Dimensional Travels: World at War-Chapter 63: Dragon Integration

After the meeting was concluded, Eric looked outside. It was getting dark. The meeting with the dragons had lasted five hours, and he was ready for a hot shower and cuddle time with Mia. He looked over at Jessica mooning over Liam. Maybe it was time for a conversation.

"Liam. Jessica. Lets go."

Back at the truck, Eric turned the vehicle on and started the drive back home. The young couple in the back were talking excitedly about the possibilities of this new world. Eric heard snippets of the conversation and grumbled to himself.

"What if there are Elves?" Jessica said, her eyes wide and bright.

"Elves? Pfft. What about dwarves?" Liam responded.

Jessica’s silence caused Eric to look up in the rear mirror. Her face had gone from bright and innocent to somber and reflecting.

"The dwarves of this world are not in a good spot." She whispered. "They are confined to the mines at the very western borders of the empire. I had to go conduct routine ’systems checks’ when I was first summoned. It was horrible. The empire forces them to breed in chambers to replace the ones that die while mining."

Eric docked that information internally as Liam held her hand. "I’m sorry, I didn’t know."

"It’s okay. I know one day we will free them. When that day comes i want to be at the front. Those empire soldiers."

Her eyes lit up with mana as wisps of power circled her palm.

"Will pay." She intoned flatly.

Eric looked behind him as he noticed mana use. "Hey! No mana in the vehicle. We talked about this."

Jessica quickly snuffed the mana. "Sorry." She said flatly, looking out the window as Liam grabbed her thigh.

Eric glowered at the young Private and Liam quickly moved his hand to hold hers.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

After dropping Liam off at the barracks, Jessica and Eric went home. Jessica sat on the couch while Eric walked into the bedroom. "Long day?" Mia said as she came out of the restroom.

"Like you wouldn’t believe." Eric responded as he took off his uniform top. "Dragons of all things came to request an alliance."

Mia nearly dropped the dress she was folding. "Really? They haven’t been heard from in nearly five hundred years. The community thought the free dragons had gone extinct."

Eric shrugged. "That has been the least bizarre event of the day."

They shared a laugh as she hugged him from behind. "How is little one doing?" He asked as he ran his hand along hers. "The little one keeps kicking and stretching. She or he definitely wants to be out by now."

He laughed as he turned around, kissing her. "I can’t wait to meet her."

Mia sighed and flicked his head. "You keep saying it is a girl, why is that?"

He held her hand, twirling her and pulling her into his arms for another kiss. "Because I keep having dreams that our child will be a girl."

"Makes sense." Mia nodded as they walked out into the kitchen.

Eric began setting the table for dinner. Jessica joined Mia at the table as he set the food out. He sighed while serving the ladies, the aroma making his mouth water. "Mm. Steak and shrimp. One of my favorites."

After praying, they began talking about their days. Laughter and cheering echoed into the night while the small family ate, each wishing the peace would last.

But still, the war draws onwards.

In the morning, Eric woke up to the usual bleating horns of his clock. He felt half tempted to smash it. Mia pulled his hand down, pressing it to her stomach as she shut the alarm off. "No." She said as if disciplining a small child. "We paid too much money for you to just keep smashing alarms."

Eric sighed. "Yes my love." He said, chuckling and kissing her while he felt the kicking baby. "Man. He or she is really ready to be out of there." He said while getting up and stretching.

"Me too. As much as I love the princess treatment you give me, I am ready to meet our child. I know they will make things chaos for us, but I would not have it any other way." She said with a smile. She made sure his uniform was fitted right and slid her hand on his chest. "Now, go whip some young dragons into shape."

He laughed as Jessica joined him in walking out of the house.

At Hood Hill, a the entire battalion not on shift guarding the various footprints stood at the bottom of the valley. Milano, Heuitt, Eric, and the Dragon leaders stood behind Miher as the General addressed the troops.

A podium had been set up, with a microphone for Miher. Off to the right were the Joint staffs of III corps personnel. To the left were the staff sections of the battalion. Confusion was clearly on display as many soldiers had no clue what was going on. Whispers throughout the formation spread as attention was drawn to the chest of Miher.

