'The charade worked', thought Norra as she watched the otherworld soldiers and their strange iron pegasi fly away, back to their base atop Alnus Hill. She had thought her plan wouldn't have worked, and that the encounter with these strange soldiers would've ended in even more bloodshed. But no matter the outcome, the Imperial soldiers were going to die regardless. However, she was sure that Kucy and Melion would've made short work of those soldiers at such close range. In the end, she had accomplished her mission given to her by the Empire. She, as well as many other shapeshifters were sent to gather information about the otherworld armies without raising suspicion. She had learned they were easy to fool and were looking to sway the local population against the Empire.
"That dialect is certainly an odd one," her 'husband', commented as he looked down at the corpses of the legionaries. "If I'm not mistaken, what they were speaking was old Imperial Dialect. Only the highest nobles and military officers can speak it."
"It is certainly odd for why they would speak in such outdated tongue, but it would explain the awkwardness of their speech. What little Imperial Tongue they did speak seemed rather strange though. I believe they used their strange magic to talk, but I'm not certain."
"The Imperials will certainly be interested in hearing that. It means they either don't know our language, or they've yet to completely learn it. Do you have any ideas as to how we can exploit it?" he asked.
"Perhaps later, but their behavior is far more interesting and easier to exploit." she replied. "If all of their soldiers are that friendly towards the average peasant, it won't be difficult to report on their movements. Nor would it be difficult to kill one that strays far from the pack. That would almost certainly guarantee a way to Alnus."
" But also the most dangerous," He cautioned. "You can wear the skin of one, but without a mage trained in the arts of memory stealing, it would be impossible to walk among them properly."
"Even still, it is still a glaring weakness, one that the Imperials will seek to exploit." she said. "But only time will tell. For now, we must retire from the region, and report to Italica with our findings."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten."
-Calvin Coolidge
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fort Hadrian
Alnus Hill, Special Region
"So you weren't able to get any information from the locals either?" Mitchell asked Gideon as he jumped out of the Warbird with his team. "Because neither Lee or Harkov managed to get anything useful from those they encountered."
"And I'll take it by the tone your using, you somehow did?" Gideon asked in response.
"Yeah, and that's what's bugging me. Everyone else was reporting that those they found could barely understand anything they said."
"We are using regular Latin in our translators, aren't we?" Lee asked.
"That's exactly the problem here," came the voice of the Italian Captain, who was walking in their direction. "Languages evolve over time and can become indistinguishable from their common ancestor. Assuming these assholes are the descendants of a Roman legion gone missing, that's over 1,000 years of evolving and mixing with local tongues. Standard Latin is pretty useless.
"But we did manage to interrogate many of them early on with our translators before, why won't they work now?" Harkov asked curiously.
"Most of those we did question were high ranking officer and legates. They likely had access to greater education and the like due to their standings. Damn near every regular legionary couldn't understand anything. Hell, only some of the elves we captured knew what we were saying. Those that did understand had to translate to the rest who couldn't. And until we fully translate their language, trying to talk to the average peasant won't work."
"Which begs the question as to how the hell you and your team managed to speak fluently to anyone." Lee inquired.
"Are you sure these weren't some nobles that disguised themselves so they could escape?"
"Not very likely," Mitchell answered. "Aside from the fact that these people looked and smelled like someone of this era would, they were in a wagon coming this way towards the hill. A group of legionaries attacked them just as we found them and were ready to do some not so pleasant things to them."
"And how did that go?" De Luca smirked, already knowing the answer.
"We fucking massacred them. They wouldn't surrender, so we defended ourselves when they attacked. And quite frankly, I don't intend on taking a bunch of rapists and murderers as prisoners. A bullet is cheaper than a jail cell." he said firmly.
"While I don't disagree entirely, we can't act like barbarians while we're here. We did encounter a small group of survivors just to the south, which we rounded up nicely." the Italian gestured behind him as MP's marched seven exhausted looking legionaries to a nearby truck, which would haul them to the holding area. "Thankfully we've were told the Saderan word for surrender, while I had my medic point at them, while raising his arms. They didn't give us much trouble. They were just scared shitless after the other day." he finished explaining.
"So where's this leaving us? If we can't properly communicate with anyone here, what can we do?" Mitchell asked.
"Supposedly the intelligence agents back home managed to, with the help of those demihumans, make a translation book, however its still pretty bare bones in regards to phrases and such." Gideon told them. "Command wants us back near the top of the hill, from there they'll pass out the translator books, and assign us into recon teams. Higher ups want to know what's around here, and if possible, make contact with local villagers. Still alot we don't know about this place, so getting more information will really help out."
"What time they want us rolling out on Recon duty?" Lee asked.
"Not for another week or two. Give us some time to not only study the language, but also rotate in some more troops. We need more than we currently have, but that's gonna fix itself within the following weeks. Command also won't let us go without proper protection, which means proper vehicle and air support. Engineer brigades are gonna be working their asses off to get an airfield built, while transports keep bringing drones and helicopters through Alpha Point. ELORAN towers, 3D printers for supplies, you name it, their bringing it through. After the welcoming party our forces received from the Saderans, no one is willing to half ass this operation."
"Makes sense when you consider how pear shaped the battle went. Sure, we won, but that larger dragon was far larger than what we encountered before. We're definitely gonna need air support before making any major moves outward." Mitchell said.
"That's why 10 klicks is the farthest anyone is getting sent out right now, with how limited our forces are. Otherwise another surprise pops out and nails more of our guys." Gideon told them. "All recon teams are being called back, and fresh troops are being brought in to secure the perimeter around this hill. Head back to the staging areas and get some rest, the real fun will start later in the week."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kingdom of Elbe
One Week after Imperial Defeat on Alnus Hill
Imperial Calender 687
King Duran's Private Chamber
The Lion of Elbe had been enjoying this particular day. After a week of bonding with his son, out hunting in the forests of Elbe, he came home to his beloved country, and loving wife. After washing up from a very exhausting night with his queen, it was time to attend to the matters that directly concerned him and his rule of Elbe. He expected to do nothing more than deal with tax collection, trading agreements, and of course paying tribute to the Saderans. A tribute that has ever so greatly gone up since the war several years ago. He, like the other vassal kingdoms sick of Saderan rule, thought they'd could break away from the rule of the Empire, and finally knock them off their seat of power. However, what none of them had expected the the skill of Rondel Mage Corps that was under Saderan control. While the Immortals were a known threat, the introduction of the Flame Dragons had decimated any who opposed them.
Despite ravaging the countryside, as well as subjugating the various demihuman tribes that populated Falmart, they didn't destroy them. Molt hover, did make an example out of quite a few nobles and even some kings. The Saderan Empire had established an iron fist over the continent, and it seemed that none could oppose them. Even the Imperial Navy was making great strides to explore and subjugate any lands that lay beyond the Empire's already bloated borders. But recent news from travelers and merchants had brought some most disturbing news to his kingdom's doorstep. Rumor spread about the about the Gate opening on the Holy Hill of Alnus. At first he regarded it as nothing more than lies from the Saderans, who boasted that they would send an expeditionary corps to conquer what lay beyond. That was until he received a letter from his good friend Count Formal, of Italica. He said he was being forced to bring half his army along with the Imperials in their new war of conquest.
It had been months and he hadn't heard anything regarding the Count, or if he was even still alive. And from what else Duran was hearing, whomever the Empire had invaded, had tossed them back. Hard. Rumor began to spread saying that half the Imperial Army, thousands of Immortals, and even Flame Dragons were among the dead. merchants and religious pilgrims had claimed to see the corpses of the mighty beasts, as well as an unknown force atop the hill, constructing a fortress. He would be lying to himself if he said such stories didn't terrify him. Because they so very much did. After seeing what those monsters had done to his army seven years ago, as well as the dark elves, and warrior rabbits, he feared a force that could kill one, let alone three.
As he sat alone on his thrown, pondering what to do next, an Imperial messenger had entered his chambers, flanked by four of his royal guard, and his son. The man carried a scroll in his left hand, got within fifteen paces of the king, before stopping, and kneeling before him. "Your majesty, King Duran of Elbe, I bring news, and a request from Emperor Molt Sol Augustus." the mere mention of the man who had brought so much pain to his country, had caused those in the room to glare daggers at the man. After all that he had done, he had the gall to request anything of Elbe?
"What news do you bring with you, and more importantly, what is this request?" Duran questioned.
"The Imperial Army is currently engaged with a new enemy at the Holy Hill of Alnus, and has become a stalemate. Those from the otherworld slaughtered those we sent through the Gate without provocation. The hill has since been a bloody battleground between our forces and theirs. If the deadlock is to be broken, and the savages of the otherworld to be defeated, we need reinforcements." the force of the request had nearly knocked the wind out of Duran, and nearly made him lose his composure. The rumors he heard were true. The Empire had indeed started another war with a foreign power, only this time to be defeated. Who or whatever the Empire had angered, had managed to not only beat them back, but successfully grab Imperial territory, and defeat the forces defending it.
"So the mighty Imperial Army needs the assistance of my lowly kingdom?" Duran said in a mocking tone. "And what of your mighty Flame Dragons? The beasts capable of ravaging whole armies and destroy whole countries?" the messenger could only glare angrily at the man, as anything more would likely get him killed. Duran knew he had insulted the man, and the Empire, but could do nothing.
"This new enemy possesses beasts on par with our own dragons. They fought each other to a stalemate, forcing both our armies to clash steel with one another." the man retorted. "It is not just your kingdom, but those of Alguna, Toumaren, League Principality, Mudwan, and the other vassal states being requested. The combined might we share will toss the otherworld invaders back, and together our nations will share in the riches to be had."
"And if we refuse to take part in such a campaign? From what I've heard, the Imperial Army was defeated at Alnus Hill, and the otherworlders have complete control over the it. What do we have to gain from throwing ourselves into the slaughter?" the messengers' face grew angrier, and a scowl formed across it. With a low tone filled with spite, he spoke once more.
"You know, you were lucky not to have had your capital burned to the ground like Toumaren did. Their army flailed helplessly as the Flame Dragons tore the city asunder. The same could always happen to Elbe, if you don't cooperate." he smiled wickedly as he said that last bit. "After all, we all but demanded Toumaren to send the entirety of their army to fight the otherworlders as punishment for the rebellion all those years ago." As Duran looked behind the man, he could see his son reaching for the blade on his right hip, murderous intent in his eyes.
"Very well," King Duran said, causing his son to pause and stare at him in disbelief. "While I have no intention of sending the entirety of my army out against an unknown force, I will bring sufficient forces to combat this threat. Run along to the Emperor and let him know my army will join his in battle." with that, the messenger gave a weak bow, and was escorted out of Duran's chambers by the royal guards. When the doors had closed, his son spoke.
"Father, you can't be serious!" he exclaimed. "Are you going to let them bully you into submission? To force you to take part in another of the Empire's conquests?" King Duran could only sigh in response.
"Son, one day, when you'll be king of Elbe, you'll learn that sometimes you have to give way to those with more power than you. You were but a boy when Toumaren was nearly destroyed by the Empire. The fragile nation has barely recovered, and is now being forced to send its whole army in a bid to appease Molt. Our beloved city was lucky to not have encountered the same fate as theirs. I will lead a portion of our army, alongside the other kingdoms, and figure out what truly is going on."
