*** 

--- United States, Earth, Georgia, Fort Benning, Rangers Headquarters ---

January 27^th, 2025

 

First Lieutenant Sarah Rose is walking through the Ranger Headquarters, passing all the other Rangers. She is one of the Ranger logistical officers who help manage Ranger equipment requests, deployment operations and everything else Rangers need when going into battle or training.

Sarah heads into the officer lounge and sees First Lieutenant Charles Johnson, Captain Bailey Robinson, Captain Charles Casaus all sitting there. They are all enjoying their morning breakfast as they laugh at some story.

“I see all the boys sitting around while the lady doing your work,” she said sarcastically. All three of them look at her and laugh.

“Morning Sarah,” Johnson said, “Do you ever sleep?”

“You need to stop coming in so early to do your CO(1) work,” Charles said.

“Sometimes,” she replied and then turns to look at Charles. “And someone has to do it. He rarely leaves his office and when he is at our staff meetings he is not mentally there.”

“I feel bad for you guys,” Charles said and then turns to look at Johnson. “They took away your command and replaced it with someone who is not a Ranger.”

“That is the brass for yah,” Johnson comments as he shrugs it off.

“Come on guys,” Bailey said. “Be nice to the Major.”

“You always defend him Bailey,” she responds with. “Why is that? It seems like you two know each other. None of this makes sense. He shows up last month out of nowhere and we rarely see him. Morale is low within the unit.”

“Sarah’s right,” Johnson said, “I don’t mind having my first command taken away, I’d just like a reason. I have no idea how a non-Ranger takes command of a Ranger unit.”

Bailey leans back into his chair and he responds hesitantly, “I don’t know him well, but we did cross paths once. Look, I am not defending the dude. The past month has been very unprofessional, it is just the one time I met him, he wasn’t like this.”

Sarah listens carefully to what Bailey has to say. She comes from a long military bloodline, dating back to the Revolutionary War. She had learned from her father to read people, especially military ones.

Sarah thinks back to when their new Commanding Officer for Vanguard-7 — Major Jackson Sharpe — took command last month. At the time, it had shocked everyone in the unit. Almost no one liked him, and he had done little to address it.

Sarah wonders if Sharpe wanted everyone to hate him.

However, nothing about Sharpe make sense to Sarah. She had tried to learn more about him and had come up with nothing.

Sarah shakes her head, exasperated, “Well I came here to remind you three that we have a staff meeting at 0910.”

“Thanks, First Lieutenant,” Charles said.

As Sarah leaves the door, she hears the three officers making some strange commotion. Then she hears them calling her name.

Sarah rushes back and sees them looking at the television. She looks at what they are watching, and her eyes widen in disbelief.

 

---

 

Sharpe finishes putting together his Colt M1917 pistol for the third time. It does nothing to distract his troubled mind. He places his pistol back onto his desk. He lets out a soft breath as he glances around his recently assigned private quarters.

In one corner, there is a pile of unopened boxes he has yet to unpack, unable to draw the will to touch them.

Sharpe looks back to his desk and picks up his Christian cross necklace. He watches it as it spins around slowly. He takes a heavy breath as he watches.

“You son of a bitch,” Sharpe mutters.

Sharpe then tosses his necklace on the desk and places his hand on his head.

“Son of a bitch… why.” Sharpe then leans back and looks at the window.

Sharpe then hears a loud knock on the door. He looks to the door and glares at it. “I will be at the damn meeting. Christ…”

“Get off your ass, Major, and get out here!”

Sharpe knows the voice — First Lieutenant Sarah Rose. She had been on his chase since day one, and he does not blame her. He knows he has not been a good example of an Army Officer however he can’t help it. He does not want to be here. The worst part is that he respects her, and so he hates himself more when he is rude.

Getting up, Sharpe opens the door. “What is it, First Lieutenant?”

“Follow me Major,” Sarah states, “Philadelphia is under attack.”

What Sarah had said took him completely off guard. The first possible threat that appears in his head is China, “China attacking? They don’t have the ability to invade us, especially Philadelphia. Cannot be Canada or the Russians”

The United States and China are in the middle of a new Cold War. China has been spreading its influence around the world, spreading its version of authoritarianism — colonizing nearby local populations like in Africa and Central Asia.

