I. CHAPTER 9: HERO

***The Imperial Capital of Manila, the next day…***

Contrary to the events in the northern provinces of the empire, the imperial capital city was a picture of relative calm and stability. The Martial Law declared around five months ago helped to stem the panic among the residents, caused by the declaration of war by the Ilocandia Republic. Tanks and military trucks plied the city streets alongside the iconic Filipino jeepneys, delivery trucks, and vans, as well as some civilian cars heading to malls and groceries.

Particularly busy were the roads that surrounded the compound of the Imperial University of the Orient (formerly the University of the Philippines- Manila). Media vans and trucks mingled at the open-air parking with the luxury cars of some of the country’s esteemed celebrities and personalities, and imperial soldiers beefing up the security with their presence.

At one of the university’s halls, media men and other VIPs gathered, waiting for the person that called them there to appear at the podium covered by velvety curtains.

“…”

By 7am, a lady dressed in the traditional ‘baro’t saya’ took the stage. “ Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, especially our beloved colleagues from the media,” she took a quick pause to look around and make sure all eyes were on her. “We apologize for the sudden notice, but we are grateful that you are here. His Grace, the Duke of Batangas, will appear shortly, so please ready your questions.”

Then she disappeared behind the curtains once again. Thirty minutes passed—and by then, everyone was already fidgety—before something stirred at the back of the podium. As the media readied their notebooks, pens and cameras, the lady from earlier parted the curtains and introduced the speaker…

“Please rise for His Grace the Duke of Batangas!”

A young man of around late 20s of age entered the podium from its right side. On his ‘barong Tagalog’ was a set of medals, the topmost of which every Oriental would recognize…

“The Duke has already been awarded by the Imperial Medal of Valor?”

“Seems like it. His exploits at Lingayen surpassed that of his father and grandfather, after all.”

“Every veteran I talked to say Lingayen was ‘hell on earth.’ Who would’ve thought that his house originated from an actress and an economist from the old republic, huh?”

On the Duke’s collar was a red insignia with a single silver star, etched with a black ‘G’ in its center; a proof that the noble was a captain of the Imperial Guard. The moment he took the stage was the time the imperial soldiers present in that hall stiffened in respect to the esteemed speaker.

“First things first, everyone,” he began, his lips forming a slight smile the second his eyes saw the other soldiers with them. “The Imperial Guard vehemently denies it committed treason against the Regency of the Duke of Cavite. Any misinformation aiming to destroy the unity of our great empire shall be dealt with the utmost powers of our laws.”

The flashes of the camera lights increased as the Duke of Batangas continued on his statements.

“Second, I think the time is right to clear some things about the events in Lingayen, in connection to what is happening now inside the Malacanang palace,” the Duke paused briefly, took a deep breath, and looked around the hall, especially towards the soldiers with them. “Our beloved emperor, His Imperial Majesty Arthur Valiente, already assigned a successor before he died.”

The silence of the hall was broken by gasps of disbelief and cries of surprise. As the press conference continued, everyone could feel the air of tension slowly suffocating them. The media, both local and international, would steal glances at the military people, dreading at the moment they would start confiscating their notes and cameras.

However, no one moved. And, seeing that the imperial soldiers ignored him, the Duke of Batangas continued, “Let me start by telling what really happened…”

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***November 23, 2278, the beaches of Lingayen, Prefecture of Pangasinan. 0015 hours…***

The waves calmly crashed towards the sands of the famed Lingayen beach, a few kilometers southwest of the Ilocano capital city of Metropolitan Dagupan. In contrast, the tense atmosphere filled the air on the boats shuttling the remnants of the Imperial army, evacuating soldiers to their naval ships waiting from the distance. Under the cover of darkness, and the death of the Emperor, the Imperial High Command decided to break off the siege of Dagupan, and retreat to the safety of their naval bases in Southern Zambales. Fortunately, the Ilocandia army was also exhausted in trying to prevent the breakout earlier in the day, and so they stopped pursuing the defeated Imperials.