"And what if you don't come back? I've heard these rumors from merchants as well? What if death only awaits you father? A force capable of killing a Flame Dragon would almost certainly kill you all!" he all but begged his father not to go. He didn't want his father to die in some pointless war started by the Saderans.
"If I refuse and do nothing, than the Empire will make Elbe an example to the rest of the kingdoms, just like they did with Toumaren. I will take a force of 25,000 men with me to Alnus, the rest shall stay here and guard the kingdom. If I do not return, you will assume my duties, and lead our nation forward. Can I count on you to do that, my son?" his son stared at him unblinking for what felt like an eternity. They both knew there was a large possibility that Duran wouldn't come back, but he had duties to fulfill. His son merely nodded his head in agreement.
"Of course father."
"Good, now go along and focus on your studies. I have much planning to do if I'm to join the other kingdoms in our march on Alnus Hill." he said as he put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Do not worry my son, I will come back. If the Imperial Army is not present, I doubt the other kings will choose to stay and waste our time."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS Doris Miller
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America
April 14th, 2081
0900 Hours
Count Colt Formal was awestruck by the sight before him. As of now, him, and the 167 surviving members of the Italican soldiers that came with him, were aboard a ship more massive than anything they could ever have imagined. He looked around the naval base the ship was currently moored in, and only further realized how badly the Empire was outmatched. Among the dozens of smaller vessels moored in place, which were still far larger than anything the Empire could ever build, were two more ships of similar build to the one he was on. These ships were floating cities, capable of supporting thousands of sailors. All around the port he could see transport vessels loading up with thousands of soldiers and marines alike. Among them were dozens of iron elephants and just as many flying chariots. He was told this was only part of the invasion force going through the aquatic Gate the Empire had opened up.
But him being here wasn't just to show off their might to him. In exchange for his services, he and his men would eventually be allowed to go back home. But first, there was a pressing matter that needed to be attended to first. The only thing he knew was that when he was picked up by those same three individuals that questioned him all those months ago, they mentioned something about the vassal kingdoms on the march. Still, he wondered just why they needed him, when they were more than capable of wiping out the vassal armies just as they did the Saderans. No matter what, he pledged that he'd help, in exchange for his city being spared their wrath.
"Your probably wondering why we want you here, am I right?" the dark skinned woman had asked him.
"To show just how badly outclassed the Empire is? To mock us with your strength? Nothing surprises me anymore, otherworlder. After what I have witnessed, I don't believe there is anything you can't do." he said in a defeated tone. She chuckled lightly at the Count's defeatism.
"Not exactly," she replied. "When we first met you mentioned that you knew the leaders of the vassal kingdoms very well, didn't you?"
"Yes, I'm well acquainted with King Duran of Elbe, as well as the king of Mudwan. Why does this matter?"
"Don't worry, we're about to show you." as they made their way into the bowels of the ship, Colt couldn't help but notice the stares he elicited from those working aboard. Male and female alike, he and the few soldiers he chose to take with him, where met with icy stares and looks of contempt. "You see, this ship should be getting ready for decommissioning. Same with about a dozen other older ships we had to pull out of reserve to prepare for this operation. The vast majority of the sailors and marines you see right now were reservists, sitting at home with their families, friends, getting ready to enjoy the holiday celebrations with family. When your people arrived, they were called into service, to prepare for another war."
"I see," was all Colt could mutter out. He realized that the feelings of all those aboard the ship, and in fact all those of this world, were justified. Even his surviving soldiers still didn't understand the hatred directed towards them. In fact, he didn't even understand it at first, not until the dark skinned woman escorting him, whom he came to know as Smith, had explained it to him. Not only was the invasion of their world a great affront to them, the act of mass rape and enslavement of thousands had sent shockwaves of hatred, vengeance, and patriotic fervor swept their population. The full undivided attention of this world's might was completely focused on the Saderan Empire, and its allies. Something that still greatly terrified him, and his remaining men. "So where does this leave myself and those I led here? Does the same fate await us who were forced to join this folly?"
"Like I said before, your situation is being revived by our leaders, just like with the demihumans. However, if you can assist us with our current problem, you and your men may find themselves home quicker than you may think." Smith told him. They continued walking for about another minute, through the confusing corridors, until finally reaching a long hallway, with a number of armed guards flanking both sides of the group. The door at the end, had two massive guards on either side of the door. Count Formal had picked the largest of his remaining men to accompany him on this journey, but these guards easily stood a whole head or more taller than them, as well far more muscular.
"Are these the VIP's?" one of the guards had asked Smith, as he eyed the Count.
"Yes they are, authorization has already been granted to allow them through." she told him. The man grunted as he and the other guard stepped aside, and opened the hatch, leading to the command center below the decks of the aircraft carrier. She nodded her head and led the Italicans into the mostly dark room.
"I had to miss my daughter's birthday because of you people." the other guard said as he pushed the last of Colt's bodyguards through the hatch, before slamming it tight, locking it, and resuming their post.
As they entered the room, the wall on the end of it was brightly illuminated by bright lights. As the Count looked closer, he could see movement all across the wall, with numerals all over it as well. It was what these people called a projector, something that despite how much they tried explaining to him, he couldn't fathom. The best way they could describe it, to make him understand, was that they used strange devices that could show events from anywhere in their world, without delay. The way it was done had escaped him, but after all he'd seen, he didn't believe it a lie. As he looked closer, the wall had appeared to have the view of wyvern rider high in the sky. A massive campsite was being watched, but of who, he didn't know. But soon, he would find out.
"How far are they from Fort Hadrian?" Smith asked to one of the men sitting on the far left of the screen.
"Roughly 100 miles ma'am," the white suited man responded. "Darkstar Drones had captured movement to the south roughly two days ago, and has been observing them ever since. At their current rate of marching, they'll reach Fort Hadrian in ten days."
"And what of their numbers and units? What are we dealing with?"
"Roughly 100,000 enemy combatants, mostly human, with some goblins, orcs, and even a small contingent of dark elves. We noted roughly 20 War elephants, 35 wyverns, and one large ogre near the center of the camp. There's also another 15,000 camp followers are present as well. The unknown forces have not moved for almost two days, but we believe we have identified their leaders." as he finished speaking, he pointed the remote in his hand and the images on the screen focused on the large, ornate tent that lay in the center of the camp. As Darkstar zoomed in further, it focused on a group of older men approaching the tent, laughing with each other while doing so. "We believe these individuals to be the leaders of this force. They meet three times everyday, at roughly the same time. From what intel was provided earlier in the campaign, we believe these are the vassal kingdoms that inhabit the southern portion of the Falmart continent."
"I know them," Count Formal said as he stared at the screen unbelieving. He had recognized two familiar faces among the men, before they entered the tent, and out of view of the drone. Those in the room turned their attention to him, wanting to know more.
"Which ones do you know?" Smith asked him.
"King Duran of Elbe and Duke Ligu of League Principality. Duran wears the red armor, while Ligu wears green. Both of them are the leaders of their respective countries. And there!" he said pointing at the flags posted around the tent. "Each one represents a different vassal nation. No doubt they've been called to slaughter by Molt himself." the last bit filled with sadness as he realized that this meant almost certain death for them at the hands of the United Nations of Earth.
"What are the names of these nations?" the man in white had asked.
"The kingdoms of Elbe, Mudwan, Alguna, League, and Toumaren are the major nations present. They were always the most influential and powerful of the vassal states. The rest are minor ones, ranging from city states like my own, to small nations like Alguna or Mudwan. However, their strength and much of their autonomy was stripped from them after the rebellion. Toumaren itself was nearly destroyed by the Empire for leading the war against Molt. In all, 21 nations of varying size and strength. I'm not sure why that matters to you, not after how easily you've shown your superiority on the battlefield." he said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"For all of our advantages on the battlefield, we're smart enough to realize that these kingdoms are not the responsible for the attack on Iceland, nor are we at war with them." Williams told him. "Our war is with the Empire, and the Empire only. That's why we brought you here, otherwise you'd be rotting in a cell for the rest of your life. You know them very well, and they are likely to trust you. We don't wish to slaughter another hundred thousand men if we don't have to."
"You want me to negotiate on your behalf?"
"That's precisely what we want you do do. Show them that your still alive, convince them any way you can that their fight isn't with us, but the madman who sent them to die in a useless battle that will only succeed in robbing thousands of families of their husbands and sons. We already know we can stop them long before they reach Alnus Hill, but they don't. They are blissfully unaware of the fact their being watched by something that could easily decapitate their leadership. We'd rather make alliances, than have to constantly looking back, wondering if the locals want to kill us. Making alliances will be most beneficial to our long term goals, rather than destroying every government already in place, and destabilizing the continent."
"I see," Count Formal was left baffled. He half expected to see his old friends get destroyed when he realized what was happening. No country he ever knew, especially with such a powerful military, would think of trying to negotiate when in such a position of power. "But what if they don't believe me? What if they think your forcing me to say what you want? Will you choose to slaughter them after that?"
"Is a white flag still understood as a banner of truce or surrender?" Smith asked.
"Well of course, but I don't have to see what that has to do with anything."
"When we bring you through to Alnus Hill, we'll have a small convoy prepared for you. Each vehicle will be carrying a large white flag, as so they don't attack us. A number of diplomats, alongside a few platoons of soldiers will be escorting you to their lines. The diplomats will be carrying recordings of the Battle of Reykjavik, as well as the Battle for Alnus Hill. It'll show just what we're capable of doing. Barring that, the bodies of the Flame Dragons are still very visible, as we haven't been able to move them yet. Should that fail," she deliberately left off on that, as it was obvious where the conversation was going.
"Then they become lambs to the slaughter." Count Formal said gloomily. "I'll try to convince them that you aren't their enemy, for however much that'll help. I don't have a choice in the matter, and my men want to go home. When do we leave?"
"The fleet is scheduled to leave port tonight, and link up with the Canadian and Mexican navies, before heading to Iceland. However, you and your men will be transported aboard aircraft and flown to Iceland, as the trip will be much shorter. In addition to the recordings we'll be sending you with, we have a number of historical documentaries to show you, to give you a better understanding of our history. Not only do we want you to view them, but give them to the leaders of vassal kingdoms as well. We hope that between those films, and the carnage that lay around the Hill, they'll believe you, and choose to seek peace with us instead of war."
"For the sake off all those men, I pray to the gods you are right. Otherwise it plays directly into Molt's hands."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two Weeks after battle of Alnus Hill
Vassal Kingdom Army Campaign Trail
100 Miles south of Alnus Hill
Imperial Calendar 687
Across the mountains that straddle the northern border of the Kingdom of Elbe, and lying just to the south of Alnus Hill, the 100,000 strong Allied Kingdom's army was on the march. Under orders, or in the case of some kingdoms, threat of annihilation, by Emperor Molt Sol Augustus, the remaining two thirds of the vassal armies were on the march to face off against an as of yet to them, unknown enemy force. An enemy that according to stories from travelers, had dominated the Empire on the battlefield. For the kings and dukes leading the Allied Army to Alnus Hill, that had caused significant worry amongst their ranks. They were told an Imperial force was already on the Hill, awaiting reinforcements. After the rebellion of seven years ago, they never thought they'd live to see themselves called up to service of the Empire, much less assist them. The memory of Toumaren was still fresh in everyone's mind as a reminder of what happened when they tried escaping the grip of Molt. While that was behind them, the warning was still there. Do as we say, and march to battle, or your capitals will be the next to burn.
