Relief. What Jason Burns felt after confronting those beings was exactly that. He had wagered that his abilities would be enough to force them to back off and not interfere with what was coming. He knew he ran the risk of facing a power beyond his own when he traveled from his home universe to another. He knew that when he was given the combined power of humanity's fighting spirit and tenacity, a combined consciousness of every human that ever existed. However, it could only be used in the most dire of situations. Godlike beings from a universe that invaded his home was enough for him to act. Even more so when they had planned to close the portal between their universes, denying the Earth the chance to not only seek vengeance against those who invaded their world, but rescue the 10,000 Icelandic civilians who had been captured, who from what he heard, would've been killed. From what the others had told him, this was first time the gateway had opened in a long time, but this time he couldn't sit idly by.
He knew he had to act. While he had never really believed in God nor did he believe himself to be one, he couldn't deny the power he had been given after he had died. During the war, with so much being devoted to the war effort across the world, many industries around the world were severely reduced or outright went bankrupt. The movie industry and comics had been devoted to making propaganda against the Phauthi. Luxury car and aircraft manufacturers were taken over by the military. Cosmetics manufacturers had their resources moved to fuel and medical production. Companies that made toys, video games, and other luxuries that kids and adults alike had come to enjoy in the first world, were without them. Industries and companies went bankrupt as the global economy was hemorrhaging from the war. Even companies like the mighty Walmart, Apple, Samsung, Walt Disney, and many others had been brought to the brink.
Even internet service providers across the world were being forced to shut off and severely limit internet access across the world as nation after nation fell. Even online gaming had soon become impossible as it was a way for the Phauthi to gain information. The pampered first world nations of America and Canada, who even in the world wars, had never seen fighting or struggle on their own territory, were now beginning to learn just how many across the world had felt in the past. The entire northern hemisphere was feeling the effects and didn't like it, but had to endure it. But many were still hopeful that one day the war would end and the world would return to the way things were. That's why in 2036, on the eve of the biggest offensive the Phauthi would launch, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world, gathered in Anaheim, California for a massive celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Pop culture fans from all walks of life gathered in defiance at the war going on around them. They were there to show that no matter how hard the times were, they wouldn't give up who they were. Fans of many different franchises came together in one place to celebrate a common interest. It was intended as a major propaganda boost for civilian morale, to be used as evidence that things would soon be back to normal and there was nothing to fear. He, like many others who had come, wanted to pretend that the war wasn't going on. He had cosplayed as the Tenth Doctor, something he had always wanted to do, but was economically impossible, especially earlier in the war. For the first two days, everything was fine. People acted as if the world was back to normal and enjoyed themselves. He was enjoying himself being in America, having always wanted to visit the country. However, as the sun rose on the third day, everything had gone horribly wrong.
Tungsten rods and air strikes shook the city as Phauthi forces in Baja attacked US forces along the US-Mexico border wall. Originally made as a tool against immigration, it had become a fortress made to repel any attack. They had thought they were safe from attack, especially the Americans, who had not expected such a daring assault. But what everyone saw towards the south had convinced them that normal was gone. The city of San Diego was obliterated in nuclear fire, and with it, 250,000 US troops and millions of civilians and refugees. As evacuations were underway for Anaheim and Los Angeles, the arena collapsed from an airstrike. He desperately tried to save people even as rubble came down, but it was ultimately useless. He was soon crushed underneath the rubble and sucked in his last breath.
Believing himself dead, he was amazed when he saw a bright figure who stood before him. It was a relatively modern soldier who had almost certainly died in the War. He had explained that his time as the host for mankind's fighting spirit was over and that he had to pass the torch. Jason was an excellent choice, given how he acted selflessly in the face of danger. As he accepted the responsibility, he was made aware of what he could and couldn't do. He was not to interfere directly in the War, but was there to ensure that should the need ever arise again, he would be the one to protect humanity. He had become the living embodiment of willpower for the human race.
"What you did was not only extremely stupid, but reckless! Do you have any idea what you just did?" the voices called out to him.
"And who decides when interference is actually necessary? If not for what I did, not only would the connection between our worlds be severed, thousands of people would have been forever lost in that world," he explained in defense of his actions.
"You knew nothing about what they were capable of and took a gamble that could've cost you your existence," the voices replied.
"So you'd rather I sit and do nothing? And last I checked I'm still here. You can call it luck or chance; I really don't care. But I wasn't about to let them prevent our world from exacting revenge for what happened."
"Yes, but you took an aggressive approach to an unknown force. You should have spent more time properly analyzing the threat ahead of you," another called out to him.
"Well from what I had gathered from shortly after I had arrived, they planned on shutting the connection to our world and killing all those taken from Earth. I heard enough to make a proper judgment on my further actions. After I made it clear what would happen if they intervened any further, I left." It seemed as if no answer he gave would satisfy them.
"It was rather fortunate that our combined powers had any effect on them at all. It makes us question just how powerful they really are and just how they got their powers in the first place."
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," another voice echoed in his mind.
"It could be the peak of evolution for their kind. After all, one of those so called "Gods" we encountered was just that. The evolutionary peak of plant life of that world."
And now they were all clogging his mind with their arguing and debating. The one disadvantage of being in this position was having to deal with the constant chattering of countless voices when an argument was raised. He could block them out temporarily, but it required focus to accomplish. He did consider their words and their criticism of his actions, but he felt he had had no choice. This would be the first real opportunity to see how well the United Nations dealt with a new threat while being the more united than at any other point in history. It would also be a good chance to see if the UN fell back on old style imperialism or if they'd treat the innocents of this new world with respect and dignity. While none of them would shed any tears for those who died taking up arms against Earth, they didn't want to see humanity become the monster that once ravaged them.
Only time would tell in that regard and they had plenty of time. It would still be months before the UN led a spearhead through to the other side and began its long campaign of retaliation against the Saderan Empire. Now all that could be done was sit back and watch the events unfold before them. He could not directly interfere again unless it was made evident that the beings in the other world would try to stop the UN.
