Stage 01 - The Flames of War
August 14, 2031 – 00:00 Hrs.
Wack Wack Military Outpost
Manila, Philippines
Midnight – the artillery bombardment finally stopped.
I placed my journal inside my combat trousers as I walked in the dimly lit tunnels we had dug to provide cover from the Chinese artillery and airstrikes. The area where I was is filled with injured soldiers being tended by the exhausted and burned-out medical personnel, the few that still remained in our camp of just over four hundred mixed personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, National Guard, Police Force, and the Uniformed Volunteer Forces.
As I made my way towards the exit of the tunnels that led to the trenches, I passed by the makeshift hospital, where the screams of a badly wounded soldier whose leg was being amputated filled the cave-like enclosure which housed our only surgeon.
The condition of our wounded became much worse as our anesthetics ran out the other day, with our medical supplies dwindling each minute that passed. I continued to follow the tunnel as I saw the opening at the end, with soldiers lining the sides, some sleeping, some injured, and others shell-shocked.
Just as I was about to reach the end of the tunnel, a voice devoid of life called out, "Lieutenant". I turned towards the direction of the voice – a member of the UVF. He looked exhausted, his eyes were sunken, an indication that he hasn't slept in days. His face was covered with dried blood, sweat, and dirt, scratches and bruises on his face and neck. His uniform was torn in different places, mud covered his combat boots and combat trousers as he sat on the dirt - he looked like he was about my age, around 18 or younger.
"Lieutenant. I can't take this anymore" the member of the UVF said, his voice devoid of life. His head and back leaning against the dirt wall. I knelt down in front of him, "You'll be fine corporal" – it was a lie. I knew anything that I say at this point would be meaningless, given our current situation, it seemed like all was lost. Morale was low, and any hope that we have left was slowly disappearing.
I looked at the morale patch on his left sleeve – Makati 3rd UVF Company. "Where's the rest of your outfit corporal?" I asked him, trying to start a conversation to at least help him cope with the situation.
"They're all dead sir. Our detachment encountered a PLA mechanized unit just outside of Bonifacio Global City, and we were mowed down by small arms fire, tanks, and APCs. I was the only survivor" he recounted as tears rolled from his left eye.
I couldn't do anything but pat his shoulder - a gesture that may not even help.
"Thank you sir" he said as I pulled my hand off his shoulder. He gave me a salute before drawing his sidearm and shot himself in the mouth. Blood splattered on the dirt wall behind him as his head dropped forward, blood dripping from his mouth – his suffering finally over as he joined his fallen comrades.
The soldiers around us didn't react – neither did I.
All I can do was take his dog-tag and put it in my pouch. Slowly standing up before rendering a salute as another voice called out, "Lieutenant Suzuki". I turned to my left, and saw Sergeant Audrey Padilla, a classmate of mine in high school and one of the few remaining members of the UVF Shadow Brigade - the main unit my platoon belonged to.
Audrey's short black hair, black combat uniform – a standard for all UVF personnel – and her body armor were covered with dirt and mud. Her face scraped and scratched from the skirmishes we participated in earlier. There was also fresh blood splattered across her face. She was carrying our standard issue M4A1 and her SIG Sauer P320 service sidearm holstered on her right thigh, her combat helmet strapped onto her combat trousers on her side.
"Colonel Abad is looking for you out in the forward listening post" she reported as I ended my salute, Audrey shifting her eyes on the dead UVF member I was saluting to.
"What's the situation?" I asked as we walked out of the tunnel and followed the trenches to our destination. The sight was horrid but was our new normal. Blown limbs, dismembered bodies, corpses, empty bullet casings, and bullet-ridden helmets littered the trenches, dried and fresh blood splattered on the dirt wall - water, mud, and blood mixed in together.
Although the shelling of our position stopped, I could still hear continuous sounds of artillery fire and explosions in the distance, thunder-like lights emanated in the same direction. Soldiers manned scattered areas of the trenches, their weapons trained towards the enemy's last known position.
"Those damned chinks really did a number on us Shin" Audrey replied as I followed her, frustration coming from her voice as we traversed the trenches that was starting to look like a mass grave. "Casualties?" I asked as soldiers who were still able to move gave me a salute as we passed by.
"Take a wild guess" Audrey replied, "We've lost so many people in this shithole I don't even bother keeping up with it. It's not like counting them would change our situation".