"What have the scouts reported regarding the enemy force on Alnus Hill?" King Duran asked as he took his place at the table. King Varialus of the Haweth kingdom was the first two speak.
"My horseback scouts just came back earlier this morning. While their report is a few days old, they reported a massive fortress being built by the otherworld armies, with signs built all around the Hill close to three leagues from the fortress."
"You said armies? You mean there's more than one atop the Hill?" Duke Ligu asked.
"It would seem so," King Reynald of Alguna said. "I gave orders to my wyvern scout to fly carefully on his way to the Hill. He gave a report very similar to your own scouts, a large fortress atop Alnus, as well a detailed report on enemy forces present. From what I was told by my scout, dozens of flags could be seen around the Hill, with a light blue flag at the center of them all. We don't know what it means, but my scout reported there's anywhere from 40-50,000 enemy troops atop the Alnus, with more continuously pouring through. The area for at least two leagues surrounding the Gate is becoming a fortress, and that's not even the worst part." Reynald's demeanor turned sour as he thought about the last thing his scout had told him.
"What could possibly be worse than that?" King Harold of Mudwan asked.
"Around the Hill, three Flame Dragons lay slain, including the mother dragon." as he said this, the blood of every king and duke went cold. Some of them thought he or his scouts were mistaken in what they had seen. The idea of a Flame Dragon, much less three of them, being killed on the battlefield, was unthinkable!"
"Are you sure your scout is correct? Did they mistake something else for the Flame Dragons?" the king of Toumaren asked fearfully. He was a king, but he was by far the youngest there. With his father slain by the Empire, the 20 year old prince soon rose to rule over his nation, or what was left of it.
"I'm afraid he's adamant about what he saw. The combined armies of the otherworld had obliterated whatever Imperial force was defending the Hill."
"My scouts reported the same thing." King Varialus said.
"So it seems the rumors are true after all." King Duran muttered. "That the Imperial Army bit off more than they could chew, and was chased back by a force beyond their own in strength. What about enemy dragons? Did your scouts report any present?"
"No, all they saw was a multitude of horseless carriages moving around, as well some flying pegasi taking to the sky, patrolling around the edge of their fortress. No enemy wyverns or dragons to be seen. From what the report said, only human soldiers could be seen. Even some enemy scouts had spotted them, but only waved at them." the kings in the room pondered the situation, especially Duran, whom was deciding how to approach this new enemy. The Imperial messenger had said that this new enemy possessed dragons of their own, but its possible he could have been lying to save face.
"How can we fight an enemy that strong?" one king said.
"Falling back might be our best option at this point." another said.
"Retreat is not an option gentlemen." Duran said flatly. "If we retreat, it only gives Molt an excuse to attack our cities with his dragons and mages. If we refuse to fight, Molt takes it out on our countries and our people. If we march to Alnus Hill, it may mean that only we'll be the ones to suffer. I know it is not a choice we like, but for the realm, and our families, we must try. Better to die with honor on the battlefield, than cower from any opponent." Those in the tent knew he was right. Retreating would mean their kingdoms would suffer more at the hands of Molt's madness.
"Then it's settled then," Reynald said. "We march to Alnus Hill, and take the fight to this new and unknown enemy. May we catch them by surprise." By evening that day, the Allied Army set out on the march once more. It would take another 10 days before they would be in a position to fight the otherworlders, taking the camp followers, war beasts, and wagon train into consideration. In all, they had hope that their numbers and element of surprise would win them a victory, or at least not give the Emperor an excuse to destroy their kingdoms.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What kind of fighters are the Viet Cong that you met here?
"I would give anything to have 200 of them under my command. They're the finest soldiers I've ever seen."
"The Viet Cong?"
"That's right. They're dedicated, and they're good soldiers. They're the best I've ever seen."
An exchange between reporter John Laurence, and Major Charles A. Beckwith, c. 1965.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS John Paul Jones
Faxa Bay, Iceland
April 15th, 2081
0900 Hours
Phase One of the United Nations counterattack into the Special Region was successful. Ground forces had successfully established a foothold on the other side of Alpha Point, clearing away what resistance the Saderans had offered. But there remained an even bigger hurdle to pass. Bravo Point, located in Faxa Bay, was the Saderans secondary means of invading Earth. Since Bravo Point was secured back in December, Iceland was host to the single largest naval gathering since the War. In the aftermath of the Battle of Reykjavik, anti-submarine nets had been set up around the entirety of the portal, alongside naval mines, and other measures to ensure that invasive species from the other side didn't enter the world's oceans. Some ships even blasted sonar to further deter what may lay on the other side.
But for the crew of the USS John Paul Jones, they had a completely different task. On board of one of the 3 remaining Arleigh Burke destroyers in the United States Navy, the crew would be undertaking the first aquatic incursion into the Special Region. This task would involve sending a submersible drone through Bravo Point and into hostile territory. With naval preparations nearly complete, command wanted to know just what was waiting on the other side. Everyone remembered what happened the Coast Guard cutter that faced off against the dragon. No one wanted to see a transport, or god forbid an aircraft carrier, get ambushed from below the waves and split in half. A complete identification of Saderan assets was required before even a single soul was to enter Bravo Point. and any weapon, conventional, or nuclear, was on the table.
"Slow and steady, Petty Officer Leon," Lieutenant Alex Nguyen said as he watched the feed of the Beluga UUV as it pierced the inky blackness produced as it entered Bravo Point. "That drone is carrying a nuclear payload inside, so let's not take any unnecessary risks."
"But aren't we going to detonate the mines if we encounter any of those kaiju?" Leon asked, he gaze fixated on the controls as she guided the drone in with sonar, as the camera wasn't capable of seeing anything.
"Yes, but that's only if we see it first. And preferably point blank so the pressure pops it organs like a fucking balloon. But that's only if there's one present, otherwise you bring it back home." he explained.
"And if there's more than one? What do we do then?"
"There's a four nuclear torpedoes in that drone, right? Then you have your answer." the Lieutenant's answer was somewhat reassuring, but she was hoping what the drone had was enough. "From what out intel guys got out of the prisoners, and from what those ground pounders did in Alpha Point, there won't be many left. At most there's a single one around Bravo Point."
"That's good to hear then. Anyway, it looks like we're about to exit out the other side." she informed as she pressed ever so gently forward with the control stick to increase the speed of the drone. Before they knew it, they had entered the clear, blue waters of the Special Region. "And we're through Bravo Point, all sensors are running optimally. Ascending to periscope depth." As the periscope of the Beluga breached the surface of the small sea, what was awaiting them on the other side came into full view.
"That's one big fucking fleet!" Nyugen commented as he looked wide eyed at the drones feed. As far as the eye could see, dozens of ships sat motionless in the waters around the entrance to Bravo Point. Upon closer inspection, they looked reminiscent of ships from the late Middle Ages judging by the design and the unmistakable presence of gun ports on the sides of the ships.
"I thought the reports said that gunpowder was unknown to these people." she asked as she moved the periscope in a clockwise manner to get a full view of their surroundings.
"Supposedly it was, but then again, that was only about their ground forces. Only naval action that was seen in Reykjavik was with the Obama. Begin the surface scan, we need to know how many of these ships are around here." he ordered.
"Yes sir," Leon followed the command and booted up the sonar scanners on the drone. The sonar was much smaller compared to what most modern vessels had equipped, but it could still detect targets up to 5 miles away. Enough range to get a solid number on the Saderan naval fleet guarding the portal, as well as anything else the sea might be harboring. And with how close they were to the fleet, the former wouldn't be a problem. "Charging sonar blast in three, two, one." she counted down and the drone emitted a loud sonar ping through the headsets of herself and the Lieutenant.
As the pulse went further outwards, more and more targets registered themselves on the screen and were cataloged by the targeting computer. In less than a minute, they had a full count of all surface contacts near Bravo Point. The number, 91, appeared on the screen before them. There were two different types of ships that they could distinguish. The most numerous of which shared the appearance of traditional Roman Navy Trireme's, which were likely the bulk of their transport fleet. The next were the ones that looked most out of place in this world. Middle Age vessels with gunpowder cannons were certainly the most surprising aspect of this situation. Sure, these Saderans had magic, but this still felt odd to him and those who were seeing the drone feed.
"One very large contact on sonar, but I can't get a visual with the periscope." Leon informed the Lieutenant. Nyugen looked at the screen and was surprised at the size of the vessel. Far larger than any of those they could currently see, as well as having an array of other ships in formation around it.
"Well that's certainly something." he responded perplexed. "I want to see just what these assholes are hiding. Launch the airborne drone, let's get a headcount on just how many of each type there are. Command isn't going to want a single detail left out of this."
"Affirmative, preparing to launch aerial drone." this time it was a different Petty Officer that responded. A console lit up on their end as they prepped the UAV. Once the Beluga surfaced, Nyugen gave the signal, and the hatch near the rear of the sub opened. The DR-1 Seagul, a quad rotor drone designed specifically for aquatic deployments launched into the air. Since there were no ships within close proximity, the drone would have the advantage of surprise, allowing it to gain altitude above the fleet and not get spotted. But even if it was, the Saderans possessed no anti air capability.
"How we doing, Petty Officer Lopez?"
"Camera feed is coming in strong and clear," Petty Officer Lopez reported. "Sensors are green, activating targeting system." Using the data link that connected the Beluga, Seagul, and the Jones, the computer system aboard was able to effectively categorize each and every ship it put it's camera over. The Trireme's were listed off as Transport, which numbered a total of 65. The cannon equipped vessels, labeled as Warship, numbered a total of 25. This left the last vessel, which resided at the center of the fleet. It was roughly seventy meters in length and about twenty meters wide, which resulted in the computer program labeling it as Flagship.
"If I had to guess, that's where their admiral is located. However that layout seems rather odd for a flagship." Lopez remarked as he zoomed the camera in on the deck of the ship. A number of rather large wooden hatched littered the decks, which none of them could determine a purpose for. There was also a number of sailors present on the decks, which seemed to be carrying spears and pails of what seemed was assumed to be food.
"From the design, it might be a transport vessel." Leon added.
"Can you get the camera to zoom in further on those holes in the hatches? Or get us closer to see what's inside?" Nyugen asked.
"The zoom is maxed out unfortunately. If I get any closer, the tangos on the decks will see the drone and put it at risk of getting destroyed. I might be able to maneuver the drone to the side and peer inside." however as Lopez was guiding the drone, a large amount of activity picked up on the deck of the ship. Upon closer inspection, there was a group of sailors lifting a hatch that led beneath the deck of the ship. Once the hatch was lifted, a wyvern shot from beneath the decks and took to the skies!
