The Flame-haired Elite from another world

Disclaimer: Heavy Object belongs to Kazuma Kamachi; while
Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri is owned by Takumi Yanai

Chapter 1: Damsel in Distress

Princess Piña Co Lada hung from her chains, having been brought back to her cell after another session of 'interrogation' in the hands of her barbaric captors. She was just in her underwear, as well as a drab green shift-like shirt which they had provided her with. All her personal effects like jewelry had been confiscated a long time ago; her bright burgundy locks were set loose and were a mess. They had done things to her; things that she never imagined she would ever experience as a prisoner, or as a woman.

This is what I get for being such a spoiled princess and for being an inexperienced warrior as well.

She sardonically smiled in her bound miserable state, recalling a discussion she had with that annoying butler back at the Myui household in Italica. Never did she expect to end up like this, nor in the circumstances that had resulted.

Piña slumped on the couch within the walls of Myui household after a hard and long day of defending Italica from remnants of the Allied Army who have resorted to banditry after being soundly defeated by invaders from another world, these so-called men in green.

"Excuse me your Highness?" the butler began, who stood nearby to be of service to her.

"What is it? Are you wishing to surrender?" Piña answered, knowing what was on the old man's mind. She took a sip from a goblet of wine which was offered to her.

"Not at all. I was wondering if there is a way to settle this conflict without any further fighting." he clarified, clearing his throat as he did.

"Easy. Just open the gates and let the lot of them in." Piña answered rather bluntly. After taking another sip of her drink she continued. "But once you do so, we lose everything. You and the men will be put to the sword. And the women, well you know…I can make do with one or two of the brutes having their way with me. But fifty or a hundred…"

"Surely you jest…" the butler said, balking at the thought.

"If you don't like the alternative, then you and everyone else must fight, to the bitter end if need be. Better to die fighting than to wait for death by their whims."

But it had not ended that way as she had feared. It was worse…

"The enemy is attacking the east gate?" Piña said in surprise, as a messenger came to give the grim news to her.

"Yes. We've already sent word to those at the south gate to come and reinforce us." the man said; a great deal of distress was written on his face.

So my prediction was off. Damn it!

"Thank you for this. Go now and help defend the eastern entrance. We'll follow shortly. Hamilton! Grey!"

She and her two subordinates immediately rushed forth towards the east gate where the concentration of the siege was occurring. But when they got there it was too late.

The invaders had overcome the defenders by the walls and were opening the gates, allowing the rest of their fellows within Italica's walls. The few remaining defenders stood their ground behind the makeshift barricades set up within the courtyard but essentially the battle was lost. The City of Italica had all but fallen.

"You're Highness, we must evacuate the city!" A militiaman came to urge Princess Piña to give the order, but she merely remained transfixed by the fruits of her failure right before her. The brigands began their final push within the city.

"If only my knights were here…" she mumbled to herself as the first rays of the morning sun came and greeted her, mocking her of any miracle from happening, for their situation to turn in their favor.

However, miracles do happen sometimes, and that miracle came in the form of the east gate exploding into rubble and dust, taking several of the bandits nearby to their deaths. Outside the city walls, dozens upon dozens of the enemy invaders fell upon streams of light which pierced their beings like spears while some of them turned to ash when hit. In a short period of time, every single bandit was dispatched including those within the walls. The one responsible for it all was a humungous monstrosity looming on the horizon. It appeared to be a gigantic sphere with numerous protrusions or 'spines' covering its body like a sea urchin. To those who got to witness it, the deadly streams of light came from these spines.

"A monster…" gasped Hamilton, awed by the magnitude of carnage such an object could do.

Princess Piña joined in with her brown-haired subordinate's apprehension. "A Great Sphere of Destruction, capable of absolute violence which surpasses any army. Having the power to crush anything in its path and to deny those of pride, honor and all else. Truly, we are powerless against such a fearsome thing."

"But did it really come to save us?" Grey asked.

The answer to the grey-haired veteran soldier's question became apparent when the Great Sphere unleashed it power on the weary and hapless defenders of Italica.

Shortly after, Italica truly fell to its new invaders who happened to be the men in green, for it is they who are patrons to the Great Sphere of Destruction. The surviving defenders were rounded up and separated from the womenfolk. As for Princess Piña, that was the last time that she was among her fellow countrymen, for she was taken prisoner and brought back to their stronghold setup at Alnus Hill.

