NOVEL NEXT V13 – Chapter 152
***
--- Fort Minick, training ground ---
February 18th, 2026
Princess Piña Co Lada is running through the base football running course. To her side is Bozes Co Palesti. They have their arms tied together. Behind them are the rest of the Rose Knights, all tied to another Knight, two-by-twos.
The base drill instructor Chief Master Sergeant Carlos Cruz said that this is supposed to help them work more as a team, teaching the Knights to trust and communicate with the person next to them.
So far, they have done three full laps and are finishing up their final lap.
She is panting as she struggles to breathe. She looks over to Bozes. "I said stop hitting your leg into mine."
"You're the one who's pulling heads…" Bozes said in a frustrated tone.
She grunts after hearing that and keeps running. Ahead of her are is Nikolasha Le Mon and Beefeater E Caty. They passed her a lap ago and she has even trying to catch up ever since.
She sees the finish line and takes a deep breath. "Let’s hurry. Almost there."
They push as hard as they can, getting right behind Beefeater and Nikolasha.
Beefeater looks behind. "You can beat up this time Princess!" She then laughs.
"How is she so good at this?" She mumbles.
"Because she's more of a man," Bozes said. "Let's go."
Both her and Bozes have always been the most competitive of the Rose Knights. They time their arms so they can maximize their momentum and push as hard as they can.
They see the finish line up ahead and are about to cross it first.
She smiles as she realizes that she is going to win but suddenly she and Bozes fall to the ground.
She feels this scrape on her knee as it hits the ground first. She looks up and sees all but Hamilton Uno Ror and Suissesse Co Mein team cross the finish line.
"Princes, are you ok?" Hamilton asked in a worried voice.
"What about me?" Bozes asked in a sarcastic tone.
She moves her feet out, so she is sitting on her rear. "I am ok Hamilton."
"Let me help you up," Hamilton said, grabbing Pina arm and helping her up.
"Shouldn't we untie ourselves first?" Suissesse asked.
She looks to the finish line and sees everyone cheering Beefearer and Nikolasha. Then she sees Charlos walking towards her. "Oh no."
Carlos stops right in front of them. He places his hands on his hips. "All four of you are dead. Congratulations."
"Hey, buddy we fell," Bozes said. "It wasn't our fault. This practice is stupid anyway."
"I know Bozes means no disrespect Chief Sergeant, but I don't see the value in this," She said. "In battle, we are not going to be tied together."
"If you have a problem with the Major training then you can go back to Alnus and serve tables," Carlos said in an unsympathetic tone. He then looks to the sidelines. "Medic!"
She takes a frustrated breath and looks over to Major Sharpe, Sir Grey, and the new Japanese man Captain Itami.
Specialist Jerry William rushes over and starts to look at her and Bozes’ scrapes.
"What is it doc, are we going to live?" Bozes asked with a smirk.
Jerry takes out some bandages and starts wrapping their legs. "Besides the fact I will have to cut your legs off, you will be fine."
She smirks at the sarcasm. She has found Jerry to be the less energetic member of Sharpe's Rangers but always great at his job. She remembers him saving Hamilton's life after she lost a sword fight at Legrath(1).
She gets up and walks to the rest of her Knights.
---
"Interesting training regiment," Grey Co Aldo said.
Sharpe looks to him and then back to the Rose Knights. "It is something we did back when I was training to be in Delta. From my experience with the Rose Knights, they have the will and good swordsmanship however I think they still see this more like a club than a military unit. Individually they are skilled but as a unit, I think they struggle."
"I understand," Grey said. "Forcing them together like this will forces them to think about their comrade’s needs. They have to literally work together. We had something simple. We forced two Knights in training to fight six others. They both had to win together otherwise they would lose."
"Interesting," Itami said. "But did you have to be so extreme?”
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"You know what I mean," Itami said. "It’s day one and you are already pushing them like this. They are not training to become Special Forces like you and I. Most likely they will never get into an extreme situation like you been through."
"We are at war," He replies and then thinks of his next reply. "I am not going to send them into battle unless I know they and everyone else can handle it."
"Maybe," Itami said.