"Point taken. What's the deal with the blood on your face?" I asked as we trekked over dead bodies and pooled blood and water. She was silent for a minute, before replying in a soft voice "You'll see" Audrey replied as we turned a corner and entered the forward listening post which also acted as our command post and observation post.
The forward listening post is in disarray as soldiers were trying to quickly cover an area that was hit by artillery fire. Observation equipment, overturned tables, chairs, maps, and freshly blown bodies littered the muddy ground.
Audrey and I approached Lieutenant Colonel Abad, a man who was in his early forties, tall and slightly built. He's the highest-ranking officer from the Army that was left in the capital that we know of and was the person responsible for gathering the ragtag army that we have.
The Colonel's face was covered with blood splatters, his hair covered with mud, but I can still see the streaks of white hair on his head. Audrey and I rendered our salute,
"Lieutenant Suzuki reporting as ordered sir!". Lieutenant Colonel Abad returned our salute, blood dripping from his arm that he was saluting with.
"At ease, Lieutenant" Lieutenant Colonel Abad ordered as he moved his head to his right.
"Damn it" was all I could whisper when I looked at the direction the Lieutenant Colonel was pointing to. On the trench wall was another UVF member, impaled through the left lung by a wooden stake we use to hold together the barbed wires in front of our trenches.
I walked towards the familiar UVF member - Captain Justin Francisco - commanding officer of the UVF Nox Company. One of the first people I befriended when I enrolled at Manila Central High School, and one of the people I went to UVF boot camp with along with Audrey.
"Damn it. Justin" I said as I stood in front of him, the medic tending to him taking a step backwards. I turned my head towards the medic who slowly shook his head. I know what it meant. I've seen it to many times since this bloody war started. Justin was smiling, blood coming out of his nose and mouth.
His chest was barely moving as every time he tries to breathe, the stake would further damage his left lung, which had already collapsed. "Hey, Shin" Justin weakly said, smile on his face as he stretched his arm out.
I held on to his hand, life slowly seeping out of him, "It seems like I won our bet again".
I forced a smile, "You just got lucky" as I held unto his hand. Audrey and Lieutenant Colonel Abad, as well as the medic watched as I talked to my closest friend.
"Shin. Do you remember our promise?" Justin asked, using every ounce of his remaining strength, smile still on his face. I rolled my other hand into a fist, tears forming in my eyes, knowing full well what he meant by his question.
"I'd rather you do it. I wouldn't have it any other way" Justin continued as he started coughing out blood. I stood in front of my closest friend, the sight of him suffering was too unbearable. The promise that I have to keep is becoming such a herculean task now that the scenario in which we made a promise with each other was right in front of me.
I hesitated – a cardinal sin one could make in the battlefield.
"Shin.." Justin called as the other officers from our company, who were also our friends arrived at the forward listening post. I turned around and saw the shocked and horrified expressions of everyone, except for Audrey who remained stoic, trying to keep a strong façade.
I turned towards Justin again, still holding his hand, "Please, Shin" he begged weakly.
"Are you sure you want me to do this?" I asked him as I tried to keep my voice from breaking.
"I rather not this be the first time you break a promise" Justin joked causing me to chuckle. I took a deep breathe as I let go of his hand, which quickly landed beside him.
I lowered my head, removing my sidearm from my holster as I walked closer to him. Standing in front of him, I slowly raised my head up and looked him straight in the eye, smile forming on his face once again as I aimed my gun on his head at almost point-blank range.
I placed my finger on the trigger and started to slowly squeeze, "We'll wait for you on the other side Shin. Don't go dying easily" Justin smiled as he said his final words.
"I'll see you on the other side" I replied with a forced smile before pulling the trigger.
A single shot rang out as Justin's head hit the dirt wall he was impaled on, blood and brain matter splattering behind him before his head finally slumped forward, blood dripping from the bullet hold in his forehead. My arm remaining raised for a few seconds before it fell to my side.
There was a few seconds of silence before I holstered my weapon. After securing my sidearm, I rendered one final salute to my close friend and company commander, everyone around me doing the same as I heard the clicking of boots behind me.
I walked towards Justin's lifeless body and pulled off his dog tag. The second one since a new day started, and another one added to the countless ones I pulled since the war began.
I looked at Justin's dog tag, which was laying on the palm of my hands, Angelo Pangilinan, a fellow UVF officer with a rank of Lieutenant and another one of my friends placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
"Sorry you had to go through that Shin" he said as the sound muffled cries came from behind us.