“I don’t think it is China sir,” Sarah states in a concerned tone, “Just follow me.”

Sharpe leaves his quarters and follows Sarah.

The hallways are crowded as Rangers rush to their respective areas, all trying to figure out what is happening.

“There is no way it is the Russians,” he said as he tries to figure out what is going on. “They are crazy bastards, but they don’t have the abilities to invade the US either.”

Sarah glances back at him, “You say that like you have experience sir. And no, I don’t think it is the Russians either.”

He glances away a little and ignores the first thing she said. But he can tell that she is on to him. He had worked with many logistical officers and personnel before, but she had been the best he had seen. While most see the position as just a job to do, she is passionate about doing the best she can.

When they get to the lounge, he sees almost two dozen officers in the room, all eyes glued to the television.

Both Bailey and Major Davis Stewart walk over to him as he walks inside.

“Bailey, Davis,” he greets.

“Nice to see you out of bed sir,” Bailey said with a smirk.

“What is going on?” he asked.

Davis looks back to the television. “Philadelphia is under attack. Take a look for yourself because I have no idea how to explain this.”

He looks at the screen and his eyes widen. He cannot understand what he is seeing, but it is still happening.

He sees a camera crew being attacked, murdered, and the female reporter being raped by what looks like a goblin.

He sees this large beast that looks like a troll lifts this car and toss it into a crowd of people. Around it are all these monsters rushing around, slaughtering the fleeing civilians.

The screen switches to a new live feed; this civilian is behind a police and SWAT(2) with some Minutemen militia behind a defensive line. They are all geared up, trying to provide a safe route for the civilians to escape. In front of the police and SWAT are thousands of men charging at them. All of which wear armor that reminds him of ancient Rome.

The police and SWAT open fire but then a small dragon- looking beast swoops down and forces most of the defenders down to the ground. By the time most of the law enforcement get back up, the swordsmen are on top of them. Police and SWAT are cut down by swords as the attacker’s clash with the riot-geared police.

It looked like the defenders could win but the live feed looks back down the street and sees another endless wave of swordsmen charging. It does not take long for everyone to be overrun and slaughtered.

“Look,” someone said, “The President declared a state of emergency and they are sending in the regular military. Not just the Guard.”

“This is a real big deal,” another Ranger said.

He agrees with that statement. In the United States, it is illegal for the regular military to operate domestically. That is the National Guard’s responsibility. However, that idea is based on the country not being invaded from within.

Sharpe hears the person commenting on what is going on while mentioning that the 10^th Mountain Division and the National Guard units 28th and 42nd Infantry Divisions are being mobilized and heading to Philadelphia.

The problem is that it will take a few hours for them to get there in force, leaving the local law enforcement and militia alone for the next two to three hours. He already knows a lot of people are going to die before real help arrives.

“How is this possible?” Sarah asked out loud, “Did they fly here?”

“But look, swords?” Johnson comments, “We are being attacked by swords? This… this…. I don’t know.”

That is when he sees a live feed from a helicopter angle. There is a strange mystical structure at the center of the main street. It is a three-story tall structure, taking up five lanes. Strange looking pictures and writings decorate the surfaces of the structure.

He sees thousands of soldiers still pouring through the Gate. Human soldiers with all different kinds of monsters and beasts. The more he sees the more he realizes these creatures are like the ones from Lord of the Rings.

He takes a deep breath as he watches the slaughter on the screen. “We are at war Rangers. Let’s get ready.”

 

***

--- President Emily Potts Address ---

February 6^th, 2025

 

“My fellow Americans. As stated before, we still feel for the lives lost during the Invasion of Philadelphia. Because of our brave Law Enforcement and the local militia groups holding off the aliens until the regular army arrived, untold lives have also been saved.

The battle was intense, but the military was able to push the invaders back to what we are calling the Gate. Our latest count is a total of ten thousand dead from the attack. I know this country has struggled in the recent decade however it is time for unity. Today we are not White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Liberal, Libertarian, or Conservative. We all mourn and stand as Americans.