There she was questioned and to her amazement many of her captors spoke her language. At first, they asked her things commonly inquired of prisoners: name, country of origin, any military secrets they are privy to, but soon the line of questioning became invasive if not bizarre, like: what color she sees herself; what are her belief systems; or if she is still a virgin.

Naturally, she resisted in answering most of the questions peppered at her, but in spite of that they seemed to already know a great deal about her. In turn she got to learn a little about the enemy that held her captive, due to their condescending and supremacist nature.

They call themselves the Faith Organization–a confederacy of nations from the other side of the Gate which advocates any and all religions. They believe that the Gate is a sign from their gods, showing them a new path to spiritual and temporal salvation from the world they come from, and they intend to 'spread' their beliefs to the peoples of these new lands!

The reason why this group knew so much about her was made known when she received an unexpected visitor.

"Hello, sister."

"Big brother! Why are you here? Have these barbarians already taken Sadera?"

The blonde-haired man, the one who Piña's referred to as big brother, is none other than Diabo, her half-brother and a legitimate candidate to the Imperial Succession. He solemnly shook his head in response to his half-sister's apprehension.

"No dear sister. They have not…yet."

Piña looked confused at the way Diabo answered her. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, there is a chance for our Empire to avoid total annihilation, and I intend to make that happen." Seeing Piña's troubled expression he further elaborated. "I have come to these barbarians as you put it, seeking their aid in putting a stop to our father's madness, before he brings the Empire to ruin. Did you know that it was he who plotted to have our vassal states' armies massacred at Alnus Hill? Telling them nothing about the enemy's capabilities or that our very own expeditionary force that was sent to the enemy's home world was utterly defeated. Our sire used the Allied Army on pretense for the defense of the fatherland when in fact he hoped them to be slaughtered so that they would no longer pose a threat to our Empire's weakened state. And to top it all, our father has ordered the razing of all communities between Alnus and Sadera, in the hopes of forestalling the enemy's advance towards the Imperial Capital. Think of all the people that have suffered, all because of the foolish pride of the one who sits on the throne."

Piña could not believe what she had just heard. "No…No...Father isn't like that…You're lying, big brother!"

"Am I? Think about it, Piña? How much do you really know about father? After all, you are a child of a-Oh, I'm sorry…"

Tears began to well in Piña's eyes. She knew what Diabo meant. In spite of being a daughter of a concubine, Piña remembered only good things about the man that she came to call her father, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, Supreme Ruler of the Empire of the Falmart continent, who saw her as a great pride and joy when she was a child. But as she matured into a young woman she began to notice her sire becoming distant, even fickle, towards her. She merely dismissed it as nothing more than the tolls of one who bears the welfare of an empire on his shoulders, and yet there were times when she questioned his actual sense of benevolence, or even of his love for her.

"What do you intend to do?" she sullenly asked with downcast eyes.

"I will depose father, with force if necessary, as well as Zorzal and the rest of our siblings. None must remain to ensure my assuming of the throne, in order to save the Empire. And I have the full backing of the Faith Organization for this righteous endeavor."

Piña noticed it, the glimmer of a madman within Diabo's eyes. This frightened and disturbed her, for she has known Diabo to overthink things, to the point of paranoia. Always fearing of those out to get him and undermine his good intentions. Perhaps he has finally lost it, and his collaboration with this otherworldly enemy had become the breaking point of his obsession and distrust he has harbored all these years.

"What of me? Am I to be removed as well?" she asked, regaining some of her composure.

"Oh no, dear sister. That is why I'm here. To convince you to join me in my virtuous cause. Once I sit on the throne, I wish you to be there with me, by my side, to assist me…as my Empress."

Definitely, this was one side of Diabo that she had never seen before which has made her more convinced and fearful of his state of mind.

"You're mad, Diabo! Even if we are not purely related in blood I am but your sister, and all I see in you is being my dear big brother. No…This is wrong! And so is your plan for 'saving' the Empire. You, talking about disposing your family, your very own flesh and blood, as if they are nothing more than rabid animals. You and your collaborators are no different! They've killed honest to goodness citizens in Italica, Daibo!"

"A necessary sacrifice, for the greater good. To demonstrate the power of my new found allies to all those who would dare oppose me. With Italica in the hands of Faith Organization we're one step closer to liberating the Imperial Capital of all of its hubris. Once that is achieved the Empire will enter a New Age under the benign guidance of the Faith Organization and I'll act as the bridge between our two worlds, preferably with you there with me. "

"Listen to yourself big brother…" she pleaded with him but he seemed beyond reasoning as he pressed her, firmly grasping her within his hands.