"Are you even listening to what we are telling you?" a voice questioned him.
"Yes, I am. However I am also thinking about the future of all this. A new frontier for humankind and the possibility of a new conflict. We must stay vigilant on this new development."
"Agreed, but you will not act out of line unless we deem it necessary. It is our job to watch and only act if absolutely required."
"Very well, I can agree with that."
"One more thing," another voice called out to him, "Why did you materialize in a giant box?"
Burns just smirked at the question thrown his way. "I figured that since I died wearing this, I might as well make the most of it," he told them.
Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations Headquarters
February 20th, 2081
1100 Hours
Having still much to discuss since their last meeting, the leaders of the United Nations Security Council, as well as other major powers, met once again in Geneva to deliberate the future of the new world before them. The prospect of natural resources at their disposal, which could be used to help rebuild their world, as well as being a fallback plan should anything happen to any of the ships in the asteroid belt, had become a major talking point since day one. An entire world of untapped resources would greatly reduce their dependence on their mining force in space, as well as lessening the cost of transportation although this would mean building new infrastructure in Iceland and Falmart to survey, mine, and transport it. However it was also recognized that a single hub for raw materials is a dangerous bottleneck and could be crippled if attacked. But it was a cost the leaders of the world were willing to pay.
This would also help solve the food security problems faced in many parts of the world. Even as farms across North America, Europe, and Asia worked at max capacity to produce enough food for Earth, much of the land across the southern hemisphere was still unusable. Only places like Brazil, Madagascar, and parts of Australia had land that was capable of growing crops. Between the radiation from salted cobalt bombs used decades before, as well as regions which saw significant changes to the soil by the Phauthi who intended to use it for their own crops,rationing was still in effect, at least compared to pre-war levels. No one could afford to waste food, not when many parts of the world were reliant on getting food delivered. Rationing had just ended across much of the northern hemisphere a decade ago, but when compared to the days of pre-war waste and luxury, it might as well be rationing. From information gathered about Falmart, the land and climate seemed very suitable for major crops and high yields.
it would allow for more resources to be diverted to the military, as quite a few nations used older, but upgraded equipment. What little modern equipment used by the UN was in America, China, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Russia, who wielded the largest economies and militaries. But even then, old tanks and aircraft still had some limited use in the field. Many were being requisitioned for the offensive against the Saderan Empire, due to many nations refusing to send their best equipment through the GATE.
There were also the new sources of cheap labor and weapons, as seen during the battle of Reykjavik, which many countries wanted to harness. But right now the biggest concern was that the Phauthi would again wage war against humanity, only this time for another world. While many were skeptical that they would try again after being beaten before and lacking the numbers to go on the offensive, the fact remained that if they were to capture the GATE in Iceland, they'd have a direct path to Earth again. Everyone knew this and that was why Iceland was being fortified by just about every ship, aircraft, and artillery piece the UN could spare for the defense.
"I believe that the last time we met, we only discussed a fraction of what needs to be addressed before we begin our campaign against the Saderan Empire," the Russian president announced as the various leaders sat down in their assigned seats, with an assortment of high ranking military officials and government agents taking seats near their respective leaders. "The first order of business that must be addressed is the information gathered from the prisoners we've acquired since the battle of Reykjavik. Over the last two months, our intelligence agencies have managed to learn a great deal about what lays on the other side of Alpha Point. I yield my time to agents Sokolov, Liu, and Smith, our senior most agents assigned to extracting information from the prisoners." As he finished speaking, the three agents stood up from their seats and made their way towards the podium where the Russian president was standing.
Confidently, they took up positions around the podium, with agent Sokolov taking the lead and shaking the president's hand. "Thank you, Mr President." As the Russian president returned to his seat, Sokolov took up a position directly on the podium and began to address all those in the room. "I don't seek to waste any time, so I'll begin with what we've learned. Over the last few months, many of the prisoners, especially, the non-humans, have been more than willing to provide us with the information we've been seeking. One of our main goals, getting a complete map of the Special Region, has been successful. With the help of many of the non-humans captured in Reykjavik, we've completed our reconstruction of the continent awaiting us on the other side." Sokolov nodded to the CIA agent, who then turned towards the large screen in the center of the room and clicked the remote in her hand, revealing the map.
"The continent, which we've identified as Falmart, has a longitudinal length of 11,000 kilometers and latitudinal length of 6,000 kilometers." She clicked the remote again and this time it changed to different colors, each one representing the various nations and how much land they controlled. "In purple marks the territory of the Saderan Empire. The other assorted colors denote the territories of the various vassal states and their proximity to Alpha Point. They are based entirely to the south, meaning that if hostilities break out, we'll know exactly where they'll come from, as well as the geography of the region. This also puts most of our weapons systems within range of every major city on the continent."
"And in regards to the vassal states, we have locations on their respective capitals, thanks to a very cooperative source." the Chinese agent continued. The screen shifted to the picture of one of the prisoners taken that day. "Prisoner #125, otherwise known as Count Colt Formal, has provided us with valuable information regarding the vassal state leadership. Not only has he given us specific locations of their major cities, but he's also acquainted very well with the kings of the most powerful kingdoms. Seeing as how it was the opinion of many here that we should at least try to open diplomatic channels with those nations, we propose using him once we counterattack through Alpha Point and secure the other side." That suggestion caused more than a few glances between those in the room. Some agreed with the idea while others ridiculed it.
"So you suggest that we just let him off, free? After everything that happened in Reykjavik?" the German Bundespräsident said, surprised. "It doesn't matter how guilty or sorry he feels, he still took part in an attack that resulted in thousands of people being raped and murdered!"
"We all share that sentiment, President Müller, but we also have to remember we're going into a new world completely blind. We'll need every advantage possible to win this as quickly and efficiently as possible. You must remember that the Phauthi have their own access to this world as well. We must secure it to the best of our ability before they have chance to gain a foothold."