As stated, before, the enemy who attacked us all matched fantasy type monsters and humanoids. Our confirmed types are Humans, Elves, Orcs, Goblins, Trolls and many more. What we once thought was a fantasy, a made-up story, has proven to be true and alive but more importantly, hostile.

The size of the enemy who attacks has been numbed around thirty-thousand strong. We have taken about five thousand prisoners and a detention center is being set up in Ohio under the control of the National Guard Unit 28^th Infantry Division while the National Guard unit, the 48^th Infantry Division will be stationed around the Gate.

Our best scientists are continuing to study this strange and alien device, and all attempts to control or close it has failed. However, our drones have been able to go through it. We have discovered on the other side of the Gate is another Earth-like planet. Grass, trees and sky.

However, our recon drones also discovered a large enemy force on the other side of the Gate. Currently, they are digging in but we believe they are planning a second attack.

As you already know, there have been three separate attacks since the first invasion by this enemy. All on a smaller scale. We believe they were trying to gather intelligence and find out what happened to their army.

My fellow Americans and the International Community, I will not sugarcoat what is going on. We do not know who these people are. We do not know why they attacked us or what their intentions are. We don’t even know what their name is. All we know is this one important fact. We are at war.

As people, we always knew we would one day travel to the stars, meet new life, and maybe fight some interstellar war. But we never believed that this would happen in our lifetimes. Unlike all other wars, nations knew who they were fighting, this time we are going to war blind. We are fighting fantasy creatures who use swords, dragons, and god knows what else, but we will meet this challenge.

We are a young nation however we have faced many challenges. And we always overcome these challenges. We have stood up and defeated every Empire we have encountered, and we shall do it again.

I have triggered the Monroe Doctrine which states any foreign threats that attacks the American continents are a threat to the American nations. Last week, I requested Congress to declare war against this new enemy, and they have answered my call. Yesterday, I met with NATO, and we agreed to trigger Article Five, declaring this threat a threat to all in the Western World. I have commitments to our brothers across the Pacific. Australia and Japan have declared they will meet any need we need.

With this authorization, we will send American forces through the Gate to meet this new threat. With this new world, we will fight this unknown enemy. We will explore. We will make friendly ties with any locals who wish our aid. However, the number one priority is to prevent a second attack on our world, on our nation.

As of now the United States and the rest of the free world is at war. The War of Two Worlds. God Bless America.”

 

--- 3 days later ---

 

Sharpe is sitting at the conference seat in Philadelphia in one of the nearby buildings. He thinks back on what the President had said. While he sees that a lot of the Rangers and other soldiers are nervous, all wondering what they will face on the other side of the Gate, he feels calm.

Inside the conference room are dozens of other Ranger officers, all sitting at seats or standing against the walls. The Ranger leader, Colonel John Yang, with the head of Ranger Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Kasen Forbes, are standing up in attention.

“Alright boys and girls,” Yang said as he stands up front. “We finally got the go ahead. Operation Forward Dawn. We are going in with the 2^nd Brigade of the 1^st Cavalry as Special Units support. Our job is to provide support. Colonel Robert Barnes will be in command of the first wave and second wave.”

Second Lieutenant John from the Vanguard-5 unit, Captain Bailey, raises his hand, “Colonel, why don’t we just go in and give them an ass kicking? What has been the delay? They have swords, and we have guns.”

Yang points to John, “Good question,” he nods at the Lieutenant Colonel, “Kasen.”

Kasen takes a few steps forward, “The problem is that this isn’t a traditional war. This information has not been released yet, but we believe the enemy has magical abilities. Besides using swords, they have dragons and trolls and god knows what else. When the President said we are going in blind, we literally are.”

“Thank you, Kasen,” Yang said, “When 9/11 happened, we were able to find where the enemy was and respond. Same with all the other wars. We are going in with no knowledge of what this land is like. We have no means to know who friend or foe is.”

After hearing that he hears someone say that there are only foes and that they deserves a bullet in the head. He looks over to that direction, “Hey. The last thing we need is to shoot someone who could help us.”