"Piña, I've always loved you as a sister…No, more than that actually. I've always wanted you to know how I actually feel for you, and this is the perfect time for me to do so. Please Piña…allow me, in order to spare you from the fate that awaits you, should you not concede…"

"Big brother…you're hurting me…" she gritted, feeling his hands squeezing hard on her. And what does he mean by: what fate awaits me?

Realizing what he was doing, Diabo let go of Piña and composed himself. He started heading out but not before giving her a warning.

"I'll give you time to think about it, Piña. But do not think my patience, or that of my benefactors, is infinite. I could do this with or without you. Until then, my dear sister."

But Piña never relented. As helpless as she was she could never see herself submit to any enemy, especially to one that threatened her country and its people. And if what Diabo says is true about her father, there must be other, more reasonable, ways to make him accountable. Or was she still being the naïve princess she has always been. Regardless, she could do nothing while being held a prisoner, she had to somehow escape; she however never got the chance as she was soon transferred from the temporary confinement in Alnus to an undisclosed prison on the other side of the Gate. There her terrible ordeals would begin.

"Ah! Kuh! Hii! Aah!"

"How do you feel? Have our purging blows made you see reason yet, heretic?

Piña hung between two poles while surrounded and being beaten by men with batons and whips. The one overseeing her treatment seem to be enjoying the task entrusted to him with much zeal.

She spat spittle and blood at the man's feet. "You damn, savages! Is this how you promote your gods unto others? Through intimidation and torture!"

Her retort was rewarded with a sneer, and a hard backhand to the face from the overseer. "Savages? It was your people who viciously attacked and slaughtered many of our faithful as well as potential converts when your armies emerged from the Gate. You also had the audacity of presuming you could conquer us and take over our lands. Such arrogance! Know this, it will be US who will conquer you, and your lands will act as recompense for your barbaric acts. But do not fret; the Faith Organization is not without mercy. We will enlighten you barbarians, so that we may all come to a common understanding. After all, your world does have its own gods. Once your faithful come to support the ideals of our group, we will all greet you with open arms. We will all then bask in the glory of our faiths, promoting peace, prosperity, and unity, as it should be!"

"Your words are empty. And your so-called faith is nothing more than blind fanaticism which threatens to undermine people's will to make choices. You're a total menace to yourselves and to others!"

"Silence!" shouted Piña's tormentor, quivering with anger. He breathed deeply to calm himself. "Perhaps we are too lenient with your path to enlightenment. Please show to her," he motioned to her torturers, who smiled evilly with glee, "the extent of the errors of her ways!"

And so Piña continued with her song of pain and dance of writhing agony at the hands of her cruel attendants, until she was blessed with the merciful loss of consciousness.

When she woke up she found herself lying and strapped to a bed, attended to by people, mostly women. Unlike her torturers she did not sense any callous nature from them; rather they seemed concerned for her well-being.

"Where am I?" she weakly asked a nearby woman who took notice of her being awake.

"You're in our medical ward. We have treated most of your serious injuries and it seem you're healing quite well, thanks to the Faith Organization's advancement in medicine." she said rather proudly, pleasantly smiling at her.

Piña weakly smiled back. "Is it the habit of your group to torture prisoners and then nurse them back to health?" she asked, with a thin line of sarcasms.

"It is only natural. We try to save lives if we can. Even for nonbelievers. For we follow the tenets of the Healing Family."

"Healing Family?"

"Oh, of course. You wouldn't recognize them, being from another world. They are the five Greek gods of Medicine, with Asclepius as the father or head, with his four daughters under him. I personally follow Aceso, goddess of the healing process."

"I guess you people are really from another world…and I'm in no position to be complaining here." Piña said, tugging at the restraints on her sides.

"But it would be easier for you if you would come into the fold of our ways."

Piña would have facepalmed if she could. "No. Not you too?" She intently looked at the woman. "Tell me, if our roles were reversed, would you submit to the whims of your captors?"

"I don't know." the woman responded, her smile fading as she became thoughtful. "Maybe it is because I never considered the possibility of such a thing happening to me. But it only goes to show," her warm smile coming back again," your conviction is strong, stronger perhaps than my faith."

If anything, that comforted Piña somewhat, but she would rather be with her people, helping to defending them from these invaders rather than being a prisoner in their hands and being patronized.