He thinks on that and wonders what Itami said has merits. When he trained Hong Kong rebels, he knows most of them will end up dead within a year. He tried to train them as best he could but knows it would be a fool chance of them winning. He does not want that to happen with the Knights and Militia, not again.
"Hey Grey, I got a question for you," He asks.
Grey thinks about how to respond. "How do you say it, what's up?"
Both him and Itami chuckle from that.
"Close enough," He replies. "Mind setting up a class session. I like to get some of my Rangers how to use a sword, including me."
"I believe you did mention that a while ago," Grey said. "I didn't think you would follow up on that."
"I meant it," He said. "I had to use one at Mount Tube and realized I had no idea how to properly use it. Had to use it against Krysist a few times and Taylin. At this rate, it will only be a matter of time, so I learn now or in the afterlife."
"I will," Grey responded.
"Speaking of swords," Itami added. "I have a gift from Brigadier General Kōichirō Hazama. He asked me to give it to you since we are working together now."
He looks at Itami confused, wondering what the gift could mean. "What is it."
"You will see," Itami said with a big smile.
He looks over and sees the two teams who did not cross the finish line walk over to the rest. "Fine. Play your games. Let's go." He then walks over to them.
"Good job everyone," He said. "Now take a ten-minute breather and do it again. Same partners."
"You’re kidding?' Jalin asked. "I am not implying bad intentions, but this isn't training."
"Your just angry that you lost," Beefeater states laughing.
"Not everything is about coming first, Beefeater," Grey said as he walks up. "Understanding your strengths and weaknesses is important but understanding your friend's strengths and weaknesses are just as important."
"I don't recall seeing those soldiers in that movie tied together," Bozes said.
"What movie is she talking about?" Itami asked.
He looks at Itami. "We watched Saving Private Ryan and Midway."
"Oh," Itami said, not caring. "That explains it."
"You are Japanese, correct?" Panache Fure Kalgi asked. "From the first movie Midway."
"Yeah, I am Japanese but I have nothing to do with Imperial Japan," Itami replies.
"Your Empire was winning," Panache states. "How did you lose? Did that one battle really hurt that badly?"
"I was wondering that too," Suissesse asked. "It seemed like your people followed the code of the warrior."
"Yeah," Bozes adds. "I wished the movie showed what happened next. It seemed like your people would have fought to the death. I like and respect that. We talked about it last night after the movies and if you people had the same technology, how could you have lost?"
Pina walks between her Knights and the officers. "Hey. You all promised to be nice about it." She then turns around to face Itami, also wanting to know the answer.
After hearing all that he looks to Itami with a concerned look.
Itami also looks at him with the same look. "What do you think, Major?"
He has thought hard on this subject and when to inform everyone from this world about ‘The Bomb’. One reason is that he does not want to insult them by explaining 'The Bomb' to them. They already witnessed so many technological advancements and them knowing the United States has a weapon that can wipe out Sadera in a second might be too much.
At the same time, he knows that secret cannot last forever. One of the reasons why he gives more freedom to the Girls on information is because he can control the flow of knowledge and provide the proper context, like what happened at Camp Galileo in the Flat Earth debate with Lelei.
"Why do you two have this strange look on your face?" Hamilton asked.
"What? Did they use some kind of superweapon like how you killed the Flame Dragon?" Bozes said in a joking way.
Then all the Rose Knights burst out laughing from Bozes joke, not fully understanding the context behind it.
"They're not ready," Itami said.
"Not at all," He replies. "Chief Master Sergeant Carlos Cruz. Get them ready for another round. Let's pick up the speed."
"Come on boss," Itami said. "Let them have some fun."
"Yeah!" Panache said. "We have been running all morning. We're tired and it's not like we are going to storm a beach."
"So, you are the new guy?" Balalaika asked. "He is kind of cute."
Itami places his hand behinds his head and smirks. "Major. Maybe I should spend some time getting to know everyone. If I am going to help with the training."
He sees Itami and his big smile. He looks over to the female Knights and notices many of them giggling over him. "Women… always distracted…" He mumbles.