"Besides," the US president interjected. "Nothing says he gets to go free. Just like the rest of those we captured, once their usefulness to us is finished, they get thrown back in jail. I agree with you, they don't get a free pass, but we must recognize their importance to the future of the campaign."
"Yes, but we cannot forget the circumstances that got them here in the first place. I've read the reports from our teams on the ground during the early hours of the attack. At least in regards to those elves, they went out of their way to save the lives of Icelandic civilians during the battle." The Canadian prime minister interrupted. "These so-called 'Demihumans' were forced into this affair after being brutally beaten by the Saderans."
"The prime minister makes a good point," one of the Canadian generals said. "These people hold no loyalty towards the Empire and could prove to be a very useful Fifth Column force. I would even argue for repatriating prisoners we've taken in exchange for them pledging their allegiance to us and helping rescue any civilians that were captured. I know how this sounds, but they'll know the continent better than we do; they hate the Empire; and could become excellent assets for intelligence. We can't just outright dismiss them."
"But consider the political backlash from this," the Mexican president reasoned. "Not only are the people of Iceland out for blood, but so are millions around the world. If word got out that we let them go, how do you think that would turn out?"
"That's why we'd have to either find a way to limit the social backlash from us doing so, or keep this completely under wraps."
"I think we need to slow down," the Russian president interrupted. "Before we discuss the possibility of using them as a penal battalion, let's allow our agents to finish what they have to say." He then motioned to the agent, letting him continue.
"Thank you, Mr President. Like I was saying before, Count Formal is on good terms with the largest and most powerful vassal states, specifically the kingdoms of Elbe, Mudwan, and Alguna. From the information provided to us by the Count himself, they are called upon by the Empire to do their bidding should the Emperor feel it necessary. He explained that the Empire has been seeking to conquer their lands completely since the rebellion and would likely order them to mobilize against us."
"And since the vassal states make up roughly half of the military power on the continent, it would certainly make conquest easier for them and would tie us up in more fighting," the CIA agent explained. "If we use the Count as an intermediary, it could allow us to open relations with them. Since they will be familiar with the Count, they would likely believe him if he explained the situation to them. We've declared war against the Saderan Empire, not them, so there's no need to draw in other nations if we can avoid it."
"But this still works under the assumption that they'll even listen to us," the Mexican president interrupted. "As I said before, we're a completely unknown force entering a medieval world. Any attempt to use him as a bridge for relations could make them believe we just tortured him and forced him to say what we want. We must face the very likely possibility that they'll still fight us anyway."
"We still have to try!" the Swedish prime minister argued. "There are literally hundreds of thousands of lives at stake here, many who are woefully ignorant of what's going on in their world! We have to at least try and implement some form of diplomacy, less we feel like running over and occupying the whole damn continent."
The Russian president chuckled at the remark. "That's going to happen one way or another, at least this way, it won't be as bloody. The possibilities that this world can offer us, as well as the emergence of another gateway to our enemy, are far too great to pass up."
"So we should just become the conquerors that tried taking our world 43 years ago?" The prime minister threw his hands up in frustration. "They may be more primitive, but it's still their world, no matter what may lay on the other side!"
"I'm not trying to sound cruel or imperialistic here, but quite frankly, it doesn't matter at this point. But this world is extremely backward," the Chinese president interjected. "This isn't the same technological disparity we faced with the Phauthi. Depending on the field in question, they were almost century ahead of us. Here, the disparity is about two millennia."
"Not to mention that since the Phauthi have access to this world as well, it's imperative we get a foothold in this world, unless we're willing to give them another world to claim, on top of giving them a much easier way to invade Earth," the US president added. "And despite what you may be thinking, I doubt anyone in this room is willing to approach even a fraction of the heavy handed tactics he Phauthi used on us. That's why we're considering the diplomatic route with other nations to secure this world as quickly as possible."
"There's also the added benefit of not having to worry about them later on in the conflict. Since they and the Saderans don't trust each other, we could use this as a way to further weaken their grip on the continent and enable us to end the campaign quicker. It'll be more efficient in both time and resources to focus solely on one enemy at a time. However there's more important news that we've learned about the vassal kingdoms."
"And that would be?"
"They are rich in natural resources. When we asked about resources, there were a few things that caught our interest. The first of which was a large deposit of fluorescent metals within the nation of Alguna, as well as in the northern territories of Falmart. The descriptions given make it more than likely that they are deposits of uranium, a resource we've almost completely mined on Earth, and are mining from the asteroid belt. Of course we won't know what it is until we can actually get boots on the ground, but if it is confirmed, from the size of the deposits they described, it would be far larger than any known deposit we've encountered."
News of this had certainly improved the mood of many in the room, mainly the world leaders, who saw the benefits the new world provided. Uranium was an especially important resource. Its use in nuclear reactors, weapons, and spacecraft made it invaluable.
"If you could guess, how much uranium would be located in these regions?" the Chinese president asked. The CIA agent looked back at her tablet and back up again.
"From the size of the area described to us, and it could very well be an exaggeration, roughly twice as large as the McArthur River Mine in Canada. And that's just one of the many resources described to us in detail in Falmart. In all, we could be looking at amounts larger than we've mined previously."
"On top of the possibility of uranium, we've been informed of large amounts of gold, copper, silver, and platinum. Much of this resides within the vassal state of Elbe, but that can be worked around at a later point. We were also made aware of large fields of thick, black liquid that resides within Elbe. From the description provided, it is almost certainly petroleum."
"I'm not sure of how much use that will be though," the French president interrupted. "Most of the petroleum reserves on the planet were exhausted during or shortly after the War. What reserves are still around today are small and used only for older military equipment that hasn't been converted to electric power, excluding various consumer uses. At most, it would be a cheap method for corporations to manufacture goods across the planet."
"But there's something we're forgetting in regards to fossil fuel usage," the US president interjected. "Scientific evidence by the early 2000's had already showed that we were affecting the global climate with the amount of carbon dioxide we were pumping into the atmosphere. By the end of the War, global temperatures had increased by one degree, and accelerated the melting of the polar ice caps. We've already built sea walls around every major coastal city, as well as upgrading infrastructure to deal with the rise in sea levels caused by the conflict."