“Major Sharpe is correct,” Yang said, “I know emotions are high but the last thing we want to do is shoot a possible ally. We know nothing of these people. In our history, allegiances of villages and towns usually switch to the conquer. We might be able to use that against the enemy. During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we needed local support to find and kill the enemy. Remember, you are Rangers of the United States Army. Not some bandits.”

As he listens, he hears Johnson and Sarah whispering to each other. He can tell they were commenting on what he had said. He glances over and then away.

He had gotten used to his team whispering behind his back, showing their lack of trust. Johnson is a black man which reminds him of his old friend, another black soldier, Avery Hogan. Naturally calm and easily approachable.

Sarah, on the other hand, he has struggled to understand. She clearly understands more than she lets on. For the first half a month, she clearly hated him like everyone else, but then four weeks ago, she suddenly changed her attitude towards him. He has never been good with the opposite sex, but this has puzzled more than ever.

“If we are going to do this, we need to do it right. Soldiers rushing into battle just for the sake of revenge will only hurt us,” he comments.

“I actually agree with you Major,” Sarah said.

“Yeah boss,” Johnson adds, “We just didn’t expect you to say something like that. No offense, but we thought you wouldn’t give a damn.”

He just ignores them and continues listening to the meeting.

“As stated, before, we know nothing of this planet,” Yang continues, “Unlike on Earth, we will not have air support, none of our space assets, or any other assets. We will literally have to relay on what we bring until we can build the i infrastructure we need. That is why the Joint Chiefs of Staff picked the Rangers to lead the way in this war.”

“To maximize efficiency, Rangers will be split into small ten to twelve-man size units,” Kasen explains,. “These units will explore this world, make contact with the locals, build alliances, scout for the enemy, and engage them. They will be the flexible muscle the Army needs to wage war against the enemy. The program will be called Vanguard. As you know, you all have already been organized into your Vanguard units.”

Sharpe got this briefing five days ago. As said before, each Vanguard unit will move around behind enemy lines and hunt for the enemy or find friends. This reminds him of the old television show he used to watch – ‘Stargate’.

Just like the show, the US Air Force would send small teams through this smaller Gate to new worlds to do what the Vanguards are doing. He wonders if the military is studying subjects like Stargate, Dungeons & Dragons, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and any other material that might be able to help them understand this new world.

As the saying goes, the brass usually plans for the last war. However, how could they plan for a war like this? There is no rule book for this kind of war, and he knows the Army will have to rely on the best judgment of its troops.

That is why he thinks the Army picked the US Rangers to lead the way. Rangers are Light Infantry Special Forces, some of the most elite soldiers on Earth. They are trained for many different situations, able to adapt and be flexible when needed.

“Alright everyone,” Yang said. “See you on the other side.”

As everyone gets up, Sharpe starts heading outside with Johnson and Sarah.

“Johnson. Get everyone ready for the expedition. Once we leave, we will have no idea when we will get resupplied,” he orders.

“Yes sir,” Johnson said and then rush away.

He stops and looks at Sarah, “Lieutenant. Something wrong?”

Sarah stops and takes a frustrated breath,. “I wish I was going with you.”

“Not your role,” he replied.

Sarah glances up at him, “With that tone, anyone would assume you are a sexist. Luckily, I think I know better. I just wish you guys were going more prepared.”

“No time,” he said, ignoring the sexist comment, “We don’t need NW(3) or the drones. Either we kick their asses, or we die.”

Sarah looks at him., “You might not care if you die but others do. We might have signed up, but that doesn’t mean lives can be wasted blindly. The people under your command want to come home alive.”

He takes a frustrated breath and works hard to control himself — to the point she notices. He wants to respond but struggles to find the words.

“Hmm,” Sarah mumbles. She then salutes him, “Good luck Major.”

He returns the salute and then walks away. He reaches into his chest pouch and takes out some anti-depression pills and takes two of them.