"Holy shit!" Lopez exclaimed as he watched the creature dart from the ship and begin hovering above it. "I'm guessing these guys also have aircraft carriers or in this case, dragon carriers?" he asked as he looked over to Nyugen who stared at the monitor with a look that can best be described as, WTF. Nyugen just rubbed the bridge of his nose before replying.
"Well that certainly something new." he said as he looked disbelieving at the monitor. "Like seriously, how in the ever loving fuck did the concept of an aircraft carrier appear in their minds?"
"This world really is full of surprises, isn't it?" Lopez asked to no one in particular.
"I'm pretty sure we were all sick of surprises the moment these asshole stepped foot in our world. This entire situation got old real fucking quick. "Leon, what you got on the drone?"
"Nothing good sir," she said as she zoomed the camera closer on the deck of the ship, as well as the airborne wyvern. The sailors looked curiously at the Seagul, knowing not of what it was, or its purpose. The wyvern however, didn't care for what it was, it was simply driven by its primitive instincts. The rider attempted to reign it in, to no avail. It was thanks to Raikes' quick reflexes that allowed the drone to narrowly miss becoming chow for the flying reptile.
"Bring the drone back in now." Nyugen ordered as the drone's camera feed jumped around wildly as Raikes attempted to out maneuver the wyvern. The effort was useless however, as the drone was knocked from the sky when the wyvern came back around. The last images transmitted by the camera showed the body still within the jaws of the wyvern, and the camera falling into the sea, before losing connection. "Well that was anticlimactic." Nguyen said slightly disappointed.
"What were you expecting sir? That I could maneuver it around and reconnect with the UUV just before it came back again?"
"Kinda actually," he admitted. "Like those action films where the seemingly impossible gets done at the last moment. Unfortunately, the universe isn't so kind for that."
"At least we got the information we needed sir. We cataloged their numbers, as well as their previously unknown capabilities."
"Fair enough."
"Sonar contact, two miles out!" Lopez informed, causing Nyugen to turn his attention to the sonar screen, trying to figure out just what was approaching the drone. An unknown contact, roughly 60 meters long, was approaching the location of the fleet at 18 knots. The size made it unlikely to be a Dragon, as it was too small for those encountered so far, unless it was very young. "What do you think sir? It'll be about five or six minutes before it reaches the fleet, and then our camera can get eyes on it."
"Looks far too small to be one of those dragons we encountered before. It's not moving nearly as fast either." Leon pointed out.
"Yeah," Nguyen said. "I think it might be another one of the local lifeforms. We'll find out once it gets within range of our drone, assuming it gets close enough to actually get a clear picture. Either way, prep the nuclear torpedoes for loss of signal detonation. If we lose contact with the Beluga, for whatever reason, that fleet, and any creatures that dare get close, are gonna learn to fear the power of Oppenheimer Light."
"Affirmative, prepping detonation sequence." Leon said as she typed the codes into her console. One by one, four red lights on the Beluga read out turned green, indicating the nuclear warheads were live, and could detonate if given the order, or if contact with the drone was lost. Now all they had to do was wait. Wait for whatever it was that slowly making its way closer and closer. Now with only a mile between them and the unknown object, they waited with bated breath to catch a glimpse of whatever it was. However as they did, a disturbances in the water was detected coming from the object, and at a rather astonishing speed, sped past the camera, leaving only a blur visible. "What the hell was that?"
"No idea, gonna try and shift the camera and figure out where that blur went." the computer plotted the path of the very fast object, as well as its speed, and quickly concluded that whatever it was, it had made contact with one of the Saderan transport vessels above them. "The computer had calculated the speed of the object, which was roughly six meters long, was moving at a speed 1,500 kilometers per hour!" Lopez said in utter disbelief. That was well beyond the speed of any torpedo used by anyone. As the camera finished panning over to the Saderan ship, they noticed a large hole in the hull, and a rather large number of sailors and legionaries falling into the ocean. The camera zoomed in on the situation, watching the men try desperately to swim to the surface to avoid drowning. But it was soon realized that by the expression of terror growing on the faces of those looking downward, there was something else to fear. Something far, far worse.
"We have contact! Leon exclaimed as a very large horned creature swam past the Beluga, devouring the drowning sailors, and ramming the ship hard enough that it broke apart, throwing more men into the sea. Those in the CIC of the Jones could only watch in horror as a swarm of these creatures appeared from the depths, shooting more of those projectiles into the fleet, breaking the hulls open, and spewing the occupants out, and into the gaping maws of the creatures. "What the hell are these things?" she said to no one in particular. Her expression was mirrored by everyone else watching. What could they say? There was nothing in Earth's vast oceans that could compare to something like this, and while they had encountered and killed multiple Class A Kaiju, this creature was entirely water based, with a unique set of abilities. Abilities that would make dealing with the difficult.
"Yes sir, your seeing the feed right? And you got our analysis of the fleet and these creatures?" Nguyen said as he put two fingers to his earpiece and walked a few feet away from the console. He nodded his head a few times and responded in affirmation to whoever was on the other side of the earpiece. At last he sighed and walked back over to Raikes and Lopez. "Activate the detonation sequence, command wants those creatures gone yesterday. Each torpedo has a 30 kiloton yield, I'd love to see either that fleet, or those creatures survive that. And if they somehow do survive it..." he left the rest up in the air as he stared at them.
"What will happen?" Lopez asked.
"Aside from the Inouye and Basilone being part of the spearhead through Bravo Point, USACOM has authorized the deployment of two McRaven Class Destroyers to accompany the defensive forces. The Gallagher and Sledge are enroute as we speak, and will be here in two days. The Halsey and Rubin are also on standby should the operation require it. The USS Doris Miller will be arriving with them as well, as they'll represent the bulk of our sea based airpower for the operation." Those in the room looked at each other in astonishment at what their Captain just told them.
"Is that necessary sir? The McRaven's are the most advanced destroyers on the planet? Is it really worth the risk of possibly losing them on the other side worth it? Or does command truly believe we need all that firepower?"
"Given what we just saw Lopez, I think it best we bring whatever we can to ensure what's happening to those poor bastards," he said gesturing to the screen, the feed displaying the horrors being inflicted on the Saderan fleet. "Doesn't happen to our own men. Now initiate the detonation sequence." he ordered firmly. As Lopez and Leon tapped in the commands into their control consoles, watching the nuclear hazard symbol flash across the screen, they felt the ship jerk to port, maneuvering away from Bravo Point, just in case some backsplash came through. Soon the screen stopped flashing, instead replaced by a 30 second countdown before the detonation would occur. The alarm blared and all personnel above deck were ordered inside, with other vessels in the immediate vicinity doing the same. As Nyugen, Leon, and Lopez continued watching the feed, they realized the drone had finally been noticed by one of the creatures. It turned toward it and opened its wide mouth, intending to swallow the drone whole. But right before the creature could devour the drone, the timer expired, and the feed from the drone ceased.
In three days time, when UN naval forces crossed Bravo Point and into the oceans of the Special Region, they would figure just how much damage the nuclear torpedoes had done to the Saderans and creatures both. While fears lingered about the aftereffects, or if any of the creatures had survived, they had nothing to worry about. Modern nuclear devices were clean compared to their primitive counterparts, while the entirety of the Saderan fleet was destroyed, and the organs of the unknown creatures popped like balloons from the pressure caused by the explosion. But in a different plane of existence, forces more powerful, yet restrained in their ability, could only look on in horror at what one of their own had unleashed into their world.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS Bougainville
Faxa Bay, Iceland
April 19th, 2081
0900 Hours
The day had finally arrived. The preparations had been finished and the road was safely paved for the naval assault to begin. Nearly 20,000 Marines from a dozen nations had been mobilized for this mission. While American and British Marines had been present for ground operations in Reykjavik all those months ago, that was but a few thousand, tasked with clearing the city streets of enemy combatants, and helping to rescue civilians. They were defending during the battle, but now they would be going on the offensive. American, British, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Indian, Spanish, Filipino, and Mexican Marines, aboard dozens of transport vessels, surrounded by just as many escorts, were ready to begin the next phase of the United Nations offensive against the Saderan Empire. The last of the aging American Arleigh Burke Destroyers had paved the way against the Saderan fleet that remained on the other side, meaning there would be no resistance once they passed through the other side.
It was below the decks of the America Class LHA, American, Filipino, and Mexican Marines did final checks and preparations for the upcoming battle. Ensuring vehicles were fully fueled and loaded, enough ammunition was available, rations were evenly distributed, and all personnel accounted for. This was a far more dangerous path than the ground invasion was. Uncharted seas, full of creatures from humanity's wildest stories, ones that could slice a ship in half, or beings who could enchant entire vessels of sailors, and lead them to death. It was because of this reason than everything from destroyers, attack submarines, and minesweepers, were going through first. Equipped with powerful sonars intended to deafen and kill any creatures stupid enough to get close to the transport fleet. The subs were the biggest hurdle to overcome, requiring to grab the smallest still in active service, and even then they had barely just fit through Bravo Point.
"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL, PREPARE FOR PORTAL CROSSING!" The claxon blared throughout the ship. Marines grabbed onto the closest objects or vehicles they could, ready for whatever turbulence would come their way from leaving the comfort of their seas, and into the unknown. For Corporal Antonio Barrera, this was not only his first time on a ship, but his first real mission. He was feeling the effects of seasickness as the ship rocked in the waters, as well as general uneasiness as he realized he really was going to step foot on an alien world. He thought he had hid these feelings from the others around him, but him shaking his right leg up and down, and chewing of his finger nails, made it clear he was uneasy about the mission.
"Your first time aboard a ship?" an unknown voice asked him. As Barrera looked up, he saw the source of the voice. An American Marine, tall, well tanned, and despite his rugged appearance, good looking. He took a seat next to him and continued. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the feeling of Poseidon churning the waves beneath your feet. The ship might be old, but she's got some history. From the Korean War, First Contact War, and now this bullshit. She's pretty and tough, a rare combination in our world." he said.
"Yeah," he stammered out. "I haven't been on any ship before, much less on a mission like this. Just worried about some ungodly beast tearing this ship in half. You remember that from Iceland, right?" he asked.
"That's why all the destroyers and minesweepers went first. With all the sonar their blasting beneath the waves, nothing will get anywhere near us. And even if something does, torpedoes and depth charges will turn Jaws into chunky salsa." he explained. However he didn't think the Mexican caught the Jaws reference he had made, as he noticed him raise an eyebrow at the term.
"Still, I'll be more comfortable once we can find a beach and get on dry land. At least on land we can easily defend ourselves from whatever this world has in store for us. You heard about the mermaids right? Just like the old stories from back in the day. Make men wreck their ships and lead them to their deaths." The American just laughed at the last comment. He understood what he was talking about. Mermaids would sing songs that would attract sailors to them, wanting to have sex, only to kill them once they got within reach.
"Well I guarantee you that won't work on me, because unless these mermaids come in the male variety as well, I ain't wandering off the deck into the water. Some of these heathens however," he said gesturing to the group of American and Filipino Marines shooting the shit before they had to head to their respective staging areas. "They'll probably fuck anything that moves and has a hole for them. Likewise for the girls too, if its got anything resembling a dick, they'll go for it. But as I've already said, with the amount of sonar we're blasting right now, nothing will be left alive in those waters to attack us. Only living things will be us, members of Earth's finest fighting force, ready to go knock on the door of an enemy who dared awaken us from our peaceful slumber."