"We burned over two decades worth of petroleum within the span of five years during the War. Between the damage done from the multitude of nuclear strikes which had made the middle east mostly uninhabitable, to most countless islands being swallowed by the seas, to temperature spikes making life unbearable in many regions around the globe, we can't afford to burn more petroleum in our atmosphere unless we want our climate to deteriorate even more." The Japanese prime minister added on.
"Best case scenario is that any commercial or private entity who seeks to utilize such deposits, will have to burn them in that world, not our own. We've made far too much progress to go back to that." The US president finished. "We can't afford to damage our planet's climate any further. Any economic activity using fossil fuels will have to take place over there."
"Even you must realize that our world will never be completely green." The Polish president interrupted. "For how much more energy efficient the civilians and military is in terms of transportation, much of the oil still being accessed in wells around the planet go towards other things vital for our world to run. Sure, we've found certain substitutes, but it can't replace our uses for it. Not right now anyway."
"Besides, there are more important resources we need. On top of uranium, we need easier access to aluminium, lithium, titanium, tungsten, and a large assortment of rare earth elements." The Israeli prime minister stated. "Resource extraction is among one of our primary concerns when it comes down to what this world could offer us. However it isn't the most important. Is there any indication of how fertile the land in this world is?"
This time the focus came back to agent Sokolov who responded to the question. "From information gathered from the CBRN team that was sent to the other side back in December, the soil is extremely fertile and tests performed on soil samples have shown it would be compatible with currently grown crops."
"That's good news," the French president remarked. "Our agricultural sectors are being strained by the output they need to produce to keep up with rising demands. Much of the soil already in use has been heavily degraded. While progress is being made in ensuring the stability and continued use of current farmland, it's getting difficult to continue to support the growing population."
"And our attempts to recultivate much of the land across the southern hemisphere has met with mixed results," the Mexican president told them. "Land in southern Brazil and northern Argentina have proven to be responsive in our attempts to cultivate it, but we've still run into problems in doing so. With an entire new continent at our disposal, this could solve our food production problems as well."
"There's also the fact that the Phauthi altered much of the soil in Australia, Africa, and South America, to grow their own crops, which they intended to use for their own people, which has forced us to once again alter the soil so it can be utilized for our own uses."
"But we must not become overly reliant on this new world," The Spanish president interrupted. "This portal is a massive bottleneck for either side that goes through it. Sure, it may be 200 meters across and 50 meters high, but should it be destroyed, not only are we losing any personnel on the other side, but we'll lose our easy access to any resources as well."
"That's why we've already taken precautions in ensuring that nothing happens to either Alpha or Bravo Points. UGV's have been deployed to the other side of Alpha Point to not only keep any potential saboteurs away, but also to provide protection for the drones that were assigned for bringing back the dead from the first probing action taken back in December. So far, the bodies of those lost during the hazmat mission have been recovered, but all of their gear and weapons were missing."
"With the forces in orbit, local ABM systems, and a significant military presence, it's unlikely it will be destroyed. And since from what intel we've gathered, this is an artificial structure, it won't close naturally. As long as an opposing military force doesn't get close, it's firmly in our hands," an American general stated.
"I still believe we should've waited until a proper QRF was in position for reinforcement. It would have avoided the unnecessary casualties we incurred," the Israeli prime minister argued. "We should've sent a proper force with them to batter the enemy defenses and force them away from the portal. Not only have we wasted the lives of those sent, the Saderans now have more of our own weapons and gear. While I doubt they can effectively use it, there are still ten thousand Icelandic civilians and hundreds more foreign nationals on the other side that could know how."
"And from what we've already seen from the Saderan military, they might be primitive, but they learn quickly, as evidenced from what we've witnessed and from those we've interrogated." The CIA agent informed them. "During the Battle of Reykjavik, they not only managed to cut the power for most of the city by interrogating the locals, they managed to broadcast a message at a news station, although by ordering those present to set it up. Their superiors were smart enough to begin ordering the capture of all weapons belonging to dead police and military personnel. Information gathered from surviving embassy personnel, as well as survivors of the attack, point to the enemy having the ability to peer into the mind of any individual, going through all of their memories and collecting information from them."
At this point, one of the French generals in the room raised their hand for permission to speak, which was granted quickly. "So you're saying that they have the ability to acquire the skills of anyone they capture, which in turn allows them to learn how to use any technology?"
"Not exactly," the MSS agent answered. "From what we were able to tell, they can visualize everything within a person's mind, but are incapable of understanding it right then and there. However it did allow them to identify key targets that would hamper our efforts, as well as our reluctance to hit their formations when they used civilians as shields. That's evident when they turned their attention on power stations and such to cripple the city."
"Now whether or not they could possibly learn more from those captured later on with enough time is still unknown. It is certainly a possibility we've considered, but we don't have much more to go on aside from survivor accounts."
"So does this mean they saw our world's history?" the Turkish president asked . "If they did, why in the love of all that is holy did they continue with the attack after seeing how outclassed they were?"
"I'd bet a really bad case of arrogance. They at least share that with the historical Roman Empire; they were egotistical." A British officer replied.
"That's a safe bet to make. The human prisoners display extreme levels of arrogance, as well as refusing to believe that they've lost the war," the CIA agent informed them. "They still hold out for the Empire coming back through and beating us. They seem to be under the impression that we took irreplaceable losses during the War." The looks on most of those in the room mirrored those of the interrogators when they first heard it. More than a few in the room began laughing at hearing such a thing, but brought themselves under control quickly.
"And exactly how did they come to that conclusion?" the US president asked.
"The international response to them attacking Reykjavik. When they realized that more than one country had taken part in the counterattack, already having knowledge about the War, they had assumed that we could only beat them back by gathering a force from every nation on the planet, thus they believe that no single military could defeat them in open battle," Sokolov explained.