"What did you say?" Bozes asked.
"I said no," He responds. "Since everyone has so much energy let’s make it six laps."
He hears protests as no one is happy with his order. "Make it so."
***
--- Fort Minick, military bathhouse ---
February 18th, 2026
Sarah Rose is leaning back in the bathhouse. During the construction of Fort Minick, the new Ranger headquarters, they built a large bathing house for their native enlistments. They also built other facilities that the demi-Humans or otherwise called natives use.
Many of the natives have abandoned many of their old customs and adopted more pro-western ones. In return, the military met them halfway and built this bathhouse, so they still feel they haven't abandoned everything.
She thought it was a good idea to show good faith and meet the natives halfway. She knows that Rory hates taking showers because she finds it too alien. Many of the others have been having the same reaction Rory did.
She thinks about that, remembering Sharpe telling her that Rory and Lelei blew up his old apartment bathroom(2). She giggles at the memory.
"What are you giggling about?" Rory asked, in a demanding tone.
She looks at Rory with a smile. She knows never to show Rory fear as she is always testing. She knows any weakness Rory will pounce at it. She knows Rory considers herself the leader of the Girls, which is fine by her. Rory can deal with the drama.
"I'm giggling at you," She replies with a chuckle. "I remember hearing about you and Lelei here blowing up Sharpe bathroom."
"Rory scared of water," Selina said.
"Stop moving around," She tells Selina as she brushes her hair. "We have a big day tomorrow morning, so I want all of you looking pretty for him."
Tomorrow morning Major Jackson Sharpe is getting a long waiting promotion and a metal. She wants Sharpe's favorite Girls all well dressed and clean for the event.
She then feels this water bubble hit her in the head. As she rubs her and then looks to Lelei, using her magic to form the water bubble.
Selina wipes the water from her face and then rubs her eyes. "Hey."
"It wasn't my fault," Lelei said as she goes back to using her magic to play with the water. "The water suddenly went cold. And sorry."
She smiles at that and parts Selina on the shoulder. "It is ok. That's why we built this place."
"I was shocked by that," Rory said as she gets comfortable. "I know you people love that hell spawn that you call a shower. I would rather bath in the pools of Asadure then get in another one of those. It isn't natural."
She looks at Rory confused and then hears Lelei speak.
“Pools of Asadure is a lake full of blood like liquid,” Lelei said. “It is close to Jasis is from.”
“Ahh… same person who try to…. Not finishing that,” She said.
“And I saved dad from her!” Selina said, all happy at she stops an Apostle from killing her dad.
She looks down at her and smiles, rubbing her hair. “Yes, you did.”
Selina smiles. "And Rory afraid of the shower," she says again, poking fun at her.
"Knock it off you little brat," Rory said as she splashes at her. “Because you pretend to be cute doesn’t prevent me from slicing your head off!”
"Hey!?" She said. "Both of you stop. Selina let me finish."
She finds what Rory said hysterically. Rory has adopted so many unnatural things like electricity, her phone, most western food, and more.
But what's why the military-built facilities like this here and in Alnus. Everyone has a cultural limit. An individual can make a quick and massive change but on a civilization scale, it can lead to resistance.
"Well it isn't anything worth fighting about," she replies. "It is not just you. Both Knights and Militia have been having issues adjusting to showers. People are just used to a way of living and that is ok. It is a small comfort were happy to provide."
"I see," Lelei comments. "I prefer this. More relaxing. But I was also surprised that you joined us. Your people seemed to be hesitant about these types of places."
"They are just shy of their bodies," Rory said and then glances over with a smirk. "It makes me wonder why."
"Shut up Rory," She replies, shooting her a glare. "You two offered."
"Because we didn't think you would accept," Rory said as she brush her hair. "I have to admit, you impressed me."
"I might be from Earth, but I am not some city folk," She said. "I am from Wisconsin."
"Is it like Philadelphia?" Selina asked.
She sees all the girls look at her. "No. Milwaukee is a big place but most of the state is open and beautiful. You need to remember, not all of Earth is one giant city. Most of the US is an open country, unbelievably beautiful open country."