Three stars.

"Good morning." Miher began, addressing the battalion in a steely, commanding voice. "I stand before you, proud yet saddened. You young men and women have proven the weight and sacrifice many soldiers before you have had to endure. Torn from one world, and thrown into the next. Since then, your sacrifices and valor have not gone un-noticed. Every single soldier here, and those that came to this world stood firm as a world rose against you. For that, this unit has earned the presidential unit citation. You have exemplified the Army values in your tour here on this planet. I stand before you today, to reward your courage and bravery. And also, to change the guard. You see, III corps is not the unit that came in here and forged alliances with otherworldly units. III corps is not the unit that repelled forces thirty times its own. III corps is not the unit that weathered the storm of two worlds fracturing."

A brief pause as Miher looked around.

"You did. A battalion. A single battalion took on an entire world, carrying the weight of a single choice as men and women of old once did. You honor the legacy and legitimacy of the soldiers that stood before you, and those that will come after you."

"Lieutenant Colonel Milano, step forward."

Applause echoed as the commander stepped up. Each soldier cheering and hollering. The sentiment was shared across the formation. Without Milano, more of them would have died. They echoed their feelings in the raucous applause and joyous cheering. Miher held his hand up, motioning for the applause to cease.

"Lieutenant Colonel Milano. You have established a legitimate theater sized battle rhythm with an element barely at Battalion level. You have displayed remarkable resourcefulness and an amazing tactical response IQ. You have a firmer grasp on the geopolitical, economical, and societal norms than anyone else in the United States Army. For that reason, I hereby promote you to the rank deserving of your status. I hereby announce you as Brigadeer General Michael Milano."

Milano inwardly groaned, but outwardly smiled as he shook hands with General Miher. "Thank you sir." He said as he stepped back. It was still Miher’s show.

"Master Sergeant Eric Dryer, step forward." Eric blinked, his body moving as he moved. He knew Milano would be a part of this, but him?

"Master Sergeant Dryer, you have stood beside General Milano throughout thisdeployment, sacrificing more than could be thought of for a single man. You stood while others crawled, even at the behest of a wife and soon to be born child. You have bled, but remained firm in your world view. You walked into fire to ensure your soldiers were secure. Even at the risk of losing your life. You displayed gallantry and heroism above the call of duty in a battle that almost spelled certain death, paving the way for the Battalion to fight another day. Your action of selfless service while buying time for the battalion to recieve warning over the Brios cannon speaks volumes to your character and honor to the men you stand with. For that, you will recieve the Medal Of Honor. May you always remain faithful to your convictions and your family. Fighting for them as always, means fighting for freedom."

The air was solemn and heavy, whispers echoed throughout the formation. Unbeknownst to Eric, not a single soldier in the battalion did not know his name. On multiple occasions, he had saved many of their lives. No one standing there thought he was undeserving of the weight behind the reward. Some even thought that Eric should be the General, not Milano.

Eric accepted the reward with shock and apprehension as he looked out to the formation. His hands trembled. "Sir, I only did what is necessary. I don’t deserve this."

Miher chuckled and looked at the younger man, shaking his hand. "Many that recieve the word say the same thing. Trust me Master Sergeant, you earned this."

After formation, Eric stood in front of the four young dragons and Vale. "These are the new troops?" He asked, turning to Vale. "Don’t they look a little...

Malnourished?"

Each young dragon looked anorexic and gaunt. Their arms and legs were skinny as they stood there. To Eric it looked like a strong draft of wind would blow them away.

"Yes." Vale said with a sigh. "The Mana in our domain is low, so the dragons that live there grow up weak and feeble. These young ones do not have a mana heart like those of us Elders. Because of that, they rely on external mana. In low level mana atmospheres, that results in what you see before you. Now, since they are now in this world, they will grow stronger by the day. Just ensure it does not get to their heads. Right now they are like dried up tree saplings. After a few days in this world, they will grow to be strong fruit trees. If you let arrogance fester, they will become like the dragons you had to rid from this world."