Eclipse - Special Operations in Another World

Episode 3

"Horay! I won again!"

Cheers of a childish woman as she returns to win a round of fighting. He lifted the joystick up and swung it left and right as a celebration. Rabbit ear accessories attached to his short black hair also twitched many times as if they were real ears.

"Is this the hundredth time I've lost?" I asked in a bored tone. If this is a football game maybe I've won many times. Unfortunately, he did not like such games.

Right now, in the living room at my parents' house, my sister and I are playing Dead or Alive on PS4. Despite having a small apartment close to SFGp Headquarters in Narashino Camp, I sometimes stayed at my parents' house, some of the reasons being that I didn't settle down to live alone, seeing and hearing things that shouldn't exist. Nor do I want a lonely mother, let alone a sister who works as a scientist several times to go abroad for research.

"Come, Ha-kun! Does Ha-kun not have the spirit to defeat me?" Brother smirked with his arrogance.

"Religion...I've been lazy to serve brother because it's definitely the brother who won," I let out a long sigh while leaning on the leg of the sofa, relaxing my shoulder muscles. I caught him connecting a hard disk to my laptop. "Oh, brother, can you stop putting anime files on my laptop?"

Like a child caught stealing candy, he then hid the hard disk behind his back.

"Owwh, can't you?"

The answer is plain. My anger could no longer be contained at that time.

"Can't! That's a laptop for duty! Not for anything! My room is full of your stuff!" It was like rolling it with a mat and throwing it out the window. Maybe only brother can make me explode, out of my usually reserved nature.

"Hehehe, don't be angry Ha-kun! After all, Ha-kun also often watches anime after working hard, right?"

I hate to admit that I love anime too, thanks to this guy. The otaku virus is indeed very fast to spread, especially from a strange person like him.

"Chisato-chan's right. You need something to unwind."

I stared at the bathroom, where a middle-aged woman was drying her long wet black hair. That woman is Shinohara Akira, our loving mother.

"And I heard from Colonel Suzuki that you will be assigned for approximately a year....Is that true?" Ask me a little worried.

I just nodded slowly. Not 6 months after I returned to Japan, they sent me back to the middle of nowhere. Even though she looked ordinary, I knew she was terrified of the possibility of her youngest child going after her late husband.

I really don't care if I die on the battlefield. It would probably stop the horrible sounds and shadows constantly spinning around in my head like broken tapes. Maybe death will calm me down a little, but....

"So Ha-kun is really going to leave...."

Whisper brother grim. He bit his lips. Rabbit ear accessories also come down sad. I heard her sobbing, holding herself back from crying.

My brother and I have been together since childhood so I understand everything about him. Although his behavior often irritated me, I always loved my sister. Brother was always worried when I was on duty, especially now that he got a job related to my mission. He knows where I'm going.

"I understand you'll be lonely again but I've been ordered. That's my job."

I stroked the back of his head. Brother turned to me, like a little rabbit his master was about to throw away. I smile at her write to her.

"My job is to protect everyone in this country, including my brother."

"Then, then..." Slowly the two violet eyes returned the similar sliced look of my eyes. "Before Ha-kun leaves, let me defeat you in your favorite game!"

He said as he moved towards the console, replacing the game we played with FIFA 20XX. Her jolly and annoying nature came back again. Better a brother like this, I can't bear to see him grieve.

"Huh! I'm not gonna let you win!"

Suddenly I looked over from behind the sofa. "Hajime-kun, Chisato-chan's. I want to play too."

"Ehhh?! Mom too?!" Excited Brother surprised. I immediately turned on the third joystick and handed it to mom.

"Okay, mom's on a team with me, yeah."

"Ha-kun cheated! My time was scraped!"Since I joined the Self-Defense Force, my time with family has been very limited. I miss my youth almost every day I help my mother at home and take a walk to Akiba. However, I have chosen the path I will go through, which is to join the Martial Forces. As a man I have to keep going, like it or not, like Dad said, even though I've forgotten the reason I signed the contract.Disposing all my thoughts about work, I refocused on the game.   

*****

"Oi. Hey, Ha-Wand!"