"Still, they lost roughly 85,000 of their own, along with another 10,000 captured. Our losses were only 204. How can they still believe they can come back from that?" the befuddled Indian prime minister asked.
"Agreed, from what I remember from our last meeting, it was estimated that there would be almost 400,000 soldiers on the other side of Alpha Point, roughly a third of which belong to the vassal states," one of the Italian generals added.
"And simple math would tell us that the total size of the Imperial military would be roughly 320,000 before they attacked us," an Indian general said as he finished typing the information into his calculator. "They lost nearly one third of their entire military in one failed attack. In pure military terms, that's a catastrophic loss. I'm sure if any of our own nations took such heavy losses in a single engagement, it would be crippling."
"So it begs the question from why they still think they can absorb such losses and still win against us, especially when our own numbers in Reykjavik numbered less than 10,000." A French officer asked.
"It stems mostly from their history of never being defeated in a war before. More specifically, there was a conflict they fought roughly 330 years before they made contact with us. They called it the Arctic War, in which they lost 60,000 men in a single engagement against horsemen tribes who inhabited the northern section of the continent. Now there's a quote that was told to us about how the citizens of the Empire reacted those losses, but it's far from appropriate, so we'll leave it out." The CIA agent replied
"They eventually won the conflict by rebuilding their army, as well as using the vassal states to win the conflict, although at a horrific cost. This has since fed into their belief of invincibility and that they'll never be defeated or conquered," Sokolov explained. "They also see us as weak for the care we take in combat to limit civilian casualties, as well as for refusing to enter close combat with them."
"It sounds as if these barbarians need a lesson in humility. One we're going to give to them," the Polish president stated. "They claim we're savages and barbarians who know no meaning of war? Well, I say we give them what they want. A war they will never forget in a thousand years!" he exclaimed.
"Now the bigger question is how we can use the demihuman prisoners we've taken to our advantage." The CIA agent brought everyone's attention back up to the front. This time the screen in front of them was filled with pictures of the various species taken captive from Reykjavik. "As many of you might be aware, they had at one point or another been attacked and conquered by the Saderans. They vassalized them and used them because of their unique abilities."
"The first race listed are the strongest, but the dumbest of all the various species." The screen then focused on a single image, showing a green-skinned, heavily muscled creature with a pig-like face. "Known as goblins to the Saderan Empire, they are a brutish species with a love for fighting and capable of resisting small arms fire. They were usually tasked with using large hammers and other instruments to break down barricades and doors across Reykjavik. They were the largest of the auxiliary forces deployed by the Empire, but also the one that took the most losses in combat."
"So they would be of virtually no use to us in combat?" one of the British military officers asked.
"That is correct. The only way they'd be willing to fight is if you bribed them, which certainly isn't going to happen." The screen changed again and focused on another of the species captured by UN forces. This time it was the MSS agent who took the lead on informing them. "The next species we captured are known as Warrior Bunnies. Humanoid rabbits who are adept in combat. From what's been observed on the battlefield, they have extremely powerful leg muscles which allow them to jump across rooftops and fall from higher distances than a human can, while not being injured in the process. They've also shown themselves capable of kicking a man back nearly 20 feet with one of their legs. Then there's their hearing, which is extremely sensitive. They can hear farther and pick up noises humans can't. Last but not least, they can see in the dark naturally, which initially put some of our men in danger when combating them in Reykjavik."
"Then how did they end up working for the Saderans? Because if everything you said is correct, they should've won most engagements against them on the battlefield," a Russian general asked. "I'm surprised they didn't fight to the last soldier if they are that capable."
"Attrition warfare, as well as using magic against them, which they didn't have. As for why they surrendered, that's where their history gets darker. Roughly three years before Alpha Point opened, the Empire was in search of slaves, and the Bunnies were the next target. Initially, they did fairly well against the regular legionaries, but the Empire used superior numbers, as well as their elite Immortals to beat them back. The campaign was originally started by the Imperial crown prince, who we now know as Zorzal El Caesar. From what little we got from the prisoners regarding him, he's extremely sadistic, arrogant, and selfish. Given that bunny women are renowned for their beauty beyond Alpha Point, Zorzal made it his personal mission to bring them to heel. Their queen, who they call Tyuule, had offered herself as his personal slave in exchange for her tribe being left in peace. As you can already imagine, that's not what happened. Those who refused to be sold into slavery were executed, some escaped, but most were thrown into the service of the Imperial Army."
As he finished speaking, he could see many in the room shaking their heads at what they just heard. It wasn't that they didn't understand that this was common in ancient times, but they couldn't deny that it was depressing to hear such events. And given the events that happened in Reykjavik with the Imperials, many of them couldn't help but think of the hell all the captured civilians were going through at the moment. This was just one of the many reasons they wanted to cross Alpha Point as soon as possible, to rescue their own, and to eliminate the Saderan Empire.
"We really are dealing with a bunch of backward barbarians," a Swedish officer remarked. "It makes me wonder just what it the hell we'll be doing in this world when we get there. None of our governments will allow slavery under any capacity, no matter how much of their economies are reliant on it. And since we're looking for our own people, we'll need to tear that continent apart to search for them. By the time we're done, that world will be unrecognizable to the natives. Whether they like it or not, they'll have to abandon that barbaric practice."
"I'm sure we're all agreed on that, but our main focus is how quickly we can secure the other side," the Korean president responded. "Please continue," he added with a gesture. The CIA agent nodded her head and continued.
"The last major ones on the list are known as elves. Now they come in two different categories. The first are known as High Elves. They usually reside within the forests of Falmart, away from major towns and cities. The Dark Elves, however usually live within the mountains to the south. Aside from skin tone, they seem to share similar abilities, many of which me and my colleagues agree will suit us the best. It was because of their abilities that they were brutally subjugated by the Saderans."
"And what might those be?" one of the Canadian officers inquired.
