoping to suppress the unseen attackers. Wolf and his men adapted quickly, rolling more grenades along the floor and tossing captured stun grenades to impede the effectiveness of the Gra Valkans’ desperate defense. Disoriented by numerous detonations and whittled down by the ceaseless bombardment of explosives, the Muan operatives efficiently wiped out the remaining platoon soldiers and demolitions team.

After the vigorous battle, another explosion shook the castle, this time coming from the stairway. Cautious of the explosives lined up along the door, Wolf decided to just detonate them to save time and eliminate future risk. The subsequent blast cracked the doors open, sending them tumbling inward in a slow, controlled fashion. They landed with a thud, revealing a scared royal family and a final group of guards hiding within.

“Your Highness!” Saito approached them slowly, “We’re here to extract you to Mu!”