The call from the Muse woke me up from the daydream. His two sapphire eyes looked into my eyes with curiosity and worry.

"Hmmm? Why?"

"Please check my parachute" Pinta Muse. I nodded and immediately checked the parachute he was wearing, tightening the saggy rope.

After putting on a battle shirt with my two comrades, Blade and Muse put on a bulletproof vest and a special forces helmet.

After that we helped each other wear the main and spare parachutes that we hung on our backs and chests. We hung backpacks and gun pockets on our legs because there was no place on our backs. Our path became slow because of that, but at least a lot of stuff we could carry.

"Why bro? Daydreaming?" Ask the childhood friend. He turned his body behind me so I could check the main parachute on his back.

While checking the straps, I answered his question. "Nothing. Just one thing."

"Personal issues? Girl or family? Oh yeah, you're still dating Ayano?" Muse asked again, referring to Kosaki Ayano, our high school classmate who now works as the voice of Anime. Muse said he's been holding onto me for a long time, but I didn't realize it until 2 years ago when he expressed his feelings. We lived together until....

"Udah broke up. 8 months ago while I was still in Iraq, he himself broke in via Line," I replied, patting him on the shoulder, indicating I had finished checking. He fixed the position of the backpack on his thigh, then slipped.

"You're impotent anyway," This is why I'm often annoyed when I'm nearby.

"Who's a weak orgasm, huh? I can hold up to 4 rounds," I looked back irritatedly at him. However, I also feel relieved that Ayano wants to end up with me. "But I understand he's breaking up. Not all girls can stand being left for months like that. It's for the best."

If only I had arrived when I died on the battlefield, I would not have wanted the girl to feel sad. He has to keep his career to the top.

"Hmmm? You don't feel lost at all? No bad taste?"

"No.... Maybe from the beginning I never really loved him. He shot me first."

While the two of us were busy conversing, Blade who was already standing by the door shouted towards us.

"Alright, schoolgirls, enough gossip. Our ride has come."

"Yes, sir!" Cheering us at the same time. The three of us left the warehouse.

After a few weeks of staying at Area 51, we finally had the day we were waiting for. We will be flown to another world through an eclipse that will occur over the west coast of America. The U. S. Air Force had secured the air space there an hour ago. Since this operation is strictly confidential, we must keep it secret from civilians, foreign militaries, or even arch-enemies of special forces operators such as journalists and the press.

The three of us boarded the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft that would take us to the Operation Area. The aircraft has been modified to withstand high force pressure and unknown gases in the atmosphere. We should have used the C-17 Globemaster III, a replacement for the higher-performance Super Hercules. But our budget is running out due to the manufacture of deep orbit satellites, our advanced equipment, and artificial portal research.  

In other words we only got 'a little' funding from the UN because they weren't so interested, some didn't even believe in it. If we manage to land, they will definitely increase the budget.

The name of our expedition team is GREEN Task Force, short for 'Global Reconnaissance ExpeditionNary'. We are under the auspices of the UN Security Council and as the name suggests, our main task is to explore and scout for a new world. I'm a member of squad number 2 so my calling is GREEN 2, while Blade and Muse are GREEN 1 and 3.

The three of us sat in a chair at the edge of the cabin. I was only speechless because the roar of the plane's engine made me unable to hear anything, except the radio conversation that was on my headset. After waiting for a while, the plane began to move onto the runway.

"GREEN team, this is Homebase, check for completeness!"

I checked all the gear before I put on the oxygen mask. We will jump from a height of over 30,000 feet above ground level, so masks are indispensable to avoid decompression. I double-checked the mask to really work.

"GREEN 1, ready!"

"GREEN 2, waiting for orders!"

"GREEN 3, ready to jump to hell!"

"All units have reported. Team GREEN good luck!"

The officer said before contacting the pilot of our plane.

"Courier 2-6, this is Homebase. Allowed to take off!"

"This is Courier 2-6, roger that!"

Answer the pilot. Thank God he's not the guy who drove me to Nevada a week ago.

"Gentlemen, my name is Evan Wolcott. Today, I will act as your pilot on this flight."

"And I'm your co-pilot, Deejay!"

I draw my words....

Then I heard the sound of people on the radio.