"We made a promise, and it's something that I had to keep" I replied before placing Justin's dog tag in my breast pocket. I turned and faced the UVF members gathered behind me, their eyes robbed of hope and morale after witnessing me landing another coup de grace to one of our friends and comrades.
"All UVF personnel. Return to your posts and await further orders" was the only thing I could say before they started dispersing.
"I'm sorry about your friend Lieutenant" Lieutenant Colonel Abad said in a somber voice as I turned to face him.
"Captain Francisco did his duty, so will the rest of the remaining UVF personnel under your command, sir"
"To think people as young as all of you would be fighting on the front lines. The UVF was only supposed to be an arm of the National Youth Federation designed to instill discipline on our nation's youth by requiring them to perform community service throughout the country"
"That was during a more peaceful time sir. We're now in a middle of a war"
The Colonel snorted, "Yes we are. Although the UVF received military drills and training, I never imagined that you kids would actually be drafted into the military".
The Colonel looked like he was feeling remorseful about the fact that the nation's youth was drafted into the military to try and bolster the numbers of the armed forces. While it's true that the UVF received military training, we were never trained to handle any kind of weaponry and it was mostly physical training and conditioning.
The only weapon that we ever actually equipped were collapsible batons and airsoft guns, which were completely different from an actual gun. While we were physically conditioned, we were completely illiterate compared to an actual professional soldier when it came to warfare.
That's primarily the reason for the heavy casualties that the UVF sustained during the initial landing of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Most of us became cannon fodder, and it wasn't until the staggering loss of life did the government formally folded us under the different operational units of the military.
The UVF did not even handle actual weapons until the PLA captured Baguio city, which was a few days after the invasion started. Even after we were handed weapons, we weren't properly trained, and we were forced to learn in the middle of the battlefield. The first and only lesson we were taught was to never hesitate to shoot the enemy because in the battlefield, it's either kill or be killed. I could still remember the first time I had to shoot an enemy. It turned my stomach upside down, but I was able to save one of my comrades, a fellow UVF member – thought that was over three months ago.
Although the PLA was superior in numbers, we were able to slow their advance towards the capital region through a combination of guerilla warfare and raiding operations. Those actions were meant to delay the invading Chinese troops to give time for the government and civilians to evacuate to the United States, which has so far refused to directly assist us even though we have a Mutual Defense Treaty.
Although the Philippine Navy is in equal footing with the Chinese Navy, the situation on land was completely different and leans heavily in favor of the Chinese Army. With the loss of several of our major airfields to the north, we have slowly ceded air superiority to the Chinese Air Force which has continually engaged in several bombing and precision strikes on our positions, in addition to the sustained artillery and rocket barrages.
"The decision of the Government to draft the UVF was in part to bolster our defenses to counter the Chinese invasion in the north"
"That was an unmitigated disaster, Lieutenant. An entire Philippine Army division was wiped out during the landings, and the UVF lost three divisions during the ensuing battle. Three divisions".
"The Shadow Brigade was also deployed during Operation Seawall. 75,000 UVF personnel were lost during that battle, and all of us were too naïve and ignorant on how brutal war and the battlefield actually was".
"Kids, aged 14 – 18 made up those three divisions. The Government made a mistake by deploying the UVF in the front lines like that - That in itself constitutes as a war crime according to the Geneva Conventions"
"Begging your pardon Colonel, but regretting that now won't bring back those who have died, nor will it improve our current situation - We've already passed the point of no return, be it a war crime or not"
The Colonel became silent, I felt a sense of guilt having to say something so forward and out of line, especially to a superior officer. But this war, and the brutality that we have witnessed have changed and scarred all of us, especially us who are in the UVF. "I apologize Colonel. I didn't-"
The Colonel lifted his hand up, gesturing for me to stop. "It's fine Lieutenant. You're right. Nothing I could say or do can change what happened. But I can take action to prevent anymore senseless deaths of our nation's youth".
"Sir?".
"Lieutenant Shinnosuke Suzuki. I'm promoting you to the rank of Captain. You'll be taking command of Nox Company in place of Captain Francisco - at least what's left of the company" the Colonel's announcement took me and Audrey by surprise.
I tried to protest, but I couldn't get through. It seems he's already made up his mind about promoting me here in the field. It was abnormal to say the least - then again, we weren't in a normal situation either.
"Captain Suzuki, you will take the remaining UVF personnel from this position and breakout from the enemy encirclement before we launch our counteroffensive at dawn. You will utilize the darkness as cover to withdraw south and link up with the 5th and 6th Artillery Battalion, as well as the 4th Cavalry Company".