"Just to let you know, not all people in the Faith Organization are zealots. Many just like to practice their faith in peace. But the world we live in demands strength as well as viciousness, especially against our enemies. We pray to our gods, asking for forgiveness for the necessary evils we commit and to guide us to a better path."

"You're just making excuses, justifying your wrong doings."

"And are you and your people any different?"

Both women remained silent for few moments, mulling at each other's individual principles. Who is to say one is right while the other is wrong. The woman finally continued, having simmered down her inner emotions.

"I'm sorry. I think we should stop talking to one another. We will return you to your cell when you're able. My advice to you, be prepared and be strong. For your chastisement has only just begun."

When they returned her to her cell, a letter awaited her by the side of her cot. It bore the Imperial Seal, which only the Emperor or the legitimate members of his family ever use.

Piña had hesitations in opening it but she had to find out. After breaking the dried wax crest she flipped open the letter, intently going over its content with an expectant bearing.

Dear Piña,

It saddens me that I was not there for you, when they took you away. I've only learned too late of your transfer while I was going over with some of the leaders of Faith Organization over here in Italica. Suffice it to say, we're in the final stages of our preparations for the Liberation of Sadera. You would have been here, by my side, had you accepted us and joined our side.

In spite of all of the virtues the Faith Organization boasts, patience seems not to be one of them. I do not blame them. You have your father's stubborn pride. They do not like that, pride that is. It is your conceit that has gotten you where you are now. They promised me that they'll do everything in their power, through the blessings of their gods, in helping you in ridding of it.

The next time we meet, it will be when I'm finally Emperor, and peace will finally reign within our Empire, and all of Falmart. I hope by then that I will have enough clout to petition for your release, and hopefully you will be renewed as well, having embraced the enlightenment which the Faith Organization offers. Until then, I patiently and fervently await our destined reunion.

Yours truly,

Your big brother, Diabo

Piña crumpled the piece of paper in her hands, a mixture of disappointment, despair, and anger churning within her after reading what it said. Diabo had absolutely betrayed them and she fears for the worst. The Imperial Capital might have already fallen for all she knows. How long has it been since she has been a captive?

"Father…"

The tears she shed that night did not stop.

True to the woman's words, Piña underwent several more ordeals meant to humiliate her and break both her body and mind. There were many times she wished she had died but these bastards, as she put it, would not let her. And perhaps it was her inner will that kept her going, of wanting one day to be free from this Hell she was in, and come to the aid of her Empire, her countrymen, her father.

Piña screamed. Her body was wracked with the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced. The torture she was undergoing could only be described as magical to her, and such a terrifying form of magic it was. It seems these brutes have somehow harnessed the power of lightning, and it was that power that was coursing through her very being, threatening to break her apart.

"Turn from your falsehoods, heretic! Accept our ideals and your sufferings shall pass! Only when you do so will you know true happiness and purpose!"

To the overseer this session with Piña has become rather routine and frankly tiresome. The woman is just damned stubborn and strangely resilient. He had never met such a hardy subject before and has almost grown a little sense of respect for her.

"Give it a rest already…I would rather die than turn! You hear me! So you can just shove all that drivel of yours you've been sputtering up to this time back where it came from…In your butthole!"

Almost.

"It seems your road to enlightenment is still winding. We will have to continue on in guiding you toward the narrow and correct path. Increase the voltage!"

And so here was her present situation, her wrists bound over her head as she hung a few inches off the floor of her cell. She hurt all over. The fact that she was feeling anything means she will live but the question is how much more can she take. Even though her will is strong she can never say when her body will give up on her, especially with all the tortures she is subjected to.

She went limp in resignation within her bonds, hoping to find rest in spite of her precarious position even though it was painful to her. Time passes, how long she has been dangling she does not know; only that she came to notice the door to her cell opening. Finally she thought, perhaps they have decided to be considerate and allow her to rest unchained. Or were they planning to have another go at physically abusing her, how cruel can they be?

Piña thought she heard one them call out her name.

"Princess Piña Co Lada?"

Her eyelids felt heavy and her eyes were too weary to make out the one who spoke to her. They sounded awfully young for guards.

"Don't worry. I'll have you freed in a sec…"

She felt her manacles being unlocked and down she went but she was almost instantly caught and gently laid down on the cold floor.

"God. What have these monsters done to you?" said the one who helped her out; his companion who was outside, hissed at him with urgency.

"Hurry up, Quenser! Can she move?"

"Hold on! I'm going to give her something to perk her up."

"Be quick with it then! The sooner we get out of here, the better I'll feel!"