"Alright Marines, drop your cocks and grab your socks, head to the designated briefing areas now!" one of the older NCO's barked into the well deck full of Marines. "We're getting ready to cross over any minute now!"
Around the ship, Marines and sailors scrambled to their designated briefing areas, or to their vehicles to prep them for the upcoming operation. Some of the Marines on this ship had fought in Reykjavik back in December, but most had never seen real combat. In the next few hours, that was all going to change. As Barrera and his fellow Marines gathered with the Americans in their section, they noticed a projector screen with a map of what looked to be the area they'd be coming out in. There was a small sea, with a roman like structure, the same used to visually describe Alpha Point, in the middle. According to the measurements he was reading, Bravo Point wasn't very far from land.
"Alright, listen up!" the full bird colonel shouted to the Marines packed in the well deck. "What you see here is a map of the local area. The body of water Bravo Point leads to is known as the Blue Sea. If our measurements are correct, we will be roughly 100 miles from the main source of the attack. Our target is a port called Proptor, the main naval base for the Saderan Empire. It was the source of the naval attack by the Empire against Iceland, and the port itself is connected to a major river network that runs across the continent. Most importantly of all, the port is a stones throw away from the Imperial capital of Sadera. If we take this port, ands we will take this port, we will have a clear route directly to our enemies front door. The moment our carriers cross the other side, our planes will cleanse the sky of any hostile forces, and start mapping the port by air."
"Looks like we'll get to reach their capital before the army does." a familiar voice said off to his right. "What do you think about it, huh? This war might very well be over before the year is out, especially if we're that close to their capital." he said gesturing to the map on screen, which was zoomed in to show the relatively short distance between the port of Proptor, and the Imperial Capital of Sadera.
"I guess so, I'm just concerned about what they'll throw at us the moment they know we're coming for them." The American Marine, who's name tape said Martin, just shrugged.
"Hey, the more they throw at us now, the less we have to worry about later. Have them throw their capital defenses at us once we get dug in, and we'll massacre them. Once that's out of the way, we roll straight up to their city, and secure it."
"You Americans make everything sound so easy, so straight forward. But what if they choose not to counterattack? What if they wait for us?"
"Then we fight them street by street, house to house, just like my father did with those purple skinned bastards in the nuked out ruins of Miami." the last part sounded both prideful and painful. He had read about that battle in history class, American military units, with Mexican remnant forces, and Canadian troops, spent a month taking back what little was left of the city. If there was one thing American soldiers were good at, it was the brutal urban combat that they'd spent decades doing in the Middle East before the First Contact War. Now they, alongside the Europeans, Russians, and Chinese, were masters at it. "No matter how you slice it, we have to fight them at some point, just better to get it out of the way now. I'll admit this ain't gonna be easy, those dragons could easily chomp a ship in half."
Berrera shivered at the thought some unknown creature coming up from the depths and tearing the transport ship apart. Every precaution was being taken, even to the point of fast attack subs making sure nothing was left alive, but it still unnerved him. It was an alien ocean after all. "Thanks for reminding me about that fact." he said sarcastically.
"Like I said, it won't be easy, considering what we already know, but these guys are spread thin as it is. Between Iceland and Alpha Point, we've killed or captured 150,000 of them. Considering that this is an ancient empire, that's no small amount. Even with those mighty dragons, or those silver armored bastards that shrug off gunfire, they can't be everywhere at once. Whether we wipe most out or do it piecemeal, they won't have much left. If they do decide to hold out and fortify their capital, we can bomb the shit out of them from the air, and roll in once ready."
"Still, we're heading directly into their most important port. They probably have more than just a few thousand legionaries guarding the place."
"Well that's what the carrier aircraft are for. No matter what, we sure as hell won't be going in blind. Hell, depending on just how hard the fly boys hit them, they might very well surrender before we land. A few thousand more prisoners and a newly captured port would be fine to me." before either of them could continue, they were startled when the ship's lights flickered off for a second, and the ship rocked a little harder than he ever felt before. When the lights came back on, they refocused their attention on the Colonel, who had his finger on an earpiece, listening to someone on the other side. When he let go, he looked back towards the Marines.
"You know what that means boys and girls!" he said with a grin. We now just crossed over to the other world. I've told you everything there is to know. In a few hours, you'll disembark from this ship, and prepare to hand these fake Roman jackasses their asses on a silver fucking platter. But for now, we gotta wait a little longer until our pilots give us an idea of what's waiting for us. Enjoy these last few moments of peace, because we're about to show those army boys at Alpha Point what the Marines are capable of, Oorah!"
"OORAH!" was the response of the American Marines aboard the vessel, although the Mexican, Japanese, and Filipino Marines also joined in, throwing their fists in the air, and becoming equally rowdy as the Americans were. They were all ready for a taste of action, and they were going to get it sooner than they ever thought.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS Enterprise
Blue Sea, Special Region
April 19th, 2081
0915 Hours
Aboard the George Washington Class Aircraft Carrier, was a collection of Marine Corps and Naval pilots from across the United States. Pilots from the 2nd Marine Air Wing and VFA-103 were present aboard the ship. They were not only some of the most experienced pilots available for the operation, but every pilot gathered on the flight deck of the Enterprise had fought in the Battle of Reykjavik. Among those pilots was Captain Daniel "Dragon" Allman, the pilot in the room who boasted the highest kill count of wyverns in the room, at five confirmed kills, and one shared. These pilots had been sitting in the cockpits ever since they crossed over, waiting for final checks and fittings to be done. Well, they hadn't been waiting that long. Most of the waiting was warming the fighters up, as they had already been fueled up, and armed beforehand.
"So what do you think of this shit?" a voice came through in Allman's headset. the voice came from Lieutenant Commander Riley "Oddball" O'Brian. "About this new war I mean. This is straight out of those Lord of the Rings books my father passed down to me from his father. Fucking elves, dragons, goblins, all that weird shit. Not exactly the enemy we were ever trained to fight."
"Doesn't really matter to me, sir," he replied. Honestly, it didn't for him. Sure, it was bit jarring at first responding to the desperate calls for help from Iceland of all places, only to be met by literal dragons and roman legionaries. Now it seemed normal, or at least, as normal as things could be. "Although I think I'd rather be doing this than running drills all damn day."
"Some excitement is good for your health." came yet another voice over the net. This time it was Lieutenant Junior Grade Brittany "Hera" Daugherty. "The Air Force might have beaten us to the skies in Iceland, but we will reign supreme here, and draw first blood."
"Yeah, I suppose I could use a few more wyvern markings on my jet." he said as he looked down through the canopy and on the side of his fuselage, were 5 wyvern markings, and half of a large dragon. "Kinda bullshit though on how the Obama got credit for killing that big dragon, when we fired at least a hundred air to air and anti ship missiles into the thing. Perhaps this time we'll get a full marking on our planes."
"I doubt we'll get that much action while here," O'Brian said. "We'll be running interdiction against enemy air while our recon planes map out targets and points of interest for the ground forces. Their also deploying SEAL and SBS teams to laze targets for us. We've got a few hours before the ships will be in range to launch the landing craft, so that should be plenty of time to ensure the airspace is secured and port mapped out."
"Either way, whoever's in charge of defending the place won't know what hit them." Daugherty remarked.
"All pilots, prepare for launch sequence." the voice of Admiral Sullivan came over the net. Yellow short Aircraft Directors and handlers began taking their places across the flight deck, moving aircraft to their assigned launch points, while green shirted Hook Runners made final checks on the ship's catapult system and recovery gear. Aviation and Ordinance specialists cleared the deck as the aircraft were lined up in launch order. The FA/32 Fury II, was the mainstay of American naval aviation. Capable of mach 2.6 and carrying capacity of 20,000 pounds or ordinance internal and external.
"Alright, lets get rolling." Allman said as he put on his flight helmet, and began syncing the HUD with the rest of the Marine and Navy aviators in the flight group. The system in place meant that any airborne objects caught in the radar of one aircraft, would be seen in the HUD's of the rest. This meant if they faced off against more than one hostile, planes didn't have to worry about going for each others targets. Once one plane locked in and fired on a target, said information would relay to the rest. It was a way to save missiles in combat, and not get confused over who went after what. "Flight Control, this is Dragon, all systems are green, over."
"Oddball ready for take off!"
"Hera ready to go!"
As each pilot sounded off in affirmative, the flight of 24 fighters began their launch preparations, lining up, and hooking themselves to the catapult systems of the carrier. One by one, F-32's began screaming off the flight deck and into the clear blue sky of the Special Region. When it came time for Allman to take off, he pulled the stick back, going full throttle as the catapult system launched him off the carrier, and into the sky above. Twelve and twelve was the split between the Marine and Naval aviators as they formed up in the skies above, linking up with fighter aircraft launched from the Miller, Prince of Wales, and Kiev, forming a massive array of warplanes as circled in a holding pattern for a few minutes until the reconnaissance aircraft could launch and catch up.
"Hot damn," Allman said as he admired the sight before him. Four aircraft carrier with full airwings, at least twenty amphibious assault ships, twelve cruisers, twenty three destroyers, fifteen minesweepers equipped with powerful sonar blasters, and at least three fast attack submarines. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. Combined with the full carrier wings still being launched, adding to the already overwhelming presence in the skies of the Special Region, nothing could stand against this force once it went for a target. "Hard to think this isn't even the whole fleet right here." he remarked.
"No shit mate," one of the British pilots said over the comms. "And to think you Yanks still have another carrier waiting in the wings. Then there's the Chinese, French, that joint German-French carrier, the Japanese, and possibly the Indians as well. This is shaping up to be one hell of a task force."
"I almost feel bad for these sorry bastards. If only they knew what was about to hit them, they might actually surrender."
"By the time that happens, we'll already have pounded the living daylights out of them." another pilot said. It wasn't long before the massive array of aircraft broke their holding pattern, and rocketed off towards the coastline to the north. While the first wave of aircraft took off, to provide escort to the reconnaissance drones and aircraft, further squadrons were still being prepped on the carriers, and loaded with air to ground ordinance, and waited for targets to be identified.
"Enough chatter!" the Navy flight commander ordered. "Game faces on, it won't be long before we see coastline, and even less when we get within radar range of any potential aerial targets. Keep your eyes and ears open, I'll be damned if we get caught unaware by anything out here."
"I concur, just focus on the job lads, worry about anything else later." the British flight leader said.
"Our job is to soften up defenses around this port and make it easier for marines on the ground." the Russian flight leader added.
Holding at 500 miles per hour, the trip to the port was relatively uneventful. It wasn't about 20 miles out that contacts started appearing on the radar. Not that many of them, a total of seven were counted. Due to the flight profile of wyverns and dragons being uploaded to aircraft combat computer databases, they quickly determined that it was a squadron of Imperial wyverns. Based on the route they were flying, they hadn't, at least not as far as anyone could tell, knew the aircraft were coming their way.
"You think they know we're coming?" a British pilot asked over the net.
"Unlikely," Allman answered quickly. "Its still early in the morning, could be a patrol doing their rounds over the city."