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Definitely, sir...."

Evan cleared his throat and continued his announcement.

"You will be parachuted from a height of three hundred feet above sea level, and the flight is predicted to be quite cloudy with mild turbulence. So please fasten your seat belts and do not leave the seat before we reach our destination. I'm reminding you that this is a smoke-free flight. And as always, the vomit bag is under your chair. On behalf of co-pilot Daniel Jackson and our on-duty crew, welcome your flight with Courier 2-6 Airlines."

We laughed after hearing that short speech.

Once the plane is in the perfect position to take off, the pilot starts to increase the speed. The four turboprop engines propel these large flying machines at high speeds until takeoff. After a few feet, the plane's wheels are raised and the plane climbs higher.

I looked out the window and saw a part of the North American Continent below and the shape of the earth began to appear circular. Honestly, I don't know how people still think the Earth is flat. Did they skip science lessons?

After reaching the highest height that Super Hercules could reach, I saw a gaping black hole in the sky, in front of the sun covered by the moon.

"Here we go, gentlemen..." I heard Blade speak. "This is one small step for three men, and one big leap for mankind."

Our plane then entered the portal. We were greeted by darkness for a few minutes. I can't see anything but the shadow form of a teammate. The plane we were riding on vibrated strong enough that I had to hold the rails tightly above.

I don't know why I'm nervous again, like my first mission. My fingers began to tap on the backpack on my thigh, forming a tone I could not hear due to the roar of the aircraft engine. My mind started to worry. What if we get stuck in this wormhole forever? What's gonna happen?

After a while, the plane's turbulence stopped and a ray of light returned to the cabin. I can breathe a sigh of relief. Muse patted me on the shoulder and pointed out the window. I nodded and looked down at the plane.

I'm surprised I'm not playing. What I saw was not a barren Nevada desert plain, but a plain with beautiful forests, grasslands, and mountains. Like an untouched new world.

I was really at a loss for words. The muse himself could only whistle. His mouth moved like making words.

"It's incredible..."

Moments later, Evan contacts the base.

"Homebase, this is Courier 2-6. Coming in!"

"This is Homebase, go on!"

"We have passed through the wormhole and entered the atmosphere of the landing zone. Lower the altitude to thirty thousand feet above sea level, over?"

There was a brief pause until the base replied.

"Understand! Homebase to Team GREEN, green light! Prepare to jump!"

After hearing the order, the three of us stood up and checked the equipment again.

"Status parachute.aman!"

After checking the parachute, check the oxygen mask.

"Oxygen status.aman!"

"Gentlemen, we're about to reach the drop zone! Prepare to jump!"

Evan tells us before pressing the button to lower the ramp door. Slowly the ramp started to descend while we stood up and walked to the edge. I put both hands behind the large spare stock box that was inside the cabin, took a swing to push the box and plunged in. My two colleagues did the same on the left and right.

"My job was just to get you here. After this, it's up to you! Good luck! We all depend on you!"

Continue the pilot. I lowered the yellow visor on the helmet and nodded slowly, even though I knew he didn't see me.

Moments after the ramp door was completely opened, the red light in the cabin turned green.

"Go's! Gos! Go!"

We pushed the box and jumped out.

I could feel the wind beating on my body. I turn my body so that the front faces down. Blade and Muse were freefalling beside me. We held each other's hands together so as not to be too far apart.

After passing through the thick clouds that blocked the view, I saw this world much more clearly.

The vast forest and grassland was right below me. Beautiful mountains and rivers surround this plain. I turned to the right and saw some of the native settlements. This world may indeed be inhabited by intelligent beings such as humans, or indeed humans.

Next I saw creatures resembling dragons and griffins flying low among the mountains. The world does not stop giving me surprises. I just hope that the dragon doesn't spout fire at me and make me believe in me.

If that happens, it might not be as bad as I thought....

"We've reached 3,000 feet! Open parachute!"

Blade said after releasing my hand. He pulled out the opening rope and a moment later his parachute expanded. Muse and I pulled out our parachute rope at the same time. I should have felt a strong jolt all over my body as the parachute opened and stopped me from plunging.

But I don't feel anything. My parachute failed to inflate....