"Who are you?" Piña finally asked, sensing something unusual with what is happening, although she was already suspecting what is going on.

"We're here to get you out, Princess Piña. Can I call you that? Oh, before anything else, I'm to give you this. It's going to sting…"

Piña felt the familiar prick of a needle. She had had several of those during her 'sessions', their effects varied but it left her disconcerted most of the time.

"What is that?" she asked, having not the strength to resist.

"Something to get you on your feet, Princess. To help us to get you out of here. Here, let me help you."

She allowed him to help her up. Whatever he gave her was not yet taking effect, and so she was painstakingly assisted in getting out of her cell.

"Times up! They're here!" his companion said.

The sound of the guards could be heard.

"Stop!"

"They're helping the prisoner escape!"

For the first time Piña got to witness the hand-held weapons, these people wielded, in action. She always wondered how they worked and now she got to know. They made loud, deafening sounds and could do damage at a distance. She imagined what it could do to a person if it hit them. The one who stood guard outside had one such weapon in hand and was busily using it against the guards who no doubt had their own.

"Shit! We're done for here if you don't do your thing, Quenser!"

"When have you ever doubted me, Havia? That's why I set up those C4s all along the way before we got here."

The one called Quenser held out something, a small black box which Piña noticed. He pressed something on it. Loud exploding sounds followed and could be heard in the distance which reverberated on the very foundations these halls where they stood. Cries from the guards indicated they were caught in the havoc and were soon silenced.

"Hey, hey, Quenser, I hope you're not planning on bringing the house down on our heads here?"

"Don't worry. It will take more than those C4s to make this whole facility collapse. Now take the point, Havia. I'll help the Princess…"

"I'm fine…I think I can walk." Piña said, leaving Quenser's hold when she felt her faculties returning, especially in her feet and legs.

"Good. Whatever happens, stay close and follow us." Quenser informed Piña.

The three waddled through rubble-strewn hallways and converging sentries but somehow managed to overcome all adversities and escape, jumping and ending up in the sea. They provided Piña with a means for her to breathe underwater, much to her amazement, reminding her again that this was definitely another world and had wonders that both marveled and frightened her, many more she has yet to see.

They were met by other people who traversed under the waves and were led to what, in Piña mind, appears to be a black underwater behemoth, waiting within the water's depths. She was being reassured by her rescuers to trust them. Besides, she had little choice in the matter anyway; her life was in their hands.

Piña was surprised that they got to 'enter' the huge sea creature and realized later that it was not really a monster but a ship that could travel underwater.

When she was able to breathe air again she came face to face with a buxom of a woman, who carried herself with an air of importance. She carried an exotic-looking smoke pipe and wore a cocky grin on her stern yet beautiful face.

"Welcome aboard the Prince Charles, Princess Piña Co Lada. I am Major Froleytia Capistrano, Commander of the 37th Mobile Maintenance Battalion. The Legitimate Kingdom has deemed it, in its interest, to rescue you and provide you with asylum."

Great Sphere of Destruction – Name given by Princess Piña to an Object during the Battle of Italica.

Object – a massive armored fighting machine, with a very distinctive spherical shape, that outclasses conventional fighting vehicles and weaponry. It possesses a large array of offensive and defensive weapons at its disposal. Regardless of the number of weapons it has they are classified into two types: primary and secondary. Primary weapons are large, and usually are meant for use against other Objects. Thus they are the only means of being able of defeating one. Less power but nonetheless still devastating are the Objects' secondary weapons which brims its massive spherical body. They are mainly used against tanks, planes, and troops, but can also be used as a pinpoint defense against incoming shells and missiles.

Faith Organization–One the four world powers that emerged after the collapse of the United Nations in the mid-21st Century; the most important thing for them is religion, wherein they advocate any and all religions, even old ones that have been revived. This resulted in the myriad formation of various cultures and beliefs like Christian, Greek, and Hindu. Due to the revival of old religions the prominent faiths have been considerably weakened. This also resulted in more internal conflicts with the various faiths but so far has been kept in check by the Central Religious Assembly. Like the other world powers, the Faith Organization associate and identify themselves with a particular color in all aspects in their society (like their military uniform and colors). For them it is green.

Prince Charles–An attack submarine of the Legitimacy Kingdom's navy. Their submarines are named after various personalities of monarchy in history, in this case, Prince Charles of the former United Kingdom.

Legitimacy Kingdom–(To be further revealed in the next chapter)