"All flights, check telemetry and targeting systems. Check your targets and engage when ready!" the Marine flight leader ordered
"Copy that!" Allman said as he switched the tactical view of his HUD on and locked the targeting computer onto a target. He was the first to lock in on one of the wyverns, followed up by two Russians, two British, one Naval aviator, and another Marine locking onto one of the creatures. He flicked a switch on console before him, arming one of his AIM-135 active radar-guided missiles, arming it, and letting rip. "Fury Three, Fox Three!" he said as he flicked a switch on the joystick and the missile left the hook, and accelerated to its target. Over the net, the other pilots who had targets sounded off, and let fly with their own missiles.
"Fury Five, Fox Three!"
"Tempest 1, Fox Three!"
"Missile away!"
They all watched as the missiles streaked through the clear morning sky, travelling at Mach 5 towards their unsuspecting targets. They hit their targets in less than 30 seconds, leaving small, but visible explosions in the sky as proof they had hit their mark.
"All direct hits!" one pilot exclaimed.
"Poor sods never even knew what hit them." one of the British remarked.
"Oh don't worry, those on the ground will know what hit them!" one of the Russians joked, causing many of the pilots to laugh in response.
"They definitely know something is up now, so be prepared for more targets to start popping up."
"Roger that, Flight Lead!" Allman responded. "Looks like we're about to be directly over the city, so keep focus on those radar screen. We need this city mapped out as best as possible." as they got in orbit over the city, the various drones and recon aircraft of the America, British, and Russian navies went into overtime scanning the city for any potential targets of interest, as well road layouts, barracks, holding pens for wyverns, coastal forts. What few wyverns took to the sky were effortlessly shot down by the CAP established by the fighters above. "Got a group of wyverns on my radar, taking off from somewhere in the western section of the port." he alerted his fellow pilots.
"Roger that, I see them too," Hera responded. "I've got the two on the right locked in, what about you Dragon?"
"I'll take the ones on the left," Allman responded as he prepared another missile launch. "Fury Three, Fox Three!"
"Fury Eight, Fox Three!" they both flicked the switch and two more missiles left the underside of their wings and streaked towards their targets. The missiles, moving far faster than anything the wyverns or their riders had expected, hit their targets, turning them into bloody chunks of meat, bone, and scales. Each of them got a two for one with the last hit. Dragon was up to eight total wyvern kills, with Hera at two.
"Still got a while to go before you can catch up to me." Allman said playfully.
In the end, the resistance that was put up was ultimately futile. As the second and third wave of fighters arrived, they began striking targets of interest across the port city. First being the forts dotting the harbors meant to prevent sea attacks. One by one, fortress after fortress crumbled as guided munitions slammed into them, turning what was once a symbol of Saderan strength, into mere rubble. Troop barracks which had been identified by legionaries swarming from them, were destroyed swiftly as well. In just over an hour, nearly all defensive fortifications across the city were destroyed, and the local garrison, or what was left of it, in utter dismay. Warbirds began landing SEAL's and SAS around docks and wharfs to make way for the coming landing force, which was steaming towards the city at astonishing speed.
By the time of the second hour, what defenders had remained had either taken to hiding in buildings occupied by civilians, or try to mask themselves against the rubble, waiting for a potential invasion. Ships in the harbor weren't targeted, and after SEAL teams had reported coming across slaves in both the decks below, as well as in surrounding buildings, further airstrikes were called off. The main targets had been destroyed, the skies belonged to the United Nations, as did the sea, and soon the land would follow. Directly off the coast, sat two McRaven class destroyers, the most advanced naval destroyer in the world. They, alongside other destroyers in the fleet, had launched cruise missiles onto targets lazed by drones in the sky above. But they would soon find themselves fighting a very different target. Across radar screens of both planes and ships alike, a massive signature came barreling towards them from the north.
"We've got a very large contact moving our way, and fast!" Oddball said as he maneuvered his fighter in the direction of the contact. It wasn't long before he saw, and realized what it was. "All aircraft be advised, we have a Special Region Class A Kaiju on approach, take appropriate actions!"
"Shit, watch out!" a Marine pilot screamed as he just barely pulled a hard left to avoid the incoming Flame Dragon. "Where the hell did this bastard come from!"
"Wherever he came from, he's about to die!" Oddball said as he locked his targeting systems onto the beast. "Fury One, Fox Three!"
"Fury Eight, Fox Three!"
"Fury Three, Fox Three!" missile after missile left the pylons of their fighters, and streaked towards their target. Dozens of explosions impacted across the Flame Dragon's body, but barely any damage had been done. There was even an attempt by a Russian fighter to hit it with an anti ship missile, but it unfortunately missed, impacting a building below. "Our missiles alone aren't going to take this damn thing down! We'll need something heavier!"
"Anti ship missiles could do the job, but we can't hit! Its moving far too fast for us to land a direct hit!"
"This is the USS Sledge to all aircraft in the skies above Proptor, fly southward towards the coastline. We'll handle everything from there, over." came the voice of an America sailor over the comms. "Just lower your altitude and give us a clear line of sight on this beast."
"Roger that, all aircraft pull back!" the Naval Flight Leader ordered. Soon, the array of aircraft and drones over the port city began turning southward, accelerating at top speed away from the creature, who couldn't even break mach one. Off in the distance, a bright greenish-blue glow could be seen in the distance. Then another. Without warning, two massive explosions of light erupted from the sources, and two extremely fast projectiles zoomed past their aircraft. On their radars, the large contact that was behind them, decreased dramatically in speed, and impacted the ground.
"Target Eliminated!" came the destroyer's voice again. As the pilots and drones looped back around towards the Port once more, they saw what had happened to the Flame Dragon. The two railgun rounds fired by the destroyers, which were guided by advanced computers aboard the vessels, had impacted the dragon in the head, and chest respectively. Each round travelling upwards of mach 15, and weighing 45 pounds, tore straight through the creatures thick scales as if they weren't even there. The once mighty beast dove headfirst into the beach, kicking up sand and dust as its body skidded across the ground.
"Hell yeah!" Allman exclaimed over the radio, echoing the cheers of the other pilots present. As he looked at his radar screen, not a single aerial contact remained. The skies were completely there's now. Nothing would hinder the naval force making final preparations for deployment of Marine forces. What was left of the defenders, if they still chose to fight after everything that had happened, would get mopped up by thousands of Marines currently making their way towards the beach. Until then, they'd remain in the sky, acting as guardians and watchful eyes for their brothers and sisters about to land on the beaches.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
USS Bougainville
10 Miles off the coast of Proptor, Blue Sea
April 19th, 2081
1200 Hours
The klaxon blared as the well deck was opening up and the amphibious assault vehicles and landing craft prepared to depart their various transports. Thousands of Marines from a dozen nations had been assembled for this mission, and they wouldn't back down. Thanks to aircraft and drones that had reconned the city just hours before, and had greatly neutered its defenses, which would allow the Marines an easier time on the beaches. Five landing zones had been selected in and around the port city. Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, and Orange Beach. Blue Beach would be led by the United States, with Mexico and the Philippines joining in the assault. Red Beach beach would be assaulted by the Russian and Chinese forces. Green Beach with Britain, France, and Germany. Japan, Korea, and India on Yellow Beach. Finally was Orange Beach led by Italy and Spain. In all, 13 nations would be part of the first assault wave, with more coming behind them once the port of Proptor was secured.
For Antonio Barrera, as the well deck had opened, the ramp lowered, and the AAV he was in plunged into the waves, the mission was just starting. American attack helicopters and transport helicopters spun off from the deck and made their way north towards the city. Soon, American, Filipino, and Mexican assault craft filled the waters of the Blue Sea in the Special Region. While he was still slightly unnerved at the prospect of being in these unknown waters, the large display of firepower being deployed helped ease his nerves. Cruise missiles from so many naval destroyers continued to pound away at the Saderan port, further degrading the already savaged defenses left. As the vehicle swayed front and back in the waves of the water, his squad members spent their last few minutes of peace chatting with each other, as well as American and Filipino Marines over the comms.
"Its about time we get to see some action!" he heard one of his team members said.
"I've got no idea why the prospect of combat excites you so damn much." Barrera said with a raised eyebrow.
"Not every day we get a fight that's this easy," he said cockily. "Besides, I can't be the only one wanting to get some elf pussy, am I?" he burst out laughing, as did many others in the AAV. He even heard American and Filipino Marine join in on the conversation.
"Nah brother, I want me a cat girl or some shit. Elves are overrated anyway." said one Filipino Marine.
"Brother, I hope you realize you'll be coughing up a hairball in short order if you try eating her out." the American laughed loudly over the net.
"Y'all do realize that shaving is practically nonexistent as a practice in these time right?" another American said. "Unless you introduce your girlfriends or boyfriends to 21st century hygiene habits, you'll be getting a mouthful of hair pretty damn quick." once more, the comms lit up with laughter at that comment.
"Simple, give her a razor and shaving cream. In a few hours you'll get a nice clean shaven high elf, dark elf, catgirl, or or some of those snake head or bird creatures the doggies found on the other side of Alpha Point."
"You people aren't right in the head." was all Barrera could say as he shook his head, a smirk growing on his face as he did so. "You don't have anyone waiting back home for you?" he asked.
"not really, I was hoping to actually finish my first four years before finding a girlfriend, but look what happened. Now we've got a world full of beautiful blonde elves and all sorts of fun shit. Just wait until we get liberty, we'll be treated like liberators to the locals. Forces of democracy defeating the evil and oppressive Empire. We'll be drowning in horny locals."
"You Gringos must be fucking delusional if you think that's going to happen." Barrera said as he rolled his eyes. "The non human inhabitants here will likely just see us as another Empire of humans rolling in, and will at best stay away from us and out of our way." the chatter between the Marines continued on until they were but mere minutes from the beachhead. Through the viewports, smoke could be seen rising into the sky from the fortresses that had been turned to rubble.
"30 Seconds!" the AAV driver radioed. Barrera flicked the safety off his M4 rifle and chambered a round. From inside the vehicle, he could hear explosions erupting out ahead of them. Attack helicopters and fighter bombers above were hammering away at any sign of resistance. When the vehicle exited the water, and came to a halt, he gave the command to dismount.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" he shouted at his men as they exited from the rear hatch and stormed up the beach. Far off to his right, he watched a Filipino landing craft hit the beach, and off its ramp rolled two M1A3 Abrams tanks, old surplus from American stocks that weren't needed. His nation's own tanks weren't far behind, maybe a minute or two slower. As he and his Marines hauled ass up the beachhead, a number of bright blue flashes appeared throughout the rubble of the fortresses and buildings maybe 100 meters or so ahead of them. Then without warning, blue streaks of light began erupting their way, some tearing straight through exposed Marines on the beach. Without hesitation, many of them dove for shell craters blasted out earlier in the day, or behind armored vehicles for protection. Tanks and IFV's fired towards the sources, but seemed to explode on a very faint blue shield that flickered each time a round had hit it. A Filipino Abrams began to brew up as a large blue fireball shot from the buildings, hitting directly between the drivers hatch and turret, sending flames spewing from every available open crevice.
