Summoning America

Chapter 142: The Coup(3)

"We have all exits covered and my men are coming through the tunnels as we speak! Don't make this harder for you and your family!"

He was trapped between a rock and a hard place, but that was no justification for lashing out. Prioritizing the safety of his family, he called out a response, "I surrender!"

Stepping out into the moonlight, he and his entourage were swiftly disarmed and restrained. Though their treatment was rough, a grudging respect was extended to the Emperor's family, their royal status reluctantly acknowledged.

Marix approached them. His eyes, fierce and determined, met Gra Lux's steady gaze. Breaking the tense silence, he spoke in a voice that carried an air of authority and a hint of condescension. "Your Excellency," he began, "this is a decision we have made for the good of our nation."

Gra Lux held Marix's gaze, his voice steady but clear with defiance. "And what of the people? The families who live under our protection? You don't see the bigger picture, Senator."

Marix's eyes hardened. "I couldn't see the picture any clearer! The needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few," he retorted. "Think of the people? That is precisely what I am doing! Thousands of ships, planes, and tanks; millions of men sitting idly by while our economy falls apart. The solution is clear, and yet you hesitate. Why?"

Gra Lux was confident in his answer, "Our economy is on track for recovery; we've secured more than enough from Leifor and the surrounding countries." He lamented, "Oh, if only I hadn't been fooled by you and your War Hawks, we might have opened trade with the Muans instead of wasting more lives and money on an unwinnable war."

Gra Lux's words irked Marix. As a patriot, he couldn't ignore these insults. "Unwinnable? Pathetic. Your rule lately has been a time of stagnation, weakness. Your willingness to bow down to the Americans is a disgrace. An Emperor who cowers to a power tens of thousands of miles away is not fit to lead."

Passion sparked in Marix's eyes as he continued, "This is not a coup, Your Excellency, but a course correction. We will lead our empire to its rightful destiny. We will no longer tolerate this incompetence; we will bring the prosperity that our people deserve, even if we must wrest it from the jaws of our enemies.

Amidst Marix's torrent of words, Gra Lux felt a bitter pang of frustration. He saw the fire in Marix's eyes, the unshaken belief in his misguided course. But Gra Lux understood the reality that Marix failed to see. The Americans were a force unlike any they had faced before, their military prowess and technological advancement unparalleled.

Mere supply shipments were enough to induce stalemates on some battlefields. Intervention could shift the balance of power overnight. Engaging in a war with them was not bravery, it was folly. A folly that would cost countless lives and bring the Gra Valkas Empire to its knees. The audacity of Marix's ambition, his reckless disregard for the consequences, filled Gra Lux with a chilling dread. This was not the path to glory Marix envisioned, but a road that led to certain destruction.

Seeing the fight in Gra Lux crushed, Marix turned away from him with a look of disappointment. "Bring them to the Pinnacle. I must return to the palace; I have much work to do."

Marix's soldiers maneuvered two armored vehicles into place, their engines rumbling ominously in the silence. Gra Lux, his family, and his retinue were divided among the vehicles, the echoing thud of the closing doors a chilling testament to their fate. As the convoy started to pull away, Gra Lux looked back at the silhouette of his palace through a narrow slit of a window. A sense of finality washed over him, but amidst the despair, a flicker of hope persisted.

––

In the desolate outskirts of the Imperial District, the SEALs crouched in the shelter of an abandoned store – yet another victim of the depression induced by the Gra Valkas Empire's transfer. Through their high-powered binoculars, they scanned the plethora of abandoned structures. Matrix's forces patrolled the area, but there was no sign of Gra Lux or his family.