As he walks, he can see the damage from the invasion. Everything is still fresh. The large tower has holes from missiles, cannons, artillery fire. Buildings still reek with a burnt, charred smell. Even with that pungent, overpowering scent, he can still smell all the blood in the air as if it was freshly spilt.

He looks over to the left and sees the Army Engineers clearing out destroyed buildings, making way to set up defenses and other Army facilities.

He stops and walks around this small crater in the street. These streets were intense battlegrounds. While the Army was able to quickly push the enemy back within a day, it was a bloody battle. The only reason the Army was able to stop that large of a force was because they had far superior weapons than the enemy. However, because the US still did not know what they were fighting, it cost many unnecessary lives.

Once he gets to his unit, Vanguard-7, he sees them all finish loading up supplies into the two M2 Bradly’s. While the Bradly is a tough Infantry Fighting Vehicle, able to provide much needed fire support for Infantry, they can only carry half of a squad, unlike the Stryker family of Armored Personnel Carriers.

However, the Army wants the first wave to go in with heavily armored vehicles, because they would not know what they will face.

He sees his unit, First Lieutenant Charles Johnson, his second-in-command. He sees his highest NCO(4), Sergeant Major Randy Dodson. Out of everyone here, Dodson is the only other soldier who has combat experience, so Sharpe knows he will have to rely on him in combat until the other Rangers gain some combat experience.

Sharpe sees his unit. Smaller than most other Vanguard teams as the program is still new and being organized. According to their files all have passed Ranger School within the past year or two. The unit medic, Specialist Jerry William. Private Second-Class Marvin Scott – the team heavy weapons support. Corporal Andrew Steele — the team marksmen and squad leader, and the team radio operator and female soldier, Private First-Class Alicia Moore.

“Attention,” Randy orders.

All of them stop what they are doing and stand at attention.

“At ease,” he said.

He sees them all standing there. While they are all standing there in a professional manner, respecting the rank, he can see that none of them respect him. He knows that they all would rather have Johnson lead them into battle.

The reason he did not want to be here with the Rangers had nothing to do with them. He has served with Rangers before like Captain Bailey and he has nothing but respect for them. The truth is, he does not feel worthy to lead them, but he knows he cannot tell them.

He takes a breath and looks at them all in the eyes, “Alright Rangers, listen up. I know we didn’t get off on the best of terms; however, that ends right now. This was supposed to be a temporary assignment, but that is not acceptable.”

“We are going to war against an unknown enemy,” he continues. “I will be giving it my all, and I expect you all to do the same. I know you all want to get some payback and everything around the Gate is considered hostile, but remember, we do not know these people, so do not kill civilians.”

He stops for a moment to let them think. “I don’t know how many of you are religious, but some say this is the Gateway to hell. I personally agree with those people. This door or whatever it is a portal to hell, and we are going to bring hell with us. Load up and let’s go.”

 

***

--- Other side of the Gate ---

 

The ride through the Gate took hours. He can tell everyone is nervous as reality sets in. He looks over to Andrew.

“Steele,” Sharpe said, “From what I understand you are into this fantasy stuff.”

Andrew looks at him with some confusion, “Sorry sir?”

Scott elbows Andrew shoulder with a smirk, “You should see his quarters, sir. He has anime girls everywhere. Some are not decent.”

“Shut up Marvin,” Andrew said.

“Don’t call me Marvin,” Scott said, “I hate my first name.”

Andrew looks back to him, “Well yeah. I am into Manga and fantasy. Played a lot of Magic, Scrolls, The Witcher, Manga, anime, you name it.”

“Cool,” he said, “Saw a lot of that in Japan. I know a little but if I have questions, I will ask you.”

“You a nerd sir?” Andrew asked in a shocked tone.

He looks back to Andrew and reaches into his vest pouch. He pulls out a small but thick Optimus Prime with a big head.

“What is that?” Scott asked, confused.

“Optimus Prime, man,” Andrew asked. “Leader of the Autobots from Transformers. I never expected you to be a fan.”

“Great,” Alicia mumbles, “The major is a jackass and a nerd.”

He ignores Alicia and puts the toy away, “I bring it everywhere.”