But the Imperial High Command wouldn’t take any chances. To safeguard their retreat and save the bulk of the army, they tasked the Imperial Guards’ Regiment to hold off any potential Ilocano offensive while the other regiments were evacuated by sea. And it was something the ‘elite’ of the Empire wanted as well; the body of the emperor was nowhere to be found. The only confirmations of his death were the testimonies of the survivors, who saw him go down. For the Imperial Guards, to leave the body of their liege was unthinkable. And so, while the High Command ordered them to hold the beach, the commanders of the Guard planned a ‘counter-attack’ designed to sweep the area near the beach, where their beloved emperor was believed to have fallen.

Speaking from the safety of the trenches they built a week ago, the field commander of the Guard spoke to his men, “Members of the Guard, we will not leave this place without our emperor! We have sworn to protect him, and yet, we failed in this duty. But, we still have the chance to redeem our names; we will attack! We will find our emperor! And we will bring him back to rest in his homeland!”

A few distances away from the general, the Duke of Batangas, then a first lieutenant going by his name, John Kerwin Santos-Recto, looked towards the fortifications built by the Ilocanos, using the old capitol of Lingayen town as ‘anchor.’ By then, though it was quiet, he was sure that their enemy had already recaptured those points, and was prepared to resist their attack.

“Our generals already lost their mind,” he told his sergeant, who was also observing with him. “The Ilocanos already prepared to butcher us, should we attempt an assault.”

“Eh, we’re already dead either way, Sir,” the sergeant replied, chewing on a tobacco leaf. “Manila will surely blame us for ‘betraying’ the emperor; and of course, our generals will look for a ‘scapegoat.’ It’s always the junior officers and the NCOs who suffer in this madness.”

“Oh well, you’re right,” the Duke chuckled. “At least this one’s got a lower chance of ‘sure kill.’ Find the body of His Imperial Majesty, get medals, save the entire regiment.”

“Heh, that’s what they say,” the sergeant took his rifle and made sure it was loaded. “But I doubt it. Lots of those damned nobles in Manila are calling out for the abolition of the Guard, looking at us like the Emperor’s private army. Those people will surely jump on the opportunity to remove us once they have a chance.”

The Duke of Batangas only shrugged. He was also a noble, though his men treated him like he was one of them. And besides, his sergeant’s words were true; even back in the days of the fourth emperor, there were calls to abolish the Imperial Guard, seeing them as an ‘excess’ of the emperor’s ‘unchecked power’. And the tragedy of the Emperor Arthur’s death in battle would only reinforce that idea.

“Any case…” the noble gave his sergeant a tap on the back. “I think we should focus on the battle ahead. I’d like to see you on the ship later, Sarge!”

“Same sentiments, Sir!”

At that moment, they heard the orders for everyone to line up along the trench, ready to begin the assault. As the sounds of mortars opened the battle, the Imperial Guards said their prayers, cocked their guns, and the officers blew their whistles. With that, the Guards threw their smokescreens, and with their war-cries, scaled the trenches and into the ‘no-man’s land.’

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The Ilocano lines quickly came to life, and showered the charging Orientals with hails of bullets. The smokescreens thrown earlier helped the latter conceal their approach, and they advanced several meters into ‘no man’s land’ almost without casualties. The mortar fire also helped to suppress the Ilocanos from getting proper vantage points, as they had to keep their heads down while firing the machine guns to avoid the shrapnel from Oriental explosives. The darkness also gave both sides difficulty in aiming their guns, though it was harder for the Ilocanos because they couldn’t see where their opponents were coming from.

The Duke of Batangas and his sergeant led their men to the ruins of the old Lingayen war museum, right across the main Ilocano defense lines. Their enemies, in an attempt to pour suppressing fire, shot their machine guns in every direction, save for the ground. This, they exploited, and they got near the street that separated the museum ruins from the Ilocano sandbags. The relative short distance enabled his company to throw grenades without compromising their safety.

“Only two more defense lines crawling with these fuckers!” His sergeant called out to their men, sarcastically buoying up their morale. “Command says our Arturo was killed in the third line!”

“Long live the Orient!” was the reply of everyone, though they were laughing. The Duke joined them, for all knew it would only be a miracle if they got out alive of this suicidal mission. And their fears became true; the Ilocanos finally brought in flares, which illuminated the battlefield. The smokescreen that concealed them became the Orientals’ weakness as the flares showed their outlines for the Ilocanos to shoot. Soon, the wind came into play, gradually wearing down the smoke, and the Ilocanos had their ‘merry time’ massacring the Orientals.