"The first is their ability to harness magic." Again, the word magic just didn't sound right to many in the room. Sure, many had been present during the previous meeting, as well as having seen footage from Reykjavik, but the fact that magic existed didn't sit well with them. Some believed it was just an unknown form of technology. This was understandable since magic is usually perceived as supernatural fiction, as seen in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. For something so commonly thought of as fiction, to now be real, bugged everybody. This also led to governments recruiting so called "magic experts" from various regions of the planet. Since they were dealing with an opponent who possessed magic, they recruited many fantasy experts and began to question them of what to expect and how to possibly deal with certain situations. "As some of you may have read from the AAR from Reykjavik, our aircraft encountered a massive electrical storm that jammed their sensors and electronics, which forced our pilots out of the airspace for a short time. This lightning was extraordinarily powerful in how it affected the electronics of our aircraft. While the majority of the aircraft we had in the air at that time were old F-35 models approaching the end of their serviceability, some of our newer aircraft, the V-99 Warbirds, reported failures in multiple systems after being struck by this form of lightning. It would seem that the High Elves were the ones responsible for the event."
"So you're telling me that our enemy is capable of using single individuals as anti-aircraft weapons, ones that can't easily identified, and can easily blend in with a civilian population while giving no obvious sign of what they can do? That's just lovely, now isn't it?" a British officer exclaimed in an exasperated tone.
"And since it's been observed that they can damage our aircraft with those abilities, it will be extremely difficult to deal with. Especially if they entrench themselves within an urban area and deny our forces air support. This could become a problem for our forces in urban combat, even more so if the Saderans intentionally use their own people as living shields and force us to fight them close up." Another officer added.
"That was one of the things we realized when we first learned all this. With enough training, they are able to perform these attacks with ease, although it requires concentration to pull off properly. The storm in question was created by a single elf. We confirmed this after cross referencing video footage from aerial assets and CCTV footage from the launch site. The elf in question is currently in custody and has helped in our understanding of their combat abilities. However it should be noted that the subject in question relatively young compared to the others in custody, which suggests the possibility that those with more experience can perform even more powerful attacks; ones that would be far more effective against our forces."
"And exactly how old are some of these prisoners?" the Swedish president ask. "Because many of the photos taken show a few of them that can't be more than 16 years of age. Not to mention the outcry from human rights organizations across the world."
"Well they can get over it. After what they did when first arriving in Iceland, they don't deserve any sympathy. Besides, half of them aren't even human in the first place. And if we're being really technical, every single prisoner we've taken is an alien simply because they aren't from our world." The US president gestured for the agent to continue the briefing. "But enough about that, please continue."
"That's where things get rather complicated."
"How so?"
"The youngest elf we captured was stated to be 154 years old." Everyone in the room did a double take upon hearing that. Some were slack jawed without anything to say. Others just glanced at those next to them and whispered to each other.
"And how do you know they aren't lying to you? Because this is starting to sound extremely far fetched at this point. What proof could they possibly have to back up such extraordinary claims?"
"Along with the fact that every prisoner we've taken, human and otherwise, have confirmed that elves live extremely long lives. We initially conducted carbon-14 dating on all of their bodies, however it failed to yield results. Instead we compared the telomeres within the bodies of the Saderans and compared to examples from around the world. We then compared them with the telomeres from the elves, which gave us their ages. And since a standard year in Falmart is roughly anywhere from 383 to 389 days long, which would put the youngest at roughly 162 Earth calendar years. The oldest we encountered is roughly 420 years old. Not only do they posses abilities still mostly unknown to us, they age at a far slower rate than humans. Which means that virtually all of them are more experienced in combat, for big or little that might matter in the end. All we know is that one of their youngest was nearly able to knock our aircraft out of the sky. There's no telling what a group of older and more experienced ones are capable of."
"I thought this was supposed to be a briefing about how we could potentially use them against the Saderans, not how much of a headache they'll be once we cross Alpha Point," the Russian president pointed out. "Because all I'm hearing is problem after problem in the face of our invasion."
"That's entirely the thing. Most of the demihumans don't want to fight, or at least, don't want to fight us. They've shown extreme hatred towards the Saderan prisoners and the Empire in general. This was observed during the first week after Reykjavik was secured when a mass riot occurred between the segregated segments of the prison camp. And while it didn't take long to figure out the cause. The hatred between the two groups is considerable. Within that same week, several prisoners came forward offering us any information we wanted or were otherwise apprehended and interrogated for said information. Like Count Formal, they are willing to help us in exchange for sparing their people from our retribution, especially the elves."
"And how do we know they won't backstab us or turn tail and run back to the Saderans?" one of the American officers asked, which prompted many others to whisper to each other in agreement.
"While we have reason to be cautious, after everything described to us, they hold nothing but rage and contempt for the Saderans. After all, they willingly told us everything that we're reporting to you right now. Many practically begged for us to listen to them and to help them."
"And just what exactly do they need our help with?" one of the Indian officers asked.
"Keeping their people safe. They fear that with this failure, their people would be left vulnerable to Imperial retaliation. It seems the vast majority of their best warriors were part of this invasion, with half or more now dead or captured. Without them there, they're defenseless."
"Doesn't sound like our problem. Quite frankly, it sounds like they should've just fought harder to begin with," an American officer chuckled. "Even if we were to take them seriously, what can they really offer us in return?"
"Aside from one less group of people we have to fight, they know the world better than we do," the MSS agent replied. "That, and they've also highlighted many regions of importance to us, including mineral deposits. All they want in return is to be allowed to go back home and live in their ancestral lands, free of outside interference."
"Well letting them go back is a tall order," the British prime minister said. "The political and social backlash we would see from just letting them go would be immense. Whether they truly didn't take part in the killing is irrelevant, all that matters to most people is that they were there. I'm not denying their usefulness, but we must be careful on how we approach this."
"Then we make them work for their release," the US president suggested. "It's easy, we allow those who we believe will help us the most in our goals of securing the land behind Alpha Point. We monitor them 24/7 and keep them on a short leash. If they follow our orders and actively help us hinder the Imperials, then we could very well let them go home to their kind. If they run off or otherwise try to go against us, they get dealt with at the discretion of those on the field and we keep those we already have in custody. Or we can establish contact with their people and work out some sort of deal with them. They allow us passage through their land, as well as rights to any important deposit of natural resources, and we'll give them back their people."