As they talk, he hears the driver tell him that he could see light at the end of the Gate. He looks around and signals everyone to get ready.

Right when the Bradley exits the Gate, he can hear the First Assault Wave convoy open fire.

The sound of cannon and rifle fire can be heard out loud outside as the M1A3 Abrams, M2 Bradly’s, and Stryker’s open fire. 1^st Cav soldiers and Rangers get out of their vehicles and engage the enemy.

The autocannon from the M2 Bradley they are in opens fire. He suddenly hears a loud impact against the armor.

“What was that!?” Alicia asked, looking up in a nervous way. “We are ok right? They only have spears?”

He looks over to her, “It’s probably a ballista that deflected across the armor. Stay focused Rangers.”

The Bradley stops and the back door opens, forming a ramp to let his team outside. Similarly, other M2 Bradley’s, M1126 30mm Stryker’s and M1283 AMPV(4) offload their own troops.

"Alright Rangers, payback. Engage at will and cover your sectors," he said over his team radio. While they do not have NW’s full abilities, like using the HUD and cameras, he can still use the local radio to communicate with his team.

It is quiet over the team radio network as everyone is excited and nervous at the same time. Most of his team had never seen combat until today. A billion things go on through everyone's head, at least until that first bullet is fired. However, the Army trains its soldiers to be ready for the real thing, and most of the people in charge are experienced warriors from the War on Terror.

Everyone rushes out of their vehicles and heads to the emerging frontline. He can see Randy keeping everyone in line, so no one leaves the group. He can see Vanguard-5 to his left flank and Charly Company from 1^st Cav to his right.

He moves past an M1A3 Abram firing its main cannon into a line of enemy soldiers, using anti-personnel rounds. He sees about a dozen of the line formations suddenly get shattered. The soldiers around them stop in position, wondering what had just happened.

He stops as he passes a trench and fires his M4A1, killing two archers. He looks down at the dead bodies and sees two Humans. He finds the sight strange, being in an alien world and yet he is killing Humans. While the other aliens like Orcs and Elves make a little more sense, Humans completely throw any logic out the door.

He hears rifles and machine gun fire. To his right, he sees Alicia, Andrew and Scott walk up after having cleared the trench.

“First trench secured sir!” Alicia said.

Sharpe nods, “Tell Johnson to regroup and order Bailey to secure the other end of the trench. I don’t want these bastards sneaking up behind us.”

He then looks out and adjusts his next generation night vision goggles, the AN/PSQ-20(5). Unlike old equipment where the soldier had to choose either night vision or thermal goggles, the AN/PSQ-20 merges both goggles into one and removes the green color in old night vision goggles. This allows the wearer to find his targets faster.

The brass believed that the best chance for success was if the first wave of the attack took place at night while using thermal and night vision to their advantage against the enemy.

He sees rows and rows of fortifications, trenches, bunkers, and behind all that are enemy artillery.

He sees fireballs and flame arrows moving through the air, heading to the US location. A soldier gets hit by an arrow, and his buddies start dragging him back.

Another M1A3 Abrams drives up and stops, firing its 120mm cannon with the other tanks. Their combined fire obliterates the fortification and watch towers.

He then sees at his ballista shot fire from a bunker. Inside, it looks like a Scorpio, according to the quick history lesson of possible weapon systems they might find.

Around the Scorpio are men dressed in Roman like armor. However, behind them is a larger, stronger beast loading it. While he has no idea what that beast is, he knows it is the enemy.

His goggles identify five targets around the ballista. He notices about thirty more all around the fortification around the Scorpio, coming out of their positions to attack.

"Targets in range, engage the closest one's closet, don't let them get close," he orders. He sees Private First-Class Alicia and Specialist Jerry on his left open fire on the incoming legions, “Sergeant Major, get a rocket into that bunker. Scott and Andrew, suppressive fire!”

He sees this rocket hit the bunker, destroying the Scorpio.

He takes his rifle and fires into the incoming swordsmen as the enemy marches forward. The rest of his Rangers engage the incoming force and pick it apart. .50 caliber machine guns from the Stryker’s and Bradley’s mop up the rest.