"What the fuck was that?" one of his men screamed as more fireballs and blue streaks of light hammered away at them. Soft skinned vehicles like JLTV's began going up in flames as well. Barrera and his men returned fire at the source, as did the now hundreds of Marines on the beach. Attack helicopters flew overhead, hammering away with everything they had left on the enemy positions. A bright white flash blinded them momentarily as the shield that was protecting whoever was left in the buildings, finally broke. Tanks cannons roared with canister and high explosive rounds, while IFV's scoured the buildings with 35mm cannon fire and anti tank missiles. It wasn't long before they got sight of what had caused them trouble. Silver armored beings, with blue glowing swords began sprinting from the ruins and directly towards their positions. "LIGHT THEM THE FUCK UP!" Barrera screamed as he took aim and let rip.
"Thousands of rifle, machine gun, autocannon, and tank rounds went downrange towards the surviving Immortals. Many had tried desperately to duck or doge the incoming hailstorm of ordinance being thrown at them, but to no avail as the Immortals fell like wheat to a scythe. Rifle rounds did little to their armor and magical aura surrounding them, but IFV's and tanks could make short work of them. This wouldn't be like on Alnus Hill. They weren't going to be allowed to get close whatsoever. As if from On High, an FA-32 flew in low towards the beach, and let rip with its 30mm cannon, tearing into the advancing Immortals, before pulling up, and breaking the sound barrier as it darted back upwards. Cruise missiles began impacting ahead of them, sending fragments and debris towards their position, forcing the Marines to take cover behind the armored vehicles. Once the last Immortal had been gunned down, and the barrage of the ruins had ceased, they got up and began advancing forward.
"Is that it? Are they all dead yet?" one of his men asked.
"I fucking hope so," Barrera said as he looked around. Just in his general area, he counted twelve dead bodies, and even more men twitching and screaming after taking glancing hits. Two of those down were from his squad alone. Another three from the Americans, and the rest he couldn't tell. "What the hell were they even using in the first place?"
"Some type of magic swords that shoot energy or some shit." one of the Americans said. "All they need to do is point it at you and they can blast your ass. They proved a small problem in Iceland, as well as on the other side of Alpha Point. Let's just hope we don't encounter anymore of them."
"I doubt anything would've survived that," a Filipino Marine said. "But then again, there shouldn't have been anything left alive after the first bombardment."
"What this means is that we'll have to proceed with caution." this time he heard the familiar voice of Martin, the American he had met earlier. "Once we breach the wall, we'll be in the city proper, at which point we'll have to deal with urban fighting." armored vehicles moved forward, with Marine forces following closely behind. Every landing force had successfully hit the beach, and was making their way to the city walls. While each beach had met stubborn resistance from Immortals and even a mage which were found dead among the ruins of the forts and buildings, they now advanced almost unimpeded into the city.
"Alright men, let's get moving." he ordered his squad. As they breached the walls and began pressing forward into city streets, it looked as though they wouldn't meet any more organized resistance from the locals. While some buildings were flattened, the pilots had taken care not to carelessly bombard houses and shops holding civilians. Obvious military targets were erased however, as they soon came along the ruins of a building, which had dozens of pieces of armor and weapons strewn about the rubble. Practically no one was left on the city streets. Some Marines had found the occasional group of Legionaries hiding in alleyways, or in the back of carriages, and captured them without a fight.
"This is Deadly 1-3, we've got two hooded figures running between the buildings here, trying to flush them out!" Barrera heard from the attack helicopter pilot over his radio. The helicopter flew over and ahead of him, a few blocks up north, tracking whatever or whoever it was that was trying to escape. "Gonna try and OH SHIT!"
The helicopter jerked hard to the right, trying to escape a number of glowing projectiles that shot up into the air, turned, and shot down directly onto the helicopter. The explosion lit up the sky in a beautiful blue, green, and purple glow. Even in the afternoon sun, the bright display was beautiful. However he quickly snapped back to reality when he realized the helicopter, and its pilots, were now vaporized. Frantic shouting over the radio could be heard as all available helicopters swarmed over to the area.
"What the fuck was that?" one man shouted.
"Its gotta be one of those fucking mages we were warned about. Those bastards are said to have quite a few tricks up their sleeves." Corporal Martin said. "One of those bastards was among the rubble back on the beach. If I had to guess, he's the fucker who took out the Filipino Abrams. I say we hold position until-" he was cut off by a scream of ordinance bearing down on the block where the helicopter had been shot down. Thousands of feet above, drones had been monitoring the whole thing, and directed fighter bombers to drop their ordinance on top of the mage. Combined with an entire squadron of attack helicopters letting loose everything they had left, the area in which the mage had last been seen, was thoroughly destroyed, with thick dark smoke trailing from the area.
"Move up boys, we've got you covered from up here!" one of the other attack helicopters radiod in to them.
"You heard him, let's move, Marines!" Martin ordered. As his and Barrera's squad moved up, supported by two LAV-30's, and a Mexican Abrams, the soon found that the area in which the mage had resided, nothing was left standing. All they could find as they went through the streets was rubble and the occasional body part. Eventually, Martin came across an arm wrapped in a strange blue cloth. He had guessed it was the remains of the cloak he wore, as well as the only surviving portion of his body. "Deadly 1-1, we've confirmed KIA on the mage. Repeat, mage is KIA!"
"Roger that Corporal, thanks for getting confirmation. That son of a bitch got Williams and Rodriguez. Glad to know that sorry bastard got killed. Doesn't look like you can expect much more resistance throughout the city though. The remaining defenders are flying white flags and throwing down their weapons. The Chinese took down another mage on the beach, but aside from that, I'd say the city is ours now."
The helicopter then flew off northward to the outer edge of the city, joining the others in forming a perimeter around the city. Stereos hooked up to transport helicopters had been blasting down demands of surrender on the remaining Saderan forces throughout the city. That didn't mean all of the remaining legionaries surrendered. Some still tried ambushing Marines around the city, causing a few more casualties before getting put down. But as more aircraft flew over the city, and armored vehicles moved in the streets, their morale had completely given up. One by one, over 2,000 Saderan Legionaries came out from buildings, carriages, and even hiding in gardens and bath houses. It soon became apparent that their morale nearly collapsed when the coastal forts, barracks, and wyvern pens around the city were destroyed by an enemy they couldn't see. Soon the Marines around the city were dragging legionaries out of houses, herding them into groups, and keeping guard over them until appropriate transport could be arranged to send them back through Bravo Point.
"You what's fucked up about all of this?" Barrera said as he walked over to Martin, who was assisting in guarding a large group of legionaries. When Martin didn't give and answer and only shook his head, he continued. "If only all those poor bastards that died on the other side of Alpha Point were as smart as these guys are, many more mothers, wives, and children would be grieving over their loved ones. Estimates show that this is half the garrison surrendering to us. Aside from the Immortals and mages, these guys weren't nearly as fanatical as the rest we've fought.
"We did hammer these bastards from the air for hours on end, and finally brought in a landing force that completely shattered what was left of their defenders in less than a few minutes. At Alpha Point, they had to fight on the ground at relatively close range. Here we decimated their heavy units before we ever got within sight." Martin just sighed as he looked over at another squad of Marines herding more legionaries into the already large group in the center of the road. Among them was 1st Lieutenant, who made their way over to him.
"What's the situation looking like over here, Corporal?" the Lieutenant asked.
"Well sir, it could've been far worse. The initial beach landing was rougher than we liked, but we made it through. Lost three of mine on the beachhead to those magic fuckers. What about you sir?"
"Two of my men are dead, another wounded. Playing urban warfare in a cramped environment like this, against assholes trying to shove swords and spears into you isn't fun. One of our LAV-30's got cooked by that bastard who took down the helicopter. Same thing happened over on Red Beach, a Chinese LAV got shredded as it landed. Being honest though, we all thought this fight would've lasted longer."
"Well sir, we did paste them from the air pretty badly. That's gotta count for something."
"I can't argue there," he said as he looked over at the Saderan prisoners. "Still, feels weird having over half the garrison surrender to us. Either way, this fight's over for now. All we got to do is count the prisoners, gather our dead, and secure the perimeter of the city. We're not very far from the Imperial Capital, and word will reach quickly about this city being lost. They'll be liable to send a whole lot of men and dragons at us when they do."
"Yes sir," he said as he looked back and saw a convoy of IFV's rolling through the streets heading north, followed by dozens of lighter vehicles and infantry following closely behind. The sound of helicopter rotors above and the scream of jet engines intensified as a few more missiles streaked north, impacting some unknown targets.
"Its all over but the shouting, Corporal." the LT said as he watched the aircraft streak northward. "The city is ours and they don't have have in hell at taking it back. Within a week, this place will be more Marines here than you can shake a stick at. Once that's done, we'll Thunder Run our way straight to their capital, and make these sorry bastards pay for what they've done."
yes sir," once again, all Martin could do was nod his head up and down. He didn't doubt for a second how this war was going to play out. Within the next few months, the United Nations would emerge victorious over this new enemy. There was already 20,000 Marines storming the beaches here now, with close to 50,000 soldiers at Alpha Point. It wouldn't be much longer until that number surpassed 100,000 troops. All Martin could think in his head as he watched the seemingly never ending convoy of vehicles pass by, is why did this Empire invade Earth? Why and how did they think they could win? As he looked back at the Saderan legionaries, the looks on their faces said the same thing. Just one look at the fear in their eyes gave a pretty clear answer. They did not know, and neither did he.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 Days since the Battle of Alnus Hill
Allied Army Campsite
9 Miles south of Alnus Hill
Imperial Calender 687
The morning sun rose beautifully over the campsite of the Allied Armies. A total of 100,000 men awaited the orders to march to Alnus Hill, and fight this new otherwordly enemy that had invaded Falmart. For the kings and dukes inside the command tent, making their final preparations, the thought of what awaited them wore on their minds.
"The preparations are almost complete," King Reynald said. "Within the hour, our armies will march and do battle with this new enemy. We shall clash steel and regain our honor which was stolen from us by the Saderan Empire." he said those last words with disgust. Still reeling over the rebellion seven years ago, all those present hated how quickly they got brushed aside by Molt's new weapons. Since those fateful day, their armies haven't seen any fighting since then. Now they were being ordered to clean up a mess that Molt had blundered into, blinded by greed and power.
"Have our scouts reported anything new from the otherworld base? Any change in their numbers." the king of Mudwan asked.
"My scouts have reported that the corpses of the Flame Dragons have been moved," King Varialus said in reply. "From what they told me, they were moved in such a way as to make room for more fortifications. As to how the otherworlders moved it, and constructed forts so quickly, is still unknown to us. They also reported a sizeable increase in the number of soldiers atop the hill." What he said had unnerved those in the tent. What could possibly move the corpse of single Flame Dragon, let alone multiple? Even worse, the steady increase of troops was concerning as well. In ten days, 10,000 more troops had been brought in, and had built up even more fortifications.
"My Dark Elf scouts have reported similar things to me," Duran said. "They even report coming fairly close to otherworld scouts, who had noticed them, but decided not to pursue. They also reported on some strange flying chariots and arrowheads lifting off into the sky and flying in many directions. I still don't know what to make of that."