"That's the idea we've had with Count Formal, however he has stated that in event the Empire losses Alpha Point to us, they'll likely occupy his home city, which he has already surrendered to us. The biggest problem is how to minimize destruction to the city while also eliminating any hostile presence. Our best idea is to infiltrate the city using some of the demihuman prisoners we've taken, some of which were in the direct service of the Count, to deliver a message to his daughter and those running his estate in his absence. If we get his militia to stand down, as well as make the Imperials think we're coming from a single direction, it would minimize civilian losses and maximize Saderan losses."
"The idea could work," the Swedish prime minister agreed. "I say we give them a chance to redeem themselves and help our war effort, despite how much I disagree with how we're handling it. If nothing else, it means we have more friendly or neutral forces in this world not trying to kill us."
"If we can use them, I say we do it. They have everything to lose if they try to lie or otherwise go against us. They saw firsthand what we can do, so I believe that they'll keep to their word," The Korean president argued.
"Very well, we'll put this to vote before we finish this meeting."
The meeting dragged on until midday, while they discussed the military aspect of the campaign. So far, nearly every nation present had selected what units would be taking part in the invasion and who would be providing most of the logistical support. Once that was finished, all 21 nations present voted to utilize the demihuman prisoners, once selected and thoroughly vetted, to help guide them in this new world. They also tasked the various intelligence agencies with drawing up a plan with military leaders to use Count Formal to bring the vassal states to the negotiating table, and secure the city of Italica. But until then, the wheels of vengeance were turning strongly, and it wouldn't be long before the UNDF would see a trial by fire against a new alien force, and quite possibly an old one.
Imperial Calendar 687
Glass Peninsula, Falmart
The journey through the Blue Sea had been perilous. Tiberius had always heard the stories from admirals about how dangerous is was to travel the sea. Giant storms would swallow entire fleets and send them to the depths. Mer People who prowled close to the surface often looking for single ships that would be easy prey. Even massive Aqua Dragons that could single handedly wipe out an armada and not receive even a single scratch, had dwelled in these waters. But Tiberius wasn't scared. He felt no fear over what could happen. The only thing on his mind was the task given to him by the Emperor himself. A task that would determine whether or not the Empire would have a chance in the upcoming war with the other world. There existed a legend of a ship made entirely of steel that appeared in a storm roughly 155 years ago.
When merchants had first reported seeing it, they reported it as being nearly a stadium long, with four strange ballistae on the deck. As they tried to approach the ship, they reported that the ballistae began to spit fire at them, which severely damaged their vessel, forcing them to retreat. They also reported seeing dozens of men scrambling about with strange staves that shot fire at them. Before the Gate was opened, one would simply laugh at such stories, most likely being the imagination of a drunken sailor. But after recent events, many such stories were being brought back to the light and were being studied vigorously. There was even an old legend about five blue metal birds that appeared in the skies above the Imperial colony to the south. However this was deemed of the utmost importance to find. For if they could unlock the secrets of the otherworld weapons, they could turn the tide of the conflict.
But he wasn't the only one tasked with a great duty. During their invasion of the world beyond the Gate, they acquired many useful things. Aside from over 10,000 slaves, all of whom had some knowledge of the technology of their world, they also acquired a great many books and maps. The books, once properly translated, revealed great insight on this world and its history. Its old empires, all its wars, and its political alliances. The latter would be useful as many were trying to come up with ideas on how to cause division within this "United Nations of Earth", which was the totality of the world's nations. The maps were even more useful. In correlation with the books, they figured out which nations had the most power and those that were the weakest. This had given them a few ideas.
They had warned their world that the Empire would open another Gate in retaliation for interference. It wasn't a bluff either. Now admittedly, they wouldn't know where it would manifest and they'd run the chance of invading one of the larger countries or one of the smallest. But with the assistance of maps, they could figure out the best places for such an attack. Godasen and his mages quickly ruled out attacking any of the nations that were part of the "Security Council", as it appeared that they held the most military and political power in their world. While they steadily narrowed down the list, they had a few promising targets. While they couldn't close the GATE on Alnus Hill or in the Blue Sea, they could create one that would only last a few days at most, enough time for them to launch attacks wherever they chose, causing chaos around their entire world.
There was one target that looked very promising and wouldn't risk outside interference. There existed two nations that resided in the southernmost tip of one of their continents, which hadn't joined their "United Nations". It seemed that they were the first to fall to their old enemy many years ago. Their entire world sat and did nothing, which left bitter feelings in those who inhabited them. From what could be and was still being gathered about them, they had relatively small populations, even smaller militaries, and more slaves for the taking. Godasen argued that by capturing large numbers of their peasant population, as well as capturing their weapons, he and his students would have more examples of their weapons to study. Not to mention it would add two more vassal states to the Empire. There was also the possibility of having their armies serve the Empire, which would greatly benefit from having access to their skills, despite how embarrassing it would be for barbarians to teach Sadera how to fight.
"We are approaching the site of the legend." Tiberius was broken out of his trance by a hand on his shoulder. It was Admiral Regillus. He had known the Admiral for many years and could attest to the man's character. Both were veterans of the Imperial military and survivors of the recent failed attack through the Gate. Aside from Legate Marcus leading the defense at Alnus Hill, they were the only surviving commanders from the battle. Both had seen first hand what the otherworlders were capable of, and that only strengthened their determination to find what they were sent to locate. "It seems the story was correct, my old friend. Our wyvern scouts report that there is a shipwreck directly ahead."
"Good," Tiberius replied calmly. "I hope we can get something useful from this. We can use whatever we can get in this war."
"Then perhaps this ship will provide us with the answers we need. If we could learn how they built such vessels, then we'll build a navy to rival their own in no time." Tiberius chuckled at Regillus's comment. They both knew that this would be no easy task, but they had to believe that something would come from this. They had come too far to give up now.
