[center][h1][u][b]THIS BEAUTIFUL WORLD[/b][/u][/h1][h2][i]Beyond the Endless Horizon[/i] [hr][hr] Cpt. Saiyako[/h2][/center] The ground shook as fireballs streaked across the starry night, high caliber artillery shells returning the favor only to be met buy a hail of frozen shivs that pounded the defenses of the Grand Human Union like heavy weather machine guns. Officers shouted orders as soldier rushed into the trenches and bunkers, hot bullet casings falling rhythmically on to the moist ground as machine guns and rifles began to open up. As the hill began to light up from bullets and rockets and shells, flares where shot up, bringing faux sunlight into the sky that shone brighter than the stars or the moon. Across the plains, laid with a crop of land mines planted just a few hours earlier and already for harvest and guarded by a wall of sharp razor wire, the armies of the Empire where startled by such brightness in what they thought would have been pitch black darkness. They had carefully spent hours planning and carefully walking to try and ambush the strange invaders who wielded exotic magic they have never seen before, magic that could bring more death in an instant than the God of Death himself it seemed. But their resolve was unwavering and their lines would not break to the invaders. Yet. Although no one said anything about it, it would seem that the victor had already been decided and the Gods did not side with the Empire this time. [hr] "Alright everybody up!" Captain Saiyako yelled into the oversized shipping container which was acting as the barracks, the beds on one side pressed against the wall with their ruffled blankets testament to the speed which their occupants got out, all of which stood at attention drawing a bit of welcomed surprised from the Fusan captain; these guys seemed to be doing a better job than he did at their rank. "First Recon Unit ready, sir!" one of the soldiers at the front yelled in their loudest voice, arguably competing with the outside fighting to see who could blow out everyone's eardrums first as it rung through the metal box. "Good, everybody on me." Saiyako ordered in his calm, stern voice, much more professional than it normally was. Watching as everyone put on their respective helmets and pick up their guns, he walked to face the battle unfolding in front of them. With his unit behind him, Saiyako cut a path through the rest of people running around base; people carrying the wounded, hauling ammunition or trying to make their way to the front littered the grounds like a moving forest. Drawing out his warblade and using the hue it gave off against the night sky as a rally point for his men, Saiyako directed them to the defenses, "Everyone move! Into the trenches!" Looking down at his wrist-mounted datapad, he got a rough idea of all the people under his command. Saiyako had actually failed to not only remember their names, but hadn't even given them a proper greeting prior to this point with the First Recon taking orders from various sergeants and lieutenants on how to get set up at base rather than him. [i]Hopefully they'll all live for the proper welcome here.[/i] Saiyako thought to himself as he wondered what the men and women under him had first thought about their commanding officer, not ever having seen him. Snapping out of his thoughts as he raised his armor to block another incoming hail of frozen ice, Saiyako began shouting orders as loud as he could, casually moving through the trenches as soldiers from across the Union fired off into the distance. "[b]Sokoloff[/b], and you two. Get into this bunker and get that MG back up!" Saiyako pointed to the bunker they were passing that harbored a room full of wounded who appeared to have gotten some for of electrical weaponry shot at them, "[b]Tauret[/b]! Check on the wounded in that bunker and then go the the second line medical station unless you feel like doing surgery while getting shot at." "[b]Farraday[/b] and [b]Valentine[/b], grab a handful of people and get up to the left flank; I'm getting reports that a group of giant-orge-troll looking creatures are breaking through! [b]Iostan[/b], go with them as well! The rest of you follow me!" The captain felt chills repelling down his spine as he said those words, this was truly a fantasy world now. Saiyako hoped that he hadn't forgotten anyone, but given it was him, he probably did. Although he did rectify it a little after realizing that the unit's sniper wasn't in a good spot, "[b]Oberherr[/b], get to one of the towers and start picking targets." Watching the girl go, Saiyako looked back down at his datapad, calmly tapping buttons on the screen, "Requesting activation of ARMA Unit 0-N1, arrival to be at my position." "Copy that captain, ARMA Unit 0-N1 on its way, ETA less than a minute" the radio operator back at base replied. Pushing other soldiers out of his way, Captain Saiyako watched a giant EVA unit was currently engaged in a fierce punching contest with a larger species of troll monsters; every hit the metal man landed sending blood and teeth flying until the EVA picked up the troll and threw it into the ground, sending it off with a mighty stomp that cause blood to adorn the unit's legs as the captain hear an audible crunch. "Captain Hwangi Saiyako," a robotic voice spoke from behind him, "ARMA Unit designation 0-N1 "Oni" reporting as combat ready. I would recommend someone of your rank and reported incompetence to retreat back to safety." Saiyako would be lying if he said he didn't want to punch this robot, he already got enough snark about his work ethic from humans. An AI giving him sass was about one of the least helpful things it could do. "Fuck you too." Saiyako snapped back and ordered, "Get you metallic ass onto the front and hold down the ground." It wasn't his style to hide behind some stone wall in the backlines even if it was basically an unofficial protocol; he had soldiers to look after. After all, one of the things they made very clear in officer training school was that the officer in charge of a unit was responsible for the well being of the soldiers. At least that's what he got out of it. Rushing up front lines, he could feel just how different this world was compared to Fuso, no, the galaxy he came from. The ground shook once again as gunpowder began to fill the air. Whatever emotion he had going on right now, fear was not one of them. Instead, he felt excited; here he was in a brand new land full of new things and even if he was in the middle of a war, he couldn't help but feel that there was something so mystical and so fantastic of this world. In the strangest way, he felt blessed to be on this beautiful world.