"Can we go see?" Rory asked.
"Never know," She responds. "Once the war ends, I will see if I can take you home. My mother will make sure you get fed."
"Now we need to get Jackson in here," Rory states with a laugh.
She laughs after hearing that. "That will never happen. He is too stubborn to try and besides, that would be very inappropriate."
They laugh as Lelei just blushes. Selina looks around confused about why everyone laughing.
She smiles as she looks at them. "I just want to let you know you can come and talk to me anytime. All three of you. I want you to feel comfortable to do so."
"We know Sarah," Lelei said. "We know you’ve been there helping things along."
She smiles hearing that. She then looks to Rory. "Am glad you are ok Rory. You seem to heal up nicely."
It has been a few days since the Ranger teams came back from Schwarz Forest and everyone is relaxing after a stressful mission.
When she saw Rory laying on the ground in that condition through Sharpe's camera, she was terrified for her. While she knows Rory and Sharpe develop a close bond and knows to see her in that state almost threw him over the edge that does not mean she didn't feel anything.
What she wants these girls to know is that they have a home to have roots. If they ever decide to leave, they know they always have a place to go back to.
"Thank you," Rory said. "My abilities should be back to normal. Let me tell you, getting hurt, hurts."
"Of course, Rory," Lelei said. "Not everyone has healing abilities like you."
"I know but still," Rory said and then looks up at Sarah. "How was today's meeting?"
"It was… Interesting," She replies.
Before training, there was a meeting with Colonel Robert Yang and the other Ranger leaders. The meeting was about Colonel Yang getting everyone up to speed with the situation. General Herm was freed by Haryo agents, the brain slugs, and that they attempted to kidnap Tenchi and that Italica saved him.
It was a tough fight for the Rose Knights to bring Herm in and now it was for nothing. Pina did not take the news well hearing that.
It hit Pina the hard when she found him out. Herm killed her brother Krysist and now any chance for justice is gone.
"There you go Selina," she said. "Now you look ladylike "
Rory slowly swims over to her and hands her a brush. "Mind brushing my hair? Still kind of hard to bend my arms like that."
She smiles and takes the brush. "Sure." As Rory turns around and sits down, holding her arms she starts to brush Rory's hair.
"Thank you," Rory said. "By the way how is the big guy?"
"He has been quiet," Lelei said as she creates a small whirlpool with her magic.
"I noticed that too," She replies.
When Sharpe called her about what Lord Lashin did, she knew it would open old wounds. She didn't want to tell him what happened in Alnus until he got back to base but was forced to inform him.
"He feels bad for what happened to Noriko and I think he enjoys keeping an eye out on her and the kid," she said. "And Noriko and Selina are friends and he has put a lot of effort into her."
“I know. He is a lady’s man.” Rory said with a chuckle.
“Be respectful Rory,” Lelei said.
“It’s true,” Rory said. “Outside the men on the team all of his friends are woman. Makes a lady like me wonder…”
She slaps Rory on the head and then continues brushing her hair. “Knock it off Rory.” She admits, Rory is right. Every girl like being around a Knight in Shinny armor, a warrior, a protector, an Apollo.
She has another theory on why he keeps an eye on Noriko and Tenchi. Besides the President given him and others to protect them, she thinks he also keeps an eye on them because he might be wondering what it might be like to have a baby.
Since the Girls came into his life, she has noticed a more father figure than just a commander.
"I thought we wouldn't see the Wood Elves again," Rory said and glances back at her. "I couldn't believe that they been tracking us all this time."
"Yeah," She said. "I think it was too much and me telling him what happened in Alnus was just too much to handle."
"Is father going to be ok?" Selina asks.
"Yeah," Rory said. "Just harass him, Selina."
"When are we going after then?" Rory asked, with an evil grin.
She takes a breath before she answers. She then lowers herself into the bath. "That task is being given to a different unit. Vanguard-3 and 4 with SAS support."
She sees them stand up in the bathing pool with rage. She has seen Rory angry before but seeing any emotion from Lelei is a shock.
"What!" Rory yells, confused by that statement.
"I am sorry Sarah, but I must protest," Lelei said.