"I'd like to think so. But I think this will be a bit harder than our mages learning how their strange staves work. We're talking about an entire ship. This will be no easy task. Besides, I don't like thinking about what condition this ship might be in. Rusting for over a century and a half. It could very well fall apart when we touch it."
"That may be so, but if it's been stranded for that long, there's a good chance we can find the weapons described to be intact. And with the scribes here with us willl draw and record every detail about the ship. Even if we can't use it, we can copy it."
"Maybe you are right. The Empire has always adapted when faced with new challenges. This will be no different. Although I do believe I'm right in saying that this will be the hardest war we'll ever fight." Tiberius said confidently. "This will cost more than we'd ever think possible, but by the time it's over, we'll be unstoppable."
"I agree," Regillius said before pausing. He focused his vision at one of the islands ahead. As the fog began to clear, they both could see their target. As they got closer to the ship, they could see that it certainly had been in that location for some time. The entire ship was covered in rust from bow to stern. It fit the size of what they were looking for, as well as being made of steel. It didn't take long for messenger wyverns to alert every ship in the fleet of the finding and where to go. Within minutes they had landed on the shores of the nearby island. Behind Tiberius and Regillius was an entire legion, assisted by 50 auxiliaries, mostly orcs and trolls, brought mainly for their strength.
"I want every inch of that ship searched!" Tiberius commanded his men. "This is a mission from the Emperor himself and we will not fail him! Now get moving!" As he studied the ship more closely he found the design was very peculiar. Near the stern of the ship, sat two long pillars that looked like chimneys. Both were rusted, but he could still make out some white coloring near the top. The center of the ship was filled with numerous support beams the use of which he couldn't figure out, if they had one at all. At both ends of the steel supports were even taller steel poles. There appeared to be a watching post towards the bow. But what baffled him the most was the lack of oars. There wasn't even a sail. Somehow this ship moved under its own power. That was a secret that would prove invaluable if they can figure it out.
Once they reached the deck of the ship by use of ropes, they could get a much clearer picture of what had happened. There were pieces of metal scattered across the deck of the ship, as well as skeletons. Upon closer examination, they discovered a mixture of Mer People and human bones.
"It seems that whoever these sailors were didn't expect an attack." Tiberius muttered to himself. he saw something in the hand of the strangely dressed skeleton of one of the sailors,. As he picked it up, his eyes went wide. It was one of the otherworlder weapons! He began to issue orders for every legionary to follow, while also waving the weapon in the air so they would know what to look for. "Any weapon or stave you find on this ship, you will capture! These weapons could prove valuable in our war against the enemy from the otherworld!" As he continued across the deck, he came across more examples of weapons. Aside from the spears that still resided in the skeletons of the sailors, he found longer wooden staves that looked intact, despite being exposed to the elements for over a century.
It was similar to a crossbow in that regard. But one thing he didn't understand was w there was a strange piece of metal sticking out of the right side. It seemed to be part of some type mechanism within the stave that he couldn't understand. He simply handed the weapon off to a legionary, who then sent the weapon back down onto the beach.
"This ship certainly is strange." Regillius remarked. "I don't understand the purpose of such a design. Although I can understand what these might be." He said as he pointed towards a long cylinder on the ship. As they got closer, it appeared to be some type of weapon, similar to what they had seen used on the ship they almost captured. It looked much like a ballista, except it was all steel. "It's definitely some sort of weapon. And once again, it's all steel."
"Well one thing is for certain, this was no regular merchant ship. All the dead have the exact same weapons and uniforms. This belonged to a nation."
"Not only that, but the legionaries report that the lower deck is filled with some strange rocks. It's unclear what they are, but it must be really important for the entire lower deck of the ship to be carrying it."
"Perhaps we'll take plenty back with us and the mages can figure it out."
As they finally made their way below the decks, they could see that the rust had made it impossible to open most of the doors. The orcs and trolls were put to work smashing them open with their heavy hammers and mallets. It took them time, but they eventually got them all opened. One by one, they searched every room they found, taking everything they could in the process. So far they had gathered another two dozen weapons from the rooms and dead bodies. Eventually they found their way into what they assumed was the captain's quarters. The room was fairly unremarkable, but there was one thing that caught the eye of Legate Tiberius. Hanging on the wall was a flag. A flag he had recognized and despised. It was the flag of a nation from the other side of the Gate. He tore the flag from the wall and held it in his hands.
"Is there something wrong?" Regillius asked, wondering why his friend was so focused on a single flag. "Do you recognize it?
"This flag belongs to one of the countries that beat us back. A country who had a palace in the city we had captured. Five of their men killed hundreds of legionaries before finally succumbing to our forces. This ship once belonged to them." Tiberius smirked as he tossed the flag down and looked over at his friend. "But now, it belongs to us. The knowledge this ship holds will prove invaluable. The weapons especially. And if the other legends are correct, there are more of their weapons just waiting to be found."
"That is certainly one way to look at this. But there's something This ship is far too large for the number of dead we've found. So far we've only counted forty-four sailors among the dead, which means that some could have escaped."
"Which also means there are more weapons on this island. Have the men search the entire island. Tell them look for anything out of place, especially burial sites. They wouldn't have gotten very far. And something tells me they didn't last very long."
"This is looking to be very promising. We've already acquired over 30 weapons from this ship and the trolls are already in the process of removing the steel ballistae. Our scribes are slowly and carefully writing down every little detail about this ship. It won't be long until we have the secrets that reside in this ship."
"And we'll use those secrets against our enemy."
Legate Tiberius and Admiral Regillius had found what their emperor had told them to find. They had gathered a great many otherworlder weapons and believed that what they found would help change the tide of the war. But they didn't know just what they had found. They didn't realize that most of the crew was gone and would never be found. They didn't realize the importance of the manganese ore in the storage center. What they didn't realize was that the ship had disappeared without a trace and was the greatest naval mystery of all time. They had found a ship that had belonged to the United States navy during World War I. The USS Cyclops.