He is impressed by the enemy’s discipline even in the face of impossible odds. Regardless of how many of their numbers fall, they continue to regroup and resume pressing their attack unyieldingly. If the American forces only had swords, he could see this unknown enemy as a major threat. Thankfully, firearms nullified the primitives’ tenacity.

As he finishes securing the first defensive line, he notices how tight the enemy infantry formation is. It reminds him of the Earth's ancient world on how the Romans Triplex Acies or the Greek Phalanx formation. When he learned how less advanced the enemy was, he made sure to do some basic research.

Noticing this, he orders his riflemen to aim at the flanks of the enemy formation. He then directs his gunner Scott to aim for the center. The troops in the enemy formation compact closer together as they see the soldier falling next to them. That just made it easier for Scott to spray the enemy down.

With the combination of his team, the machine guns on the tanks, and the hundreds of other U.S. Soldiers in the area of the first enemy defense line fell with ease and the Task Force continued pushing towards the second defensive line.

He can hear on the radio that the second wave has arrived and is securing the flanks, offloading more Rangers and 1^st Cav soldiers.

In the chaos of battle, he hears these loud roars through the rifle and cannon fire. He looks and sees these Trolls charging up the hill and heading to their position.

Seeing the threat, two tanks aimed and engaged the incoming Trolls. Focused fire destroys the Trolls and other tall monsters within seconds.

Over the team radio, he hears Colonel Robert. "All troops, the first wave secured, establish a perimeter for the Stryker’s. Watch out for the enemy artillery, it looks like fireballs. Rangers secure the left flank. Bravo Company establishes a defensive line upfront until the second wave arrives."

As he listens, he raises and fires his rifle, taking out a soldier that was running up towards them.

He then hears Johnson, "Be advised, their armor is useless. Aim for their hardpoints."

"Roger that, move left and form a line," he orders his team.

As he said that, a fire ball hits the ground close by him.

He then starts to move along with his rangers. All around him, he sees other soldiers of the assault force fighting, covering their tanks and other armored vehicles. Another fireball lands on top of an M1A3 Abrams tank, engulfing it in flames. The tank suffers no damage from the strike and fires its cannon at a line of enemy soldiers, destroying the first three lines in the formation with one canister shot.

His Rangers, other Rangers, and other Army soldiers all form a line up on the left flank. Through the night vision goggles, they saw two thousand enemy soldiers marching up the hill towards them.

He sees Johnson ahead of him, giving orders for everyone into a firing line. They all take cover by wooden fortifications, firing down the hill into the oncoming crowd. It seems like an endless wave of soldiers continue pressing forth even as they drop down dead.

Sharpe waves to his team to move forward. They move through all the dead bodies that litter the ground. It got the point where he had to pay more attention to the ground just to make sure he doesn’t trip.

He gets right besides Johnson and kneels. He sees his team regroup with the rest of Vanguard-7 and join in the engagement.

“Sit-rep Lieutenant.”

Johnson looks at him, “1st Cav Alpha and Delta company along that flank there. Vanguard teams three and five are right down this path here.”

He looks around. He sees Alicia and Andrew duck from arrow fire. “Seems like it was wise to attack at night.”

“Yeah,” Johnson replied, “It seems they can’t aim at night.”

He peeks over the wood wall. He sees the enemy in pure chaos. The once organized line formations are scattered. The superior ranged weapons of the Americans prevent them from getting any closer to use their swords.

He sees the bigger beast which has been identified as Trolls. However, he has no idea what the other giant one with horns is called. It did not matter as a tank round shredded the beast.

He sees the next objective which is the next line of fortification.

He looks back to Johnson, “Alright. We are moving down.”

He then looks past Johnson. “Private First-Class Moore. Get the horn and tell the other teams we are advancing.”

Sergeant Major Randy Dodson rushes up to his side. "Sir, I think there are enemy forces at the tree line,” he then points over to their left at the thick tree line, “It looks like cavalry."

Sharpe pulls out his digital binoculars and switches to night vision, "Where? All I see are infantry... Oh there. Holy shit."