"Colonel Abad! Our orders are to retake Manila City Hall from the PLA!"
"They were your orders. As your commanding officer, I'm ordering you to breakout from the capital and rejoin our forces in the south"
"Colonel! I also protest this decision!" Audrey interjected.
"My decision is final Captain Suzuki, Sergeant Padilla!" the Colonel raised his voice, catching the attention of the other soldiers in the forward listening post. I felt frustrated, it felt like we were being ordered to run away from the fight.
"Listen to me Captain, there's more to war than fighting. I have the responsibility to not only protect the country, but also the youth that would carry our nation into the future. If I let you all die now, our country's finished if there's no one left to carry on"
Although the Colonel made sense, I still couldn't bring myself to carry out his orders. I know for a fact that the remaining UVF members in this outpost would rather remain and fight than link up with friendly forces to the south, especially after we had just lost Justin.
As I was comprehending the Colonel's words, he removed my Lieutenant's insignia and replaced it with that of a Captain's. Although there was a slight difference from the insignia used by the Philippine Army and the UVF, the rank it represents is the same.
"According to the last report I received, His Excellency is holed up in Marinduque and is personally overseeing the evacuation of the remaining civilians in the country" Lieutenant Colonel Abad revealed, shocking both me and Audrey as we were led to believe that the entire government escaped to the United States.
"Wasn't the Government evacuated to the US!?"
"Yes. The Government was evacuated, but our Commander-in-Chief refused to leave and decided to take command of all our forces still remaining in the country. He knows that the country will fall in a matter of time, and he's focusing on gathering the remaining troops and civilians still in the country and evacuate them all to Guam"
"Sir, when and where did you hear this!?" Audrey asked, somewhat suspicious about the origins of what the Lieutenant Colonel told them. She was right to be suspicious, given that there have been several instances that the PLA had sent communications and messages that had resulted in Philippine Forces walking into a trap or ambush that has claimed countless of lives, especially UVF personnel who were more susceptible to believing Chinese-sent transmission guised as friendly communications.
"I don't blame you for being cautious Sergeant" Lieutenant Colonel Abad said as he pulled a paper from his breast pocket and handed it to me.
I opened the paper and discovered that it was an Encrypted Field Message transmitted via secure communication lines to all remaining forces in Luzon to withdraw southwards and link up with the units under the command of President Madrigal in Marinduque.
Inside the paper were also opened authentication orders that is used by the military to authenticate any EFM's that are sent. Both the codes on the EFM and the authenticator matched, confirming the legitimacy of the message that was sent.
"Captain Francisco and I just authenticated the message, and I gave him the same orders I just gave you when that artillery shell hit our position. Since our communication equipment has been destroyed from the last attack, we can no longer received further orders from the military chain of command. As the highest-ranking officer here in the field, I'm ordering you to breakout and head south to link up with our remaining forces, per our Commander-in-Chief's orders".
"What about you Colonel? Shouldn't you be following those orders as well?"
"I will-"
Before he could respond, the klaxon started blaring, indicating an attack by the PLA. Gunfire from our defensive positions as well as from our machine gun nests started as everyone rushed to their posts. Audrey and I were about to man our positions when Lieutenant Colonel Abad ordered me to use this opportunity to breakout while they hold back the attacking enemy force.
Before I could comprehend what he was telling me, several flares were fired by the PLA, illuminating our positions. The illuminations were soon followed by mortar strikes, which hit our defensive positions with almost pinpoint accuracy.
"Captain, take the medical corps and the wounded that can still move" the Colonel ordered. He then called his adjutant and instructed him to accompany our escape, and to relay his orders to all medical personnel within the tunnels as well as all UVF personnel that they will be retreating.
Just as the adjutant left, a mortar hit our position and knocked me and Audrey backwards. My ears were ringing and was a bit disoriented. When I came to, I saw the Colonel laying face down in front of me, his legs blown off from the explosion. The other soldiers in the forward listening posts were also knocked off their feet due the close proximity of the explosion.
I crawled towards the Colonel and turned him on his back. He reached for his breast pocket and gave me a letter and a picture, "Please give this to my wife and daughter. They're both in Marinduque with his Excellency. Godspeed Captain" he said as he drew his last breathe.
The next thing I knew was Audrey pulling me out of the area as chaos descended on our position. Panic and disorganization started setting in due to the sudden surprise attack and the death of our commanding officer.