She raises her hand to calm down. "It is ok you two. I agree with the Colonel here. Please sit down."
She waits for them to sit down. "I know you want to help but going after them won't help. Jackson goes off and fights bad guys all the time, people who harm but it's always within the framework of the mission and rules."
"I know what you are saying," Lelei said. "This has become personal."
"Correct," She said as she starts brushing the other side of Rory's hair. "I love him and all, we all do but we all know how far he is willing to go and that is what Yang afraid of. The minute revenge takes to hold the mission becomes secondary."
"I agree with you Sarah," Rory said as she gets her hair brushed. "We can't allow Palapon to take root."
She looks down at Rory and nods in agreement. She hears Rory warning against Palapon all the time but always wonders what she means by it. "Agree. Now let's finish up. I have evening plans."
---
During the evening Sharpe got a message that Sarah needed him. After the events of the farmhouse and getting rejected to go after Lashin all he wanted to do is be alone. However, he made a commitment to Sarah when they started dating and he does not want to lose her.
He gets to her door and takes a deep breath. "Don't be a prick, Sharpe…"
The door opens and he sees Sarah standing there in casual military uniform, just like him.
"Hello sir," Sarah said. "Please come in. We still have to finish up the training regiment."
"I guess I kind of just dropped that on yeah," He said with a chuckle.
"I am used to it," Sarah said and walks away to her desk.
He walks in and closes the door. He takes a glance around her place and notices it is like his old place in Alnus but a bit bigger. The first thing he notices is how much more detail there is in her place. The Girls were the ones who spartan his place up, both in Alnus, Philadelphia, and here. Women seem to know how to make something into something beautiful.
"It could be worse," He said in a sarcastic tone. "I would do the work myself and I wouldn't need you."
Sarah walks over to him with a big smile. "I guess my job is secured because that's never going to happen." She then hands him the documents.
He chuckles from that, enjoying the bantering. He takes the documents and skims through them.
"I assumed you requested Itami’s help because you two did that mission together?(3)" Sarah said. "But based on his record he isn't very popular within the Japanese Self-Defense Force."
"Partly," He responds. "He annoys me a lot but the reason I asked for him is because I think he might be a good example of how not to follow the book. At the end of the day, he will get the job done."
Sarah turns around and looks at him confused. "I assume that makes sense to you. I just wonder if everyone will accept his style of leadership after following yours for so long."
He takes a deep breath as he collects his thoughts. "Fucking Jessy has a brilliant idea after I got out of the hospital. Part of a training exercise which I later found out it was just a gambling event. Stuck on an island for months, you have to find entertainment."
"Ok," Sarah said. "And…?"
"Him and me, one on one," He said.
"And I take it you won?" She assumes.
He is hesitant to answer and then sits down on her bed. "Well. On paper, it was a tie but that was because I couldn't find him."
"You're kidding?" Sarah asked, shocked.
"I'm not," He said. "I would have easily killed him. But I couldn't find the bastard. I later found out he was taking a nap while watching some anime back in his barracks. No idea how he got back there but hell. I think that will be a good lesson for the Knights and Militia."
"You have strange friends Jackson," She said as she shakes her head in disbelief. "I just hope they accept him."
He glances up to reflect on what she said. He noticed many of the natives liking him, calling him cute. At first, he wondered if they were just saying that because he is a new face. But they seem to react well to his more casual attitude.
"I think they will," He said.
"And the Filipino dude?" Sarah asked.
"He is a hard ass," He said. "I am convinced that he could kill me without me ever knowing. You saw what happened. Pina’s group and Wolf group fought each other on the training ground. I need Carlos to drill their past hatred out of them. He knows how to take peasants and turn them into killers."
"I see," She said. "You wanted both of them to balance each other out."
For the next hour and a half, they spend work on the upcoming training regiment, figuring out the guidelines. They figure out how they are going to split up the teams and what they are going to base the training off. They talk about who will be the ones who get special training like radios, driving, becoming medics, and so on.
"The first thing we should focus on is getting them caught up on our terminology," He said.