As the Duke’s unit hid in their covers, however, the sergeant noticed something moving in the dark parts of the frontline to their left. That area was hidden from the Ilocano shooters, mainly because of the wrecks that covered it, in addition to the destroyed structures. He quickly called the nobleman’s attention to it.

“What do you see?” the Duke asked, trying to make out what his NCO was pointing at. The machine guns kept firing, now joined by artillery shelling them, prompting the Orientals to keep their heads low. Nevertheless, the sergeant never removed his sight from the movement. With his rifle pointed at where he spotted the suspicious activity, he called out using their identification codes.

“Cavite!”

Nothing. This time, as the flares partly illuminated the spot, there was a pronounced shadow of a person that seemed to be burdened with something. The slow and weak steps the figure took told the sergeant that the guy was injured. Alarmed that it may be an Ilocano scout trying to flank them, he shot at the shadow.

“!!!” But, for some reason, his rifle missed, hitting the ground near the mystery person’s feet. Still, the other guy fell down to his back, struggling to get up while trying not to drop the thing he was carrying on his back.

This time, the Duke of Batangas joined his NCO. “Cavite!”

“E-El…El Viejo!” came the shaky reply. “F-For goodness’ s-sake, don’t shoot!”

The Duke and his sergeant exchanged bewildered stares; they were awfully familiar with that voice. “That’s Lieutenant Marcel Spitz from the 3rd Company!” the NCO confirmed their suspicions.

“Tomasino, Reyes!” the nobleman called for their other companions. “Once the machine guns changed their ammunition, pour suppressing fire while I and Sarge will go to our wounded comrade over there! Sarge, once Tomasino and Reyes began shooting, throw smoke grenades to cover Lieutenant Spitz!”

“Roger, Sir!”

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Once their plans were laid down, the Duke and his men began their impromptu ‘rescue mission.’ Tomasino and Reyes led the rest of their company in providing covering fire while the Ilocanos paused to change their ammunition belts (while the riflemen took over the shooting). The sergeant threw a pair of smoke grenades, and once the cover was thick enough, they charged to where their wounded friend was. The pair was surprised to see Lieutenant Spitz still standing, even with his arms injured beyond repair. However, what shocked them was the ‘load’ the injured company commander was carrying…

“Th…The emperor…” Spitz told them before falling unconscious.

The Duke of Batangas and his sergeant couldn’t believe what they just heard. Nevertheless, the epaulette on the body Spitz was carrying displayed the insignia of the ‘Captain General’—the only one with such rank was the emperor himself. His Imperial Majesty had weak pulse, and from his wounds, they knew he wouldn’t last the night. But, like dutiful guardsmen, the Duke and his NCO were glad that they could now take the emperor home.

Author's Notes:

Baro't Saya - is the Philippine national costume for women.  It combines folk clothing and colonial Spanish fashion styles.  The word literally translates to 'blouse and skirt.'

Barong Tagalog - is the Philippine national costume for men.  It is a long-sleeved clothing made of abaca or pina (pineapple) fibers, often with embroidery for aesthetics.  Like the baro't saya, the barong is worn during formal events, combining both folk and colonial Spanish fashion senses.

Cavite El Viejo - is the old name of the town of Kawit, in the province of Cavite.  This place is famous because this is where the 1898 Declaration of Independence (from Spain) was made (June 12, 1898).

Dagupan - is a city in the province of Pangasinan, currently being considered to be developed into a metropolis, much like Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

Zambales - is a province in Central Luzon Region, almost immediately below the province of Pangasinan.  In the story, it is divided into two:  Northern Zambales and Southern Zambales.  It is also in this province where the 'Naval Base Subic Bay,' a former US Navy base, was located.

Batangas - is a province to the south of Cavite province (itself is located to the south of Metro Manila, the capital).  The famous 'Taal Volcano' and its lake are located in Batangas.

Santos-Recto - is a real political family in contemporary Philippines, a result of marriage between a former popular actress (Vilma Santos) and an economist-politician (Ralph Recto).