"Yeah, it looks like a battalion-size, maybe more," Randy said, looking through his own binoculars.

Sharpe looks around and thinks about what ‘s going on. It looks like the enemy cavalry is trying to counterattack the US advance and push the US back through the Gate.

While the US has far superior firepower, the current US force is only two thousand with another three still coming. He knows if their cavalry reaches and hits the US lines now, the casualties will be high, and the invasion might be jeopardized.

He grabs his radio contacts Alicia through the NW team network to report to him.

Within seconds, Alicia rushes over, "Sir?"

"Contact Actual and tell Colonel Robert that I need the second wave over here now. Cavalry inbound," he said.

Alicia nods and contacts the Colonel.

“Assault Actual, this is Vanguard-7 to Task Force Charlie Command, we have enemy Cavalry on our flanks, battalion size. Requesting support or we’re overrun," Alicia reports.

There is a short delay in the network, "Vanguard-7 this is Assault Actual. Two Stryker platoons from the second wave are inbound to your position. Do not let the enemy in the perimeter."

"Sir, Stryker's inbound. Colonel said to hold the line," Alicia reports.

Hearing that, he looks up past the wood wall. He then sees hundreds of horsemen bursting out of the tree-line and charging up the hill. They pass the trees and move quickly towards them.

He looks around and points to the firing line, "Rangers, hold the line. Aim for the horses."

He hopes that hitting the horses would knock over the horsemen next to them, creating more chaos.

Everyone maintains a constant fire, raining bullets at the incoming cavalry. However, the enemy cavalry is moving so fast and there are so many. They are about two-thirds of a kilometers away until a few blasts hit the leading forces.

He feels the ground rumbling and turns around. He sees parts of the third wave move up behind his position. 1^st Cav soldiers start pouring out of the backs of the Bradly’s and Stryker’s.

Heavy fire support from the Bradly’s and Stryker's rain down on the incoming cavalry. 50. Caliber, Mk 47 Striker grenade launcher, missiles, and 30mm chain guns begin to rain down on the enemy. The infantry rushes up to the Rangers position and engages the enemy.

As the left flank is reinforced, hundreds of American soldiers let loose with everything they have down at the incoming cavalry. All they can see is the massive horde of horses charging. It would be impossible to miss. The barrage of American firepower rips through the first and second lines of the enemy formation.

After only a few minutes concentrated fire support; the first few lines of enemy cavalry are wiped out. The ones in the back begin retreating, trying to get away before they get slaughtered.

It looks like the left flank has been secured. He hears over the radio on what is going on the other fronts.

"Third Assault wave is engaging now. Have the 3rd armored platoon guard. Abrams, begin bombardment of the enemy positions. Take out their artillery. Hillside." Assault Actual said.

Suddenly, they all see three tanks aim for the hillside a kilometer away. He can see fires on the hill, where the enemy forward operating base presumed to be. Massive explosions rip enemy artillery pieces apart. Flames suddenly engulf the large towers and wooden fortress.

"This is Assault Lead to all commands, move out and engage. The enemy has retreated but do not let up. Secure the Gate," Robert said.

Hearing that he gets up and walks up the defense line, points to everyone and orders them all to move forward, "Stay behind the vehicles and engage. Move up and secure that tree line."

A mixture unit of Stryker's, Abrams, Bradly's and other vehicles move up, steamrolling any remaining enemy lines. The infantry and Rangers begin to mop up anyone else who tries to fight back.

At that moment he turns around and looks out. All he can see are the flashes from his fellow American force's weapons. Fires everywhere from here to the nearby hills, where he assumes the enemy artillery has been. The screams of the enemy, either wounded or fleeing.

He realizes that this is what this war will be like. In an alien world, fighting an unknown enemy against many different types of mysteries, races, and most of all, the unknown.

 

 

Reference:

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(1) CO = Commanding Officer

(2) SWAT = special weapons and tactics

(3) NETT = NETT Warrior, integrated dismounted leader situational awareness system

(4) AMPV = Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle. Replacement for the M113 APC

(5) NCO = Non-Commission Officer

(6) AN/PSQ-20AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle (ENVG)