Sarah looks through the documents and then pulls one out. "While you were gone First Sergeant Jacob Waltz has been taking care of that. It seems he has been making progress."
"Alright," He said. "Pick the two best out of the group and assign them as radiomen."
As he thinks about the training his mind wanders off. He thinks about what has happened recently. Ge feels like every time things start to get better and going his way something comes up and smashes him back down.
He wonders if that is because he stops believing in God or this if this his fate. Or that he is cursed to making friends and falling in love just for them to be murdered while he still lives.
Suddenly he feels this hand on his cheek.
"Come on," Sarah said. "Don't fade out on me. Stay focused."
He looks at her knowing what she is doing. When his mind begins to wonder it always goes to bad memories. She always tries to make him think to be the task at hand to prevent that.
He takes a breath to relax.
"I'm sorry," He mumbles.
"I know it's tough but always remember this time you are not alone. You don't have to be that guy again," Sarah said and stands up. "I will be right back, going to the bathroom."
He watches her head to the bathroom. "Why do women announce everything." He mumbles.
"Because we're just making sure you are listening," Sarah replies as she closes the door.
He looks back to the documents and takes a deep breath. He starts thinking about that farm family again and wonders why they had to die. One thing that has been bothering him is that he has not told Selina yet. He saw that she made a friend which is something she has struggled with(4). He has been trying to think about what to say to her. He does not even know if the boy is alive and dead and bringing up Lashin might terrify her after her last experience.
He starts to have a flashback to his time in Delta, so she shakes his head. "I heard you spent the afternoon with the Girls."
"It was… interesting," she said, speaking loudly. "I found it strange how natural it is for them but yeah, different cultures. I think we bonded well though. By the way, we talked about you. They were wondering if you would try the bathhouse out."
"When hell freezes over," He shoots back.
Sarah laughs after hearing that. "We only explored what, three percent of this planet. You never know what we might find."
He looks to the bathroom door and decides not to respond to that. "I am glad you and the Girls are getting along."
"I am too," Sarah said. "I think Rory still wants to kill me though. Warning, I think she is plotting something against you."
"That's good," He responds and looks over the training schedule. “And she can try.”
"Its good that Rory wants to kill me?" Sarah responds as she opens the door.
He realizes what he said well too but smirks. "I don't see why not."
He then looks over and to his surprise Sarah no longer in her military uniform but in this blue rob. The robe looks strangely familiar but that is not what he is focusing on.
He has seen people in Falmart wearing robes before, mainly from with the wealthy in the major cities. He has seen and heard stories of the Rose Knights wearing such clothes during off-hours(5). It seems to be a normal clothing style in these lands.
The blue robe is having this golden color lacing that is all around but not too dominating. Some parts over part of her upper arm but the shoulders are left open, like some of Selina outfits. The style is based around Roman-Greek goddess design.
She looks gorgeous in it.
Sarah smiles seeing the extra attention. "I see you like it."
"Ahh. It looks good. I didn't realize you’ve been buying local clothes." He says.
Sarah gives him a baffled look. "You bought this, back in Italica after the Battle of Legrath. But I guess that was a busy night(6)."
He tries to remember but struggles. But then he remembers that he bought the rob in Italica as a gift for her. Right after he handed her the gift and being embarrassed about buying it. Right after he gave her the fist, he learned that Selina was taken.
"I remember now," he mumbles.
Sarah chuckles and walks over to him. She places her knees on each side of his and sits on his lap. She moves her hands around him and smiles.
"Look, boss man," Sarah said. "I know you want to go out there and kick some asses. Trust me you are not the only one but just always remember you are the head of our little group and we always have your back. You are not alone so never feel like you need to bear everything on your shoulders."
He feels his heart pound quickly as he tries to think about what to say. He looks at her blue eyes and he can see that she is telling him to loosen up. He takes a breath and smiles. "I just don't want to lose anyone. Seeing Rory laying on the ground like that and then the farmhouse."
Sarah places her figure on his lips too. "Shh… no more of that. I saw what happened to Rory. You are not alone who was worried. But her and I always know you will appear to save that day because that is what men do. When we allow it.” She then gives him a seductive but nervous wink. She then gives him a kiss.