"Just what has Molt stepped into?," King Federyc of Toumaren said. "It seems the mighty Saderan Empire has finally bitten off more than it can chew." he said, his words filled with spite.
"Something isn't right about this," Mudwan's King said. "I have feeling were sent here to do nothing more than distract the otherworlders, and give Molt more time to figure out how to solve this mess." many in the tent had agreed with him. Hell, they knew this from the beginning, but disobeying the Emperor would only lead to their kingdoms suffering more from it as a result. At least here they could spare their kingdoms the reprisals of the Empire, and die a noble and honorable death. But before any of them could continue, a scout burst into the tent, panting heavily, and trying to stammer out something.
"M-my Lords, the-there is something-"
"Calm yourself son," Duran said as he approached the man. Outside he could hear men frantically running around and yelling to each other "What is going on? Are we under attack?"
"No sir, there is a large caravan of horseless carriages is waiting outside the campsite sir! The lead carriage is carrying a large white flag, sir! We think they might be coming to negotiate with us!" King Duran turned from the young man and looked at his fellow leaders. All of them worse puzzled expressions on their faces as they processed what they heard. This was something they hadn't expected. First because they never thought the enemy would even try to open talks with their armies. But the bigger concern was the speed at which they had supposedly arrived.
"My scouts got back barely an hour ago and never reported any such movements!" King Varialus said in astonishment. "How could they get here so fast?"
"I do not know my friend." was the only reply Duran could give. He honestly didn't know and wasn't expecting this to happen. He looked back at the scout, who had finally caught his breath, and was awaiting orders from his king. "We shall see what the otherworlders want. Go out to them, and allow their caravan into our camp. Keep the men on alert to any possible tricks. We'll see what it is that the otherworlders want." as he finished, the scout saluted Duran, and ran out of the tent.
"What do you make of this Duran?" King Reynard asked.
"I don't know. I highly doubt they've come to surrender, which means they may want to talk terms with us."
"Terms for our surrender most likely." Mudwan's king said.
"We aren't going to kill their messengers or diplomats. We'll see what they have to say and go from there." with that, Duran walked out of the tent, ready to meet these otherworlders face to face. He'd was ready to see what they were going to offer or demand of him and his allies. As the rest of the Kings and Dukes came outside to witness the arrival, they noticed a low rumbling noise that got louder as the caravan approached. As they looked closer, each carriage was painted a dark green, some with wheels, others with strange methods of moving that they couldn't comprehend.
"Just what are those beasts?" King Federyc said, not trying to hide the astonishment and terror in his voice. Half of these carriages had some strange cloth over the rear that flapped in wind, while the other half had some type of snouts, resting on some mount atop the carriage. Other small ones also appeared, which maneuvered around the rest of the caravan, strangely dressed soldiers poking out of the top, also with a strange snout next to them. They could count at least a dozen different carriages of different sizes. As the lead carriage came to a halt in front of the command tent, everyone braced themselves for what happened next.
A door on the side of it opened, and lowered to the ground like the gangplank of a ship. Like the others, men in green cloth and strange armor piled out, forming a perimeter around the caravan. Likewise, the snouts from them also shifted towards the allied soldiers that formed around them. Out from the lead carriage stepped three more individuals. The first one being a dark skinned female, which he mistook for a Dark Elf until noticing her ears weren't pointed. The next was man who's skin was slightly yellow, and eyes were more narrow than he'd ever seen. The last was a rather pale man, who's face was absent of all emotion.
"Would it be correct to assume you are King Duran?" the woman asked him, in very rough, but understandable Saderan. He looked back at his friends, all of which stared strongly at the sight before them.
"Yes, I am," he said somewhat unsure of what was happening. "And who might you be?
"My name is Agent Smith, of the United States, with me is Agent Sokolov of the Russian Federation, and Agent Liu of the People's Republic of China. We're here to represent the United Nations of Earth, and wish to establish friendly relations with you and your countries." King Duran did a double take, as did the others present as he heard that. Some of them stared unknowing of what to say. Others began to laugh at what she said.
"And why should we trust you?" Duran questioned. "You are invading our world with your armies, why should we make peace with you?" the woman tapped her ear, seemingly speaking to someone who wasn't there. She then turned and looked back at the carriage she and her companions came from.
"Perhaps he can convince you of why," she said as she stepped aside. Out from the metal carriage came a face he never thought he'd ever see again. The middle aged, blonde man stepped out into the sun, and looked directly at his old friend.
"Count Formal!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unknown Location, Southwest of the continent of Falmart
"I've heard some rather interesting tales from some of the merchants who traveled from the Wonnoa kingdom, on the southern tip of the Falmartian continent." Alex Wise told his compatriot as they entered the nearby tavern.
"I thought I told you to stop listening to those fools. They are either drunk out of their minds or spinning tall tales to earn more gold." his friend, Edward Worley, told him. "What stories have they managed to convince you of?
"Not necessarily convinced me of, but are interesting either way."
"Before you tell me tall tales," he paused and looked around for a waiter. Soon enough, his eyes found prey. "Excuse me, miss, two pints of ale for me and my friend if you would be so kind!" he politely asked the rabbit eared waitress who was nearby.
"Two pints coming right up," she responded cheerfully.
"I'm glad I finally found you, haven't seen you weeks old friend!" Worley said as he slapped Wise on the shoulder. "Now tell me, what have you been up to lately?"
"Aside from making my father proud by joining our Defense Corps, spending most of my free time in the library researching old history." a sly smirk appeared across Worley's face at the mention of the library.
"Still trying to bed the librarian? The blonde elf, not the short old goblin, I mean." the last comment made Wise chuckle slightly.
"I wish, but luck is not on my side just yet," he paused, eying the rabbit girl who came to drop off their pints. "Thank you darling!" he said as he picked up his mug and threw back nearly the whole pint."
"A few more of those and I'd say you'll be ready to ask the librarian to bed." Worley laughed, while Wise turned red in the face upon hearing that. "Relax mate, I'm only kidding around. I've seen the way she looks at you, so it won't be much longer before you'll have her." he assured Wise.
"Sooner rather than later hopefully, my father told me next stop after joining the Defense Corps is to get a wife. Although I told him that's going to have to wait."
"Thinking of the next generation is always important. Can't rely on our location to always keep us safe. We'll always need new citizens, and new soldiers from them. But enough of that, what stories have you so intrigued my good friend?"
"Stories that revolve around what stories our fathers had told us. And their fathers before them, and those before them. How they had looked to the skies, and saw that no dragons lived there. They searched high and low, and found none in all the secret places of the Earth. To make up for this absence, man built dragons of iron and steel. Unfortunately, man built his dragons too well, and when the real dragons appeared, they were no match for man's steel dragons." Worley gave Wise a rather quizzical look as he finished speaking.
"What in the blazes are you going on about? Were you already drunk before coming here?"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that we may have answers to where our forefathers came from. We know they travelled a far distance away from Imperial territory when they arrived in this world. How they arrived, and how they came here is unknown, but they did. A great many more came upon these lands over the years, some looking very similar, others not so much. Some carrying the same flags as our forefathers, others not. Despite the many differences held by them, they came together in this world, and built a new nation, away from the Empire, and all who wished them harm."
"Yes, I know about the history regarding how our nation came to be, how sailors from many nations became stranded here, and forced to put aside their differences to survive." he replied impatiently. "What the hell does this have to do with anything?" he noticed Wise reach into his bag he always carried around with him. From inside, he pulled out a folded piece of red, white, and blue cloth that looked very familiar. His eyes went wide in astonishment as Wise stood up and unfolded the flag, holding it from end to end. The flag he was holding bared a striking resemblance to one of the flags flown around the island. Thirteen stripes of red and white, with a large number of white stars in a blue square near the top corner.
"Where in the devil did you find this?" he said, not taking his eyes off the flag.
"Merchants who did business with soldiers of the Saderan Empire. From what they told me, it was the loot they brought back with them from their latest conquests. I wasn't the only one who was with these merchants when it occurred. Izuki, Meyer, and Golay were with me. We bought all the flags they carried that bore resemblance to our own."
"Who else knows about this?" Worley asked.
"We're preparing to bring these flags, and the stories we've heard to town hall. Hopefully they'll listen to us, and we can finally solve the mystery of where our ancestors came from, and if its possible to find them."
"Then let us waste no time," Worley said as he smacked a handful of silver coins on the table, more than enough to cover the cost of the drinks purchased, much to the appreciation of the waitress, and ran out of the tavern. As they ran towards the town hall, seven flags flew atop the Governor's house. The flags that had been made to match the flags of their ancestors that arrived in this world. A red, white, and blue tricolor; thirteen striped flag with 48 stars; a white flag with a red circle in the center; a red flag with a black cross running down the center that held a white circle, with a strange cross with the arms bent at right angles; a white flag with a blue stripe on the bottom, with a red star on the left, and a harpe and hammer on the right; a red cross on a blue background with white around it; and a blue flag, with the later flag on the top left corner, and a shield in the center.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Realm of the Gods
DAMN YOU HARDY!" Zufmuut yelled in anger at the Goddess of the Underworld. "It is because of your carelessness that you have brought a force to this world that not only will likely leave it in ruin, but a force that has forced us to sit by an watch!" Such behavior from the God of Light and Order was very unusual, but he was beyond pissed.
"Indeed, if it wasn't for me personally having to close that other gate you opened on the southern continent, the forces unleashed in our world would've not only destroyed each other, but the world as well!" Wareharun said angrily. "And even then, over two thousand of those strange beings remain, tearing through everything they come across, including my apostle!"
"Your childish antics have cost this world dearly, even by our standards. Especially after what the otherworlders did in the Blue Sea." Duncan said. "If the mages of Rondel can learn from the otherworld, they will gain the ability to learn nuclear fusion! We cannot allow this to happen! Our world will become a wasteland as both sides destroy one another."
"I don't hear any of you complaining to Elange or Ral about how many times they brought otherworlders here? All those ships and strange metal dragons laying around our world, from all the times they brought people here with technology that didn't belong." she said smugly.
"Don't you dare drag us into this you vile bitch!" Ral snarled. Those we brought, as well as their descendants are all isolated from the main powers in our world, and were even warned so long ago. They've happily stayed within the boundaries of the islands they live on, and have never moved outward."
"Suffice to say, you've completely and utterly destroyed the balance this world held." Deldort said as he looked off into nothingness.
"Now it shall know a new balance." a new voice said. They all froze, turning to the source of the voice they heard, curious as to where it came from. As they did, they saw an old man standing before them. He was pale white, his hear all grey, and his face showing pain. Not physical pain, but as they looked into his eyes, they could tell his pain was psychological.
"You again?" Emroy said in surprise.
"The weapons you saw unleashed in your world were the culmination of my work when I still lived. I helped devise it as to end the bloodiest war we had ever fought amongst ourselves. These same weapons proved to be our salvation when our enemy from the stars came and attacked us. I often remember a sacred text that I always think of when remembering my time alive, when I worked to develop this terrible weapon. Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." the man said before disappearing in a flash of light. Just as soon as he came, he was gone. And for the beings that fancied themselves as gods, felt a very human chill run up their spines at what he had told them.