Also, you really chewed Rory out." Sarah said after the kiss.
"I know," He said in a shamed voice. "I feel bad for speaking down at her."
"You should feel bad," Sarah said. "You need to treat a rose with respect." She then smirks and rolls her eyes. "But I think she enjoys getting yelled at by you, in some sick kind of the way."
He thinks on that and his eyes widen once he realizes what Sarah meant by that. “She is definitely the Apostle of Darkness.”
Sarah then places her head against his and starts talking cute. "Big strong moral man acting all tough and in control. And little old Rory is sitting there all helpless. Excluding the part that she can snap you in half without batting an eye, but I think she gets a kick from it."
Sarah then kisses him and leans him back on the bed. "Just remember Jackson. While you are out there fighting, facing unimaginable dangers, I will always be watching over you through that little camera. Waiting to tell you I told you to say."
He places his hands around her and smirks from that. "I can't be held responsible for anything I say. It will probably be intentional." He then kisses her back as they settle in for the night, together.
***
--- Fort Minick, next day ---
February 21st, 2026
In the main assembly facility is where everyone from Vanguard Rapid Task Force 2 or nicknamed Sharpe's Rifles at. The units that make up Sharpe's Rifles str the Logistical Support Team, Vanguard-2, Vanguard-5. Vanguard-7, Rose-Order Knights. The two attachments are Legrath Knights and the Alnus Militia.
Colonel John Yang is standing there and just finished giving a small speech. He mentioned all the accomplishments that everyone has accomplished during the war. Not just the Rangers but also the natives and their contributions. He explained that it is the spirit of this unit and what they are trying to do.
Yang then turns around and looks at him. He walks up and removes Sharpe's Major rank from his dress uniform.
He then starts putting the Lieutenant Colonel rank on his collar.
"In the best spirit of the United States Army you are now officially a Lieutenant Colonel," Yang said.
He stands there and gives a salute.
Colonel Yang returns the salute. "Welcome to the club."
He hears cheers from the crowd. This officially makes him command of Vanguard Rapid Task Force 2.
Once the formalities are over, he feels Selina tackle his leg hugging it. "Hi, dad. I like the new bird on your clothes."
He smiles and pats her shoulder. "You look nice."
Selina smiles, enjoying that he likes her dress.
Yang taps him on the shoulder. "I mean it. You have earned it. Keep training your people and be ready for anything. I have an op coming soon. I will need you and everyone else at their best."
"Yes sir,"
Captain Yōji Itami then walks up, holding a long box. “Hello Lieutenant Colonel.”
“What is this?” He asks.
He then notices the rest of the Girls coming around, all wondering what is in the box.
“It is another Christmas present,” Tuka said.
“No it is not,” Itami said. “As I said before, this is from Brigadier General Kōichirō Hazama.”
As Itami is about to hand him the box, Selina pulls on his jacket. “Can I open it?”
Selina takes the box and both her and Rory tear the wrapping apart.
Selina then opens the top and everyone looks inside.
What he sees is this long katana.
Rory takes the katana out of the box and takes a step back. She starts swinging it around, testing the sword. “Look Jackson. It is the sword from your movies and TV shows. Like in the Last Samurai and from Samurai Jack.”
Lelei looks over. “Wow. It looks high quality. I take it you have done some kind of enchantment?”
“No enchantments Lelei,” Itami said.
He looks towards Itami. “What is the sword for?”
“Remember that cult way back?” Itami said. “Brigadier General Kōichirō Hazama's family lives there so he felt personally in debt. When the war started, and we realized what kind of enemy we were fighting so my government authorized him to make this sword. It is combat quality so you can use it in your training with Grey.”
Itami then points to the sword. “On it, it says let this sword aid only the true and strong. To defy the evil spirit and let good prevail”
“Interesting,” He replies. “Thank you.”
Rory walks over and hands him the sword. “Here you go.”
He takes the sword and holds it out.
Reference:
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Chapter 107
Chapter 46 or 47
Chapter 139
Chapter 126